But CEO Jim Hagedorn and his son Chris are plotting a comeback. Here’s how they plan to smoke the competition.<br /><br />Back in 2015, when only four states—Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington—had legalized recreational marijuana, Hawthorne started spending hundreds of millions acquiring companies like General Hydroponics (for $120 million), a Santa Rosa-based indoor gardening supply company, to get into the marijuana industry’s ancillary market. <br /><br />The move helped the Hagedorns grab glossy magazine headlines and Scotts’ stock price started to rise from the mid-$50 range to above $60 a share. By May 2021, the company acquired more cannabis-focused companies like Luxx Lighting (purchased for $213.2 million), a grow-light company started by the founders of respected weed brand Jungle Boys, and brokered a $150 million convertible debt deal with Canadian cannabis investment vehicle RIV Capital. Scotts’ stock bloomed to a robust $244.<br /><br />Read the full story on Forbes: <br /><br />Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1<br /><br />Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:<br /><br />https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript<br /><br />Stay Connected<br />Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com<br />Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes<br />Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes<br />Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes<br />More From Forbes: http://forbes.com<br /><br />Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
