Category: cannabis
Cannabis Facility Construction Expands into West Virginia with Design-Build Projects for Harvest Care Medical
By renovating former banks and drive-thru restaurants, dispensaries will be drive-thru ready
CHICAGO, IL (MAY 9, 2022) – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm, is pleased to complete construction on a new Country Grown Cannabis medical dispensary for Harvest Care Medical in West Virginia. CFC is currently working on multiple design-build projects for Harvest Care. This Martinsburg location is a former bank building, making its existing drive-thru a logical choice for renovation to support customer demand for online ordering and speed of service once dispensary drive-thrus are permitted by cannabis regulations.
“We’re thrilled to enter the West Virginia cannabis market and partner with Harvest Care to support their entry into the emerging medical cannabis market,” said Andy Poticha, Founder and CEO at Cannabis Facility Construction. “Our clients value our longstanding cannabis design-build expertise and our ability to provide speed to market, which is essential to opening quickly and correctly.”
The new 2,650-square-foot Country Grown Cannabis medical dispensary is located at 1321 Edwin Miller Blvd in Martinsburg, WV in a former bank facility. The dispensary was designed to create a differentiated and welcoming customer experience with careful consideration given to ensure customer flow, easy-to-browse product displays and point of sale stations for speed of service and retail convenience. In addition to the retail space up front, the dispensary includes private consultation rooms for medical patients to discuss their needs with staff, secure vaults for inventory storage, back-office space, and a highly-advanced security system.
“Cannabis Facility Construction was a strategic design-build choice for us,” said Kevin Gibbs, Senior Vice President of Operations at Harvest Care Medical and Co-Founder of Merida Capital Holdings, a leading private equity fund in the medical cannabis space. “CFC’s extensive experience has positively supported our business and will allow us to efficiently start serving customers all across West Virginia in the near future.”
Cannabis Facility Construction has renovated, and is in the process of renovating, four Country Grown Cannabis dispensaries for Harvest Care Medical in West Virginia, including Martinsburg, Charles Town, Fairmont and Huntington.
Cannabis Facility Construction Lends Insight and Expertise at 4/20 Event
4/20 was an amazing day to celebrate the cannabis industry at the Bisnow National Cannabis Real Estate Summit in Chicago.
Cannabis Facility Construction‘s Founder and CEO Andrew Poticha was a part of an informative panel discussing “The Business Of Cannabis: An Analysis of The Green Behind the Grass,” a state-by-state compare and contrast on investment, technology, and more!
And, you can listen to the audio recording here:
You can watch a video of the event HERE
Here are a few key insights Andy shared at the event:
“Experience is key. You don’t have to break the bank on the costs to build your facility if you think through the experience that you want your client to have in the space. You can be creative with paint and lighting.”
“As more states become adult use, the security aspect is becoming more like a bank experience where there are guards and there are cameras, but they are discreet and don’t interrupt the client experience.”
“When it comes to green design, such as low carbon footprint, it can be as costly because cannabis facilities are dependent on such large amounts of resources like electricity and water. Where we can make a difference is by using efficient components and resources so that we use less. One of the things that is going to come up is using GMP, good manufacturing practice, which will be important going forward.”
“Our function as designers is to get inside our clients’ heads and articulate for them that which they can’t do themselves by asking the right questions and probing the operations discussions that generate the design. Client experience and operation is critical for not only dispensary but also cultivation. You really need to listen to your cultivation team when it comes to their recommendation on operations and be able to scale up or down depending of your cultivation facility.”
“Soon we may see people in consumption lounges sipping on an infused beverage just like you might enjoy a good Scotch. We should all be thinking about what the experience should be in those spaces, and we simply don’t know the answer to that yet.”
“Keep your eye on HVAC no matter what you are considering in your cultivation facilities. The plant is so sensitive that even one degree of temperature and 1% of humidity variation can affect the quality of the harvest. You have to get your HVAC strategy right, and keep your eye on the final product.”
