At this year\u2019s annual Cannabis Conference<\/a>, held Aug. 24-26 in Las Vegas, the Montana native was honored with one of six leadership awards given to the some of the industry\u2019s most influential and successful people.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really grateful, honored and motivated,\u201d Kuethe said of receiving the award. \u201cI appreciate that I\u2019m being recognized for the things I\u2019m doing in my community and to my employees.\u201d<\/p>\n Many leaders in legal cannabis have taken unique paths to the industry, and Kuethe is no exception.<\/p>\n He admitted that growing marijuana was never in his plans when he majored in exercise science at the University of Montana. He was more interested in body-building and personal training. Within months of graduating, he\u2019d built up a clientele of 40 people who he worked with one-on-one, helping them lift heavier and live healthier.<\/p>\n Kuethe liked the job, but he wanted more. He didn\u2019t know what that next step was, though, until a childhood friend invited him down to Arizona.<\/p>\n Matt Morgan was the CEO of Bloom Dispensaries and wanted Kuethe, just 28-years-old at the time, to be the company\u2019s chief operating officer. Kuethe says his first time laying eyes on a cannabis grow was inside Bloom\u2019s 30,000 square-foot cultivation center \u2014 one of the country\u2019s largest legal marijuana operations back in 2012.<\/p>\n The job, if he took it, would entail figuring out ways to spend less money, grow more weed and improve the quality of Bloom\u2019s flower. <\/p>\n Whether he realized it or not, the stars had aligned for Kuethe to join the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n \u201cBack then I couldn\u2019t fully comprehend the value of what I was walking into,\u201d Kuethe recalled, \u201cbut I knew it was a big deal. Now, I look back and realize I was incredibly lucky to get in at a place of that size at that point, and to get the experience I did.\u201d<\/p>\n The biggest challenge was diving into an industry he hardly knew anything thing about. But his lifelong mentality of being \u201can optimization person\u201d took command. Kuethe didn\u2019t need a master\u2019s degree to have success in marijuana. His passion and self-described obsession with detail proved sufficient.<\/p>\n \u201cI just love to make things better,\u201d he said. \u201cEven when I was a kid, I was trying to find the best way to do things. I used to love root beer floats, and I made it my mission to try and pair the best root beer with the best ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n When Kuethe joined Bloom, he was one of just three company employees. Six months later, the company had 120 people on staff.<\/p>\n Kuethe left Bloom after just two years, when Morgan sold the company in 2014. He found his next pair of jobs in nearby Las Vegas, Nevada, where cannabis was on the verge of becoming recreational and the industry was scaling up to prepare for a surge in demand. He started at Blossom, a boutique cultivator near the Las Vegas Strip, then after just 12 months, took an offer to be the chief cultivation officer at GB Sciences \u2014 a larger cultivator in south Vegas that was publicly traded on over-the-counter markets.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t last long in Sin City, though. <\/p>\n Lume founder Dave Morrow toured GB Sciences\u2019 cultivation and was blown away with the Vegas company\u2019s young COO, according to Noelle Skodzinski, Cannabis Business Times editorial director who presented Kuethe with his leadership award last month. Above all, Morrow was drawn to Kuethe\u2019s positive attitude and motivational effect on his employees.<\/p>\n Morrow waited just a few days to offer Kuethe a job, which was quickly accepted. It wasn\u2019t long before Kuethe had worked his way up to an executive role.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s unique in the sense that he really pays it forward,\u201d Skodzinski said. \u201cHe\u2019s making changes within his company but also within society. That\u2019s what makes him special.\u201d<\/p>\n Joy wouldn\u2019t be the first word that comes to mind for most people considering a move to the tiny town of Evart, population 1,500, in the rural center of the Mitten State. Located 80 miles north of the closest major city, it lacks basic amenities like fresh food. Its average high temperature in the winter is below 32 degrees.<\/p>\n But Kuethe saw potential. He viewed his new company and city as opportunities to make his mark \u2014 both as a business leader and a member of the local community. <\/p>\n His mother, Kimberly Lugthart, raised him to believe true leaders give back to the neighborhoods they work and live in. Lugthart brought young Kevin and his sister to volunteer with her every summer in his hometown of Missoula when he was growing up. Together, the three cleaned up state parks and handed out food and medical kits to people affected by natural disasters. They also served at local soup kitchens and planted trees.<\/p>\n When Kuethe graduated high school, he spent eight months in AmeriCorps and donated 2,000 hours of community service. He continues to volunteer each year, and is now encouraging his employees to do the same.<\/p>\n Lume staffers get paid for up to eight hours community service each year on the company\u2019s dime. Kuethe has shown the residents of Evart, most of whom stringently opposed a cannabis company putting its headquarters in the city, that he\u2019s serious about giving back.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so proud of him, because he\u2019s sincerely and legitimately a good-hearted person,\u201d Lugthart said of her son. \u201cHe\u2019s a positive force in the world, and this award is just one more expression of that.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/lumes-kevin-kuethe-awarded-for-leadership.jpg\")
<\/a>From Fitness Trainer to <\/strong>Cannabis Grower<\/h4>\n
Leaving Las Vegas to Roll the Dice in Michigan<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![](\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/lumes-kevin-kuethe-awarded-for-leadership-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Finding the Right Lights<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Fohse](\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/lumes-kevin-kuethe-awarded-for-leadership-2.jpg\")
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