Feature Story
Big Time Logistics
Missouri ’ s Biggest Drug Trafficker
by Clayton Stallings , The EVOLUTION Magazine
Just a few years ago , this story would have headlined every local and national television news station , appeared on the front page of local and national newspapers , and taken the internet by storm , trending on every social media site . What would have been top town gossip across the state has become so normalized over the last few years that these unsung heroes have gone incredibly unnoticed by Missouri ’ s cannabis consumers and media .
Whether rain , sleet , or snow , the dispensary shelves will remain full of your favorite Christmas stocking stuffers — and , more importantly , with products that can tranquilly increase your patience with extended family over the holidays .
“ Oh , when the weather outside is frightful , the fire they deliver is so delightful .” This is our ode to Big Time Logistics — Missouri ’ s biggest ( legal ) drug trafficker .
Nestled in the center of the state in Lebanon , MO , James Hartman , Big Time Logistics ( BTL ) owner , has been offering vehicle transportation across the country for over 20 years . “ When the first cannabis transport licenses were released toward the end of 2020 , there were only five licensed transporters when I decided to apply ,” explained Hartman . Although Hartman was the 25th transport license to be awarded , he was the fifth transport license company to get their certificate of operation . Starting operations with just three transport vans , BTL ’ s first delivery was for Greenlight Dispensary on March 8 , 2021 . By the end of BTL ’ s first year , it quadrupled in size to 12 vans .
Curtis Whiting , director of operations , was one of BTL ’ s first employees as a driver during its first year of operation . “ I started seeing the login sheets towards the end of the first year and noticed we had the majority of the logins ,” said Whiting . “ We started asking other drivers their delivery numbers and login sheets near the end of that first year , and the last two weeks of December before adult-use started , we knew we were the largest Missouri transporter .”
Let me take a quick moment here in the story to give you another good reason to salute Big Time Logistics . During signature collecting to get adult-use cannabis on the ballot , Big Time donated its time and workforce to collect well over half of the required public signatures from dispensaries across the state . This ultimately led to our current legal cannabis access for all adults in Missouri . A BIG TIME SALUTE !
A Cheech and Chong wall mural overlooks the Big Time Logistics team ( from left ) James Hartman , owner ; Justine Hicks , sales / dispatch manager ; Katrina Alford , HR / accounting , and Director of Operations Curtis Whiting , ( Photo by Clayton Stallings .)
Within the first few weeks of adult use , BTL had outgrown its old facility . It was all hands on deck to keep up with the drastic increase in deliveries , construct and move into a larger facility in Lebanon , add six more delivery vans , plus hire and train new drivers .
“ Our main business model is picking up in bulk , bringing it back to our facility , sorting it for dispensary deliveries overnight , then new drivers showing up around 4 a . m . to deliver products to their final destination ,” said Hartman . “ We were the only delivery company that ran this way .” This delivery business model was the clutch for survival because DHSS only gives licensed transport companies 36 hours to hold on to product , and before adult use , it was only 24 hours .
Hartman ’ s business model streamlined the Missouri transport license business . Because of the limited amount of time allowed to hold on to product , his 24-hour facility packaged its own deliveries at its transportation hub overnight to eliminate smaller , wasted-time deliveries while maximizing efficiency . Currently , BTL processes 600 – 700 totes per night , averaging over 500 delivery stops per year .
32 December 2024