(From left: Ira Singer, Andy Poticha, Margy Sweeney, Morgan Sweeney, Joe Donnelly, Conah Targett-Jones)
Cannabis Facility Construction Completes Construction of Bloc Dispensary for Justice Cannabis Company in Valley Park, Missouri
CHICAGO, IL (APRIL 27 ,2022) – Cannabis Facility Construction(CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm,recently completed construction on a new 3,400-square-foot Bloc Dispensary for Justice Cannabis Co. at 2093 Smizer Station Road in Valley Park, Missouri. The new medical dispensary is approximately 30 minutes outside of St. Louis and was previously a quick service restaurant with an existing drive-thru, making it appealing to convert and ensure traffic flow for speed of service and online order pickups, and to support a growing percentage of customers who prefer to order their cannabis online. Custom mill work complements the decorative wood and glass product displays, brick accent walls, LED display monitors, and highly advanced security system. Cannabis Facility Construction has renovated, and is in the process of renovating, seven facilities for Justice CannabisCo. in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including retail dispensaries and cultivation facilities.
CFC Completes Three New Design-Build Projects for Justice Cannabis Co. in Massachusetts, Michigan and Missouri
CHICAGO, IL (DECEMBER, 2021) – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm, is pleased to have completed construction on three new dispensaries for Justice Cannabis Co. in Massachusetts, Michigan and Missouri.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Justice Cannabis Co. to support their recent expansion, and partner with them on multiple new projects in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Missouri, in addition to our previous work together,” said Andy Poticha, Founder & CEO at Cannabis Facility Construction. “Our ability to provide speed to market and deep design-build expertise has proven essential for our clients to open quickly and correctly.”
These three latest Bloc Dispensary retail projects include a 3,000-square-foot recreational dispensary at 200 East Main Street in Benton Harbor, Michigan; a 4,200-square-foot recreational dispensary at 461 Wareham Street in Middleborough, Massachusetts, one-hour south of Boston; and a 3,700-sqare-foot medical dispensary at 2093 Smizer Station Road in Valley Park, Missouri, approximately 30 minutes outside of St. Louis. The Valley Park location in particular was previously a quick service restaurant with an existing drive-thru, making it appealing to convert and ensure traffic flow for speed of service and online order pickups, and to support a growing percentage of customers who prefer to order their cannabis online.
All three dispensaries feature custom millwork, decorative wood and glass product displays, brick accent walls, LED display monitors, a highly advanced security system and exterior black metal paneling to create a welcoming customer experience.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Cannabis Facility Construction,” said JC Clark Evans, Director of Construction. “They were able to come in mid-project, complete high quality work, and collaborate with us to find solutions to help us expand and grow our business.”
Cannabis Facility Construction has renovated, or is in the process of renovating, five facilities for Justice Cannabis Co. in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri as well as in New Jersey, including retail dispensaries and cultivation facilities.
Illinois created a cannabis industry mess. Here’s how to begin cleaning it up.
OPINION: Andy Poticha calls on state lawmakers to grant universal extensions to give new cannabis entrepreneurs, who are already under tight deadlines and facing pandemic-related supply chain shortages, more time, flexibility and the certainty to launch their business and leverage high quality resources. Poticha asks the state to make amends for its own delays and treat new cannabis entrepreneurs as the business partners they are, important future generators of significant tax revenue for Illinois and leaders in the cannabis industry.
Read more in Crain’s Chicago Business here (requires log-in) OR reach out to us at info@cannabisfacility.net, and we can share the full article with you.
Cannabis Facility Construction Expands into Virginia with Design-Build Project for Dharma Pharmaceuticals
CHICAGO, IL (AUGUST 12, 2021) – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm, is pleased to have completed construction on a new medical dispensary for Dharma Pharmaceuticals in Salem, Virginia.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Dharma Pharmaceuticals to support their entry into the emerging Virginia medical cannabis market,” said Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction. “Our clients value our extensive design-build expertise and our ability to provide speed to market, which is essential to opening quickly and correctly.”
