Revolutionary People | Andrew Elk, Training & Development Manager

Here at Revolutionary Clinics, we pride ourselves on hiring friendly, compassionate people and then providing them with the knowledge they need to take care of our patients. That’s true whether they work in our growing facility, our production operation or one of our dispensaries. Character and integrity come first and if you’re willing to work hard and go beyond what’s expected of you, good things will happen.

One of our very best examples of hard work being rewarded is Andrew Elk, our Training and Development Manager. After joining us as a Receptionist in June 2018, Andrew immediately impressed us with his extensive knowledge of vaporizers and his willingness to share his knowledge with the rest of our staff. His penchant for carrying around up to five different vaporizers tucked in his belt to show patients earned him the nickname “The Canna Cowboy”. Within just a few months, Andrew had volunteered to help our management team develop vaporizer training materials for our employees. He also appeared in several videos to help us explain the benefits of different products and technologies to our patients.

Andrew was the driving force behind our Lit Learning series information sessions where we share details, offer insights, and answer questions about vaporizers, water pipes, and other consumption solutions for patients and staff alike. These no-pressure clinics are the perfect way to learn about the latest ingestion methods that can help you enjoy the best, most efficient cannabis experience possible.

Now that you know what Andrew does, we’re delighted that he’s willing to share the story of how he came to Revolutionary Clinics. If you’ve met Andrew at one of our dispensaries, you know how polite, precise and articulate he is in explaining complex details of different devices. Prior to joining Revolutionary Clinics, Andrew was the House Manager for the Huntington Theatre Company. In that role, he provided exceptional customer service to hundreds of patrons, six days a week so being able to spend quality time with individuals or small groups of patients is a welcome change.

Theatre has been a true passion for Andrew since childhood. After high school, he studied directing and theatre management at Bennington College in Vermont. It was here that Andrew had his first experience with cannabis and learned how to use it as an effective stress reliever. “Like most college kids I experimented with alcohol as a way to relax, socialize with new people and handle the stress of my educational responsibilities,” Andrew explains. “I liked alcohol but I didn’t like the person I became when I drank too much. The first time I tried cannabis, nothing happened. A few weeks later I had a conversation with an opera singer who taught me how to inhale with my diaphragm. That was a game changer for me. Feeling the full effects of cannabis not only helped me find a better way to manage my own stress, it inspired me to help others to do the same.”

Andrew is all about providing our patients with an exceptional experience. He uses both his recent memories of what it’s like to need information you can trust as well as the customer service skills he learned in the theatre business to teach our employees how to make every patient interaction effective and enjoyable. “Everyone we connect with at Revolutionary Clinics deserves an outstanding patient/customer experience,” Andrew says. “A considerable part of my role is highlighting, for Revolutionary Clinics patient advocates and team members, the value of truly listening and tailoring every interaction to maximize that particular customer’s vision of success. And to give every customer that same level of focus and engagement.” Every new staff member receives dedicated training sessions with Andrew and he makes regular visits to each of our dispensaries to review the latest products, trends and questions that patients are asking. Andrew also co-created a “lending library” of vaporizers that our staff can take home and try so they can truly understand, appreciate, and advocate for the benefits and features of each carefully curated product we sell and explain them to our patients.

While the main focus of Andrew’s job is to help our employees be the best they can be, he still loves helping patients. The next time you see him in one of our dispensaries, be sure to say hello and don’t be shy about asking him a question about anything. From his personal recommendation on the best vaporizer to his thoughts on the best musicals of all time, Andrew is a friendly and fascinating guy with an uncanny ability to help people feel better.

As always, thanks for reading our blog! Look for more staff bios in the future and if you have a question or special request for a future topic, be sure to leave a comment or share your suggestions with us using the form on our website! We hope to hear from you soon!