Cannabis has always been in our lives. For over 20 years, we have made it our business.
Andrea Unsworth
FOUNDER & CEO
A California native, Andrea was born in San Diego to a family of small business owners, policy analysts, social workers, and educators. Her passion for community-building and economic advancement through self-sufficiency is in her DNA; she has held numerous positions in government and non-profit organizations throughout the state of California. She is also the founder of her own non-profit, LEGACY 64, which provides free business education, financial literacy, job placement, and technical assistance to individuals and business operators from underrepresented communities.
After college, Andrea moved to the Bay Area and worked as a Financial Analyst for Bank of America where she was responsible for a variety of research tasks to inform investment strategy and make investment decisions for mid-size companies.
Andrea went on to work as a Senior budget Analyst for the University of California, Office of the President. Here, she reviewed State and Federal budget allocations, oversaw the permanent budget, forecasted future funding requirements for various educational departments and programs throughout the UC system, and utilized statistical modeling and funding formulations to determine cost allocations. She also translated financial data into detailed presentations and easy-to-understand financial reports for various department managers.
A proven advocate for underrepresented groups, founder Andrea Unsworth became an entrepreneur after an impressive career as a bond analyst for Moody’s Investors Service. After publishing numerous pieces over five years, she started a delivery-only dispensary in 2014 called StashTwist under the state’s Prop 215. Andrea launched the business with limited capital, cashing out her 401(k), and partnered with her father who was a high-school educated Marine that grew up a sharecropper in rural South Carolina. The delivery service became a case study on MSNBC’s “The Profit”, and became a model for other women and minorities interested in becoming business owners in the industry.
In 2015, Andrea co-founded Supernova Women, an organization that champions for the education and advancement of individuals most impacted by the War on Drugs in the pursuit of their entrepreneurial goals. Founded with the mission to foster community empowerment through education, advocacy, and network building, the organization fosters a safe space for and amplifies the messages of their constituents at the local, state, and national level. That same year, she led the Bay Area chapter of Women Grow, a national for-profit entity whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for women to influence and succeed in the plant medicine industry.
For the next year, she worked intimately with the City of Oakland and Elevate Impact to develop and design a successful commercial cannabis program that launched in 2019. She then worked for the City to issue the first round of Equity funding by processing and reviewing applications for the first (6) months of the program.
In 2018 Andrea launched her own consulting company, Tulip & Oak, with small business clients in all sectors of the cannabis industry. Her team was responsible for securing licenses in multiple jurisdictions. As a frequent speaker at national conferences, Andrea has successfully testified on behalf of cannabis regulation before the State of California.
In 2022, Andrea was the Assistant Director of the Oakland Equity Collective, a shared-kitchen and white-labeling facility that supports a cohort of Social Equity operators for 18 months at a time. OEC works to advance manufacturing and distribution opportunities for a rotation of equity manufacturers in the shared facility.
Andrea currently provides technical assistance to cannabis Equity operators in the cities of Oakland, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. Most recently, she taught an online webinar entitled “Finance for Cannabis Equity Operators” through the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Cannabis Regulation.
Andrea has a B.A. from UCLA in Political Science and Sociology, and an MBA with a focus on Company Finance from USC.
Blake with The Cave & Scott Deppe on VICE’s Most Expensivest with 2Chainz, showcasing functional glass art (Link)
Blake Hoffmann
OPERATIONS MANAGER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Blake led a career primarily in tech from his childhood in Southern California through the last 25 years he has lived in the Bay Area. He started consulting at a young age, which he has continued to do until today. After employment in different sectors of the tech and retail industries, Blake joined Fixswift IT Solutions in San Francisco, the City’s highest rated local and independent firm at that time. There he was the primary field technician, making inhouse visits to hundreds of small businesses around SF and the greater bay area. This ranged from yoga studios to Fortune 500 firms, regularly working directly with the owners/CEO’s of each client. He also attended multiple networking events for his firm, soliciting new clients and garnering relationships he still maintains today. Blake never stopped providing IT Services, and ran an independent consulting firm until joining Tulip & Oak.
In 2011, Blake joined the team at The Cave Smoke Shop in San Mateo, California. The Cave is regarded as a worldwide leader in the Functional Glass Art movement, and Blake has spearheaded their online store, events, product launches, store openings, television appearances, and collaborations. As a premiere location for highly collectible functional glass art, Blake garnered relationships with multiple celebrities, influencers and business owners as a curator of highly-sought after items used for social statements.
While continuing his efforts with The Cave and IT/Creative consulting on the side, Blake met Andrea in 2020, and since then has been her primary partner at Tulip & Oak as well as in life. Blake has assisted with multiple projects across numerous clients in the Oakland Social Equity Technical Assistance Program. He works directly with multiple retail, delivery and manufacturing clients in brand identity, web design, packaging design, product formulation, and compliance documentation.
Patrick Finnegen
CPA & DIRECTOR OF AUDIT SERVICES
Patricks runs Patrick Finnegan CPA, representing California businesses and individuals during their interactions with governmental agencies. These interactions include tax audits that involve reviews of the businesses accounting records, a stressful experience for all businesses involved. He also maintains a tax preparation business, preparing tax returns for Corporations, LLC’s, Partnerships, and individuals. He prepares returns for many small businesses, explaining their reporting requirements along with what allowable deductions against income are, to ensure they pay the correct tax amounts owed. He travels around the San Francisco bay area weekly, meeting with clients as well as the Tulip & Oak team. Patrick actively assists businesses through the City of Oakland equity program, helping entrepreneurs from underserved communities meet their financial goals.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
OUR DIRECTIVE
“Tulip & Oak is dedicated to ensuring the inclusion and success of Legacy operators in the cannabis industry. We appreciate and respect the necessity for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment, industry, and society. We are committed to the inclusion and respect of all participants and partners whatever their race, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, color, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or identity, language, disability, veteran status, height, weight, domestic partner status, marital status, parental status, AIDS/HIV status, educational background, or socio-economic status.
We value and encourage the inclusion of all voices, and believe that sharing varied experiences and backgrounds only enhances the industry and enriches the lives of those involved. We always offer education, technical assistance, support, memberships, hiring opportunities, and partnerships in a nondiscriminatory manner that provides equitable access to opportunities within our programs”
Supplier Diversity Policy
Tulip & Oak Consulting, Inc. values the unique perspectives of our diverse clients. The diversity of backgrounds, experiences and thought is what makes the cannabis industry unique and innovative.
We welcome vendors and suppliers that value diversity in their business practice and deliver exceptional products and services.
It is important to build diverse supplier relationships that deliver for our business and our communities. We know that when we support other small and disadvantaged businesses, it has more than just a financial impact. These relationships and partnerships inspire the development of more diverse entrepreneurs and create more opportunities throughout diverse communities. Our goal is to promote inclusive practices that provide maximum opportunity to all companies that meet our purchasing and contracting standards while:
1. Maintaining our current standards of safety, quality, competitive pricing, service delivery
2. Ensuring that diverse-owned businesses are treated fairly during the procurement process
3. Helping other small disadvantaged businesses understand Tulip & Oak’s policies and procedures
Get in Touch
Whether you would like the consultation of our team or to partner with us on a project, we are always open to new opportunities!