Posted By Gettysburgian Staff on Feb 14, 2022 | 1 comment

By Patrick Sullivan, Contributing Writer

On Thursday, February 10, the Management Department hosted Troy Datcher ’90, CEO of the Parent Co., a California-based cannabis company. Troy Datcher graduated from Gettysburg College in 1990 having majored in Political Science. Datcher joined the Parent Company six months ago after he left the Clorox Company, where he worked for 12 years. Datcher spoke about his career, management, and the cannabis industry. 

The Parent Company is the largest vertically integrated cannabis platform in the state of California. The company is linked with the artist, Jay-Z, who serves as their Chief Visionary Officer.

After joining the Parent Company, Datcher chose to learn about the company from the ground up so he briefly worked at a dispensary and went on deliveries. Despite only joining the company six months ago, Datcher spoke about having to deal with various obstacles such as COVID-19 and personnel issues.

In his remarks, he described three life lessons that are important to him. The first was to hold yourself accountable and to do the work when no one else is looking. The second was that experience and a gut instinct drives decisions, not deferring to others. Finally, he noted the importance of teamwork.

Datcher also spoke about core values in business, including trust, authenticity, and stewardship. Datcher emphasized both the necessity of finding a positive work culture and working for “companies that share your values.”

Additionally, Datcher advised people to “pay attention to what other people say about you” as the impression you give off is a big signal of who you are.

He also spoke about “hustle and conviction”. He described the former as, “an aggressive readiness with the energy to undertake taxing efforts,” and he described the latter as, “a strong belief or certainty of something.”

During the question and answer portion of the event, Datcher was asked which skill he felt was the most valuable to him that he had learned from his time as a student at Gettysburg College. He responded, “debate and have an opinion.” He added, “have a point of view, a perspective.”

Datcher was also asked about what skill he wished he had learned in college. He lightheartedly answered, “I wish I had taken some math classes, some finance classes,” explaining how they would have helped in his current role. He added that he wished he had taken more risks with the classes he took.

When asked about leadership in business, Datcher emphasized confidence in decision-making. He noted that leaders “aren’t afraid to make decisions.” Datcher spoke frankly about mistakes and tough decisions he had to make over his career. He concluded his remarks by explaining how he has balanced his work and life.