I didn't start in cannabis. I started in the trenches of organic search — studying how Google decided which businesses earned visibility and which ones disappeared into page two. That obsession led to 15+ years of work across local SEO, customer acquisition systems, and conversion infrastructure.
Early in my career, I noticed something most marketers missed: visibility controls everything. It controls foot traffic, phone calls, repeat purchases, and ultimately whether a local business survives or closes. Businesses that owned their local search presence consistently outperformed those who relied on walk-ins or paid traffic.
I built systems. I tested what moved rankings. I studied how review velocity, citation consistency, and proximity signals interacted to determine who showed up in Google Maps — and who didn't. That knowledge became the foundation of what DDE delivers today.
"Rankings don't matter if they don't generate revenue. I only build systems that connect directly to walk-ins, calls, and orders."
— Dwayne Powell, Founder of DDEWhen I transitioned into cannabis, everything I'd built became sharper. The industry had a unique problem: dispensaries are highly local businesses in a highly competitive, regulated market — yet most were being served by generic agencies with no cannabis experience and no understanding of how Google treats local intent searches.
That's where I saw the opportunity — and the responsibility — to build something different.