NWA companies launch cannabis logistics platform
by March 6, 2022 8:55 am 1,652 views
Security provider Liberty Defense Group (LDG) of Fayetteville has launched a cannabis transportation software platform.
According to LDG, Drop Point is a first-of-its-kind cannabis online marketplace that automates workflows and provides visibility for cultivators, carriers and dispensaries to streamline their work to move products.
To support the marketplace, LDG uses an API-first platform called Control Tower, developed by Rogers-based tech startup Firebend, which provides cloud-based logistics management software.
Military veterans Jon Reeves and Ryan Hansen founded LDG in 2016. Among its offerings are security and transportation services for the medical marijuana industry.
“The decision to build Drop Point on Firebend’s Control Tower platform was easy,” Hansen said. “We evaluated several supply chain and transportation SaaS [software-as-a-service] solutions, but none of them offered the level of customization, speed of implementation, or collaborative partnership we sought. We needed a solution that was scalable, reliable and easy to use. Control Tower checked all the boxes, enabling us to deliver technology that fits the cannabis transportation industry specifically and not transportation generally.”
LDG has an extensive network of cultivators, carriers and dispensaries in Oklahoma’s cannabis industry. Drop Point will track every order, shipment and delivery while removing obstacles to collaboration and participation among network participants.
“Supply chain visibility and automation is more important than ever to supply chain professionals whose goal is to remove friction and drive increased efficiencies,” Firebend co-founder and CEO Justin Marshall said. “Through our Control Tower platform, Firebend is ahead of the curve, bridging the gap between monolithic supply chain ERPs and from-scratch custom-built solutions. Our platform makes it easier than ever for supply chain professionals to design and implement applications that mirror and enable their operations, driving adoption among users and integrations between supply chain partners.”
Firebend launched in 2019 and has offices in Rogers and Fort Smith. The firm has 44 workers and four partners: Marshall, Davy Mears, Cyndi Dye and Propak Logistics founder Steve Clark.