Case Studies

The Opportunity

Cookies set out to become the first cannabis-facing company to establish a meaningful partnership with a major university. USC represented an opportunity to build a groundbreaking relationship — one that could redefine how cannabis-adjacent brands engage with major institutions.

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The Complexity

CBD sponsorships had only recently begun appearing in professional sports — and only through brands without direct cannabis affiliations. This partnership was entirely new territory: the first major university partnership involving a cannabis-facing company, and one of the first of its kind in collegiate athletics. It required navigating evolving regulations, university governance, public perception, alumni concerns, and sponsor expectations in an emerging industry with few established precedents. USC needed confidence that the partnership could protect its reputation, while Cookies needed guidance entering a completely new environment where no established playbook existed.

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Our Perspective

Rather than treating this as a sponsorship negotiation, BRG approached it as the creation of an entirely new partnership category. Success required trust, education, relationship management, and careful alignment between two organizations operating in very different worlds.

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Our Approach

We advised both organizations throughout the partnership development process — helping navigate regulatory considerations and bridging communication between traditional collegiate athletics and the cannabis industry. We developed partnership positioning that respected institutional values while creating meaningful opportunities for both organizations, and guided execution while remaining sensitive to evolving regulations and public perception.

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The Outcome

The partnership helped establish a new model for cannabis-facing brands engaging with major institutions — demonstrating that thoughtful strategy and strong relationships can overcome significant regulatory and cultural barriers.

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What It Demonstrates

Strategic Advisory  ·  Partnership Strategy  ·  Regulatory Navigation  ·  Executive Advisory  ·  Relationship Development  ·  Change Management

The Opportunity

Professional Sports Partners recognized that cannabis, CBD, and health & wellness represented rapidly emerging partnership categories — but lacked the internal expertise to confidently enter the space. They wanted to become one of the industry's leading agencies serving these brands.

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The Complexity

The cannabis industry was highly regulated, rapidly evolving, and built on relationships rather than traditional corporate structures. Many sports organizations lacked understanding of the industry, while cannabis companies often lacked trust in traditional agencies and corporate partnership models. Success required bridging two very different business cultures.

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Our Perspective

Rather than simply selling sponsorships, BRG believed the first step was education. Building trust between industries meant helping both sides better understand each other's priorities, regulations, challenges, and opportunities.

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Our Approach

We educated agency leadership and staff on the cannabis landscape — regulations, key brands, cultural dynamics, and partnership opportunities — and developed strategies for building credibility within the industry. Together we created partnership models that respected regulatory limitations while still delivering meaningful value to both brands and sports properties, and identified creative activation opportunities that complied with regulations while strengthening brand engagement.

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The Outcome

Professional Sports Partners established meaningful relationships throughout the cannabis and wellness industries while expanding its ability to advise brands entering the sports partnership marketplace. The engagement positioned the agency to confidently navigate one of the fastest-growing and most regulated emerging industries.

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What It Demonstrates

Strategic Advisory  ·  Industry Education  ·  Partnership Development  ·  Relationship Strategy  ·  Market Positioning  ·  Executive Advisory  ·  Regulatory Strategy

The Opportunity

Saddles in Service had experienced significant organizational growth while expanding its impact for veterans, active-duty military, first responders, and their families. Leadership recognized that continued growth required stronger organizational infrastructure.

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The Complexity

Rapid growth had created increasing demands across leadership, staffing, marketing, fundraising, partnerships, systems, and internal communication. Processes that had worked for a smaller nonprofit were no longer sufficient for the organization's next stage of growth. Leadership needed guidance not only on revenue generation, but on building an organization capable of sustaining long-term impact.

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Our Perspective

Growth challenges are rarely solved by revenue alone. Long-term success depends on aligning leadership, people, systems, communication, partnerships, and organizational structure. Our focus became helping the organization build the internal foundation necessary to support future growth.

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Our Approach

We serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership — helping reshape organizational structure and leadership responsibilities, developing new partnership strategies, and implementing improved revenue processes and CRM systems. We guide marketing and social media strategy, strengthen internal communication and accountability, and coach leadership while helping develop team members into more effective managers and future leaders. Throughout, the focus is on building systems that support sustainable organizational growth rather than short-term expansion.

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The Outcome

Saddles in Service continues building stronger internal infrastructure while creating greater organizational alignment, improving operational efficiency, strengthening partnerships, and positioning the organization for continued growth and long-term impact.

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What It Demonstrates

Strategic Advisory  ·  Leadership Development  ·  Organizational Alignment  ·  Revenue Strategy  ·  Nonprofit Advisory  ·  Executive Coaching  ·  Systems Development  ·  Change Management