There was never a question of who would top my list of acknowledgments for this book: the customers. To each and every one of you who shopped in one of the stores, even if it was just once, thank you. And to those loyal customers who were with me from the very humble beginning, you have my deepest gratitude.
Secondly, I need to recognize the 530 and Synergy teams and every individual (regardless of how our working relationship may have ended) who was at one point part of the companies over the years. Each of you had a role in the overall success of the stores, and I thank you for being part of this journey and for believing in my vision to whatever extent you did.
And to Stephanie Pierce, for although she is mentioned in the book, its flow did not lend itself to really share my depth of appreciation of Stephanie. She was there through all of the darkest days, and throughout our ups and downs and her own personal battles, Stephanie never wavered in her loyalty to me or the companies. Stephanie, you are an angel on earth.
I am especially grateful to the City of Shasta Lake and the City of Redding for the honor and privilege of being part of their business communities. Thank you to all the city and law-enforcement officials who kept open minds when passing through my doors (I know my small brain has inadvertently left many names off this list, and for that I hope you will forgive me):
City of Shasta Lake: John Duckett, city manager; Jessica Lugo, assistant city manager; Steve Ayers, planning; Captain Forrest Bartell (Shasta County Sheriff’s Office); Lieutenant Tom Campbell (SCSO); Sergeant Caleb McGregor (SCSO); Sergeant Tyler Thompson (SCSO); Sergeant Logan Stonehouse (SCSO); Sergeant John Greene (SCSO); the members of the city council and other appointed officials from 2009 through 2020.
City of Redding: Barry Tippin, city manager; Barry DeWalt, city attorney; Larry Vaupel, director of development services; Chief Roger Moore (Redding Police Department); Lieutenant Jeff Wallace (RPD); Officer Kurtis Stenderup (RPD); Officer Vega (RPD); the members of the city council and appointed officials from 2018 through 2020.
To Chris Hunt and Andrew Lampert, the brilliant and relentless duo at Hunt Equity, who worked tirelessly on the acquisition of my stores: Thank you for seeing it done! You guys are the best.
I am appreciative of every billable minute charged by my attorneys as their contribution to keeping me and my businesses in line. In order of acquaintance: Keith Cope, Ben Kennedy, Todd Endres, Stephen Osborne, Chris Dayans, Rich McDerby, and Nancy Nan.
Thank you to the executive team at High Times (Adam Levin, executive chairman; Peter Horvath, chief executive officer; Paul Henderson, president) for seeing value in what I built and folding my stores—and my teams—into the globally recognized High Times brand.
My publishing experience has been as incredible as everything else, and, in large part, that is because of the absolutely phenomenal Girl Friday Productions team and their commitment to professionalism, detail, and quality.
I owe a huge thank-you to the women at GFP who believed in my work and made it stronger. In the order of acquaintance: Christina Henry De Tessan, curator and development; Ingrid Emerick, publisher; Katherine Richards, editor; Bethany Davis, editorial production; Georgie Hockett, marketing; Jane, copyeditor; Phyllis, proofreader.
A special thanks goes out to Gail Hudson, my developmental editor, for her valuable insight on the manuscript and for always looking out for my reader.
To my family and dear friends—specifically Rob Etulain, Amy Garzot, Rory Garzot, Judy Garzot, Dr. Z., Lori Ajax, and Jim Wood—who read early drafts of the manuscript, suffering through innumerable typos and entertaining dictation errors, thank you for taking the time to provide real and honest feedback that was incredibly valuable. I appreciate your support beyond words.
And finally, an additional thank-you to Jim for pushing me to not only do this but to do it now, while everything was fresh in my mind. Thank you for your unwavering confidence in me, in this project, and in “all of the things.”