The new medical dispensary is located at 1634 W. Main Street in Salem. To create a differentiated and welcoming customer experience, careful consideration was given to customer flow between easy-to-browse product displays and point of sale stations so consultations and transactions can take place with social distancing in mind. In addition to the wood and masonry retail space in the front, the dispensary includes secure vaults for inventory storage, back office space, and a highly advanced security system.
“Cannabis Facility Construction’s ability to help us achieve speed to market is essential and one of the reasons we decided to work with them,” said Jack Page, Market Leader for Green Thumb, which acquired Dharma on July 1. “They provided the right value to convert the space into the medical dispensary and had the right experience to hit the ground running.”
For more information on these and other projects by Cannabis Facility Construction, visit www.cannabisfacility.net.
Construction Plan and Prepare
Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC) recently partnered with the Illinois Craft Cannabis Association–ICCA to share insights into the construction design/build for members in preparation for the cannabis license awards announcement.
Construction Plan and Prepare was an educational webinar outlining what cannabis growers can do now to prepare for the build-out of their location. Topics covered included Design/Build vs Design-Bid-Build; Designing and Building for Efficiency, Flexibility, Safety, and Security; Time and Cost to build your cannabis facility; and Who’s the right cannabis contractor for you?
Andy Poticha speaks to Chicago NORML as part of the Social Equity Applicant Technical Assistance series
We are honored to be a part of Chicago NORML‘s Social Equity Applicant Technical Assistance (SEAT) series, serving as the design-build construction expert for aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs. Through SEAT and a wide variety of other efforts, Chicago NORML is empowering communities with a passionate and methodical approach to changing perceptions surrounding the legalization of marijuana. We are proud to support their work and the efforts of minority applicants entering the cannabis industry. Below, our Principal Andy Poticha speaks about the “must-knows” of designing and building cannabis facilities to deliver a unique customer experience while adhering to state and local regulations.
Cannabis Facility Construction Expands Operations into New Jersey with Ascend Dispensary Renovation in Montclair for AWH
MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa Karel, 407.733.2101 (lisa@akrete.com)
CHICAGO, IL (FEBRUARY 17, 2021) – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm, is expanding its footprint into New Jersey with the completion of construction on a medical dispensary for AWH located at 395 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, NJ.
“We’re thrilled to be working with AWH as their design-build partner on the remodel of their Montclair, NJ dispensary,” said Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction. “We are working with them in multiple states and are pleased to provide design-build solutions and lend our cannabis industry expertise to a new region.”
The 1,400 square foot remodel started in early-January; work was performed during evenings and weekends, allowing the dispensary to remain open without business interruption. The renovation tripled the amount of point-of-service stations and opened up the floor to increase sales capacity, enhancing customer flow and alleviating lines and wait times. The interior renovation took only eight days to complete and was followed by an update to the exterior façade.
“Cannabis Facility Construction’s team worked around the local municipal challenges and pushed all trade partners to achieve project completion. Their industry experience was utilized here to work around operations and keep our store clean and operating daily during the project.” said KC Downer, Director of Construction at AWH.
The recently acquired medical dispensary in the New Jersey suburb is a key strategic location for the brand.
Cannabis Facility Construction Completes Construction on New Mission Dispensaries Location in Calumet City, IL
Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm, is pleased to announce the completion of construction on a new Mission Dispensaries recreational and medical dispensary for 4Front Ventures Corp. in Calumet City, IL.
The dispensary, located at 1330 Torrence Avenue, across from River Oaks Center, opened to the public on December 15, 2020 and offers approximately 3,000 square feet of finished retail space, back office space for processing, a secure, oversized vault, highly advanced security system and plenty of parking.
Thanks to a program from the Calumet Region Enterprise Zone, identified by Cannabis Facility Construction, 4Front Ventures benefitted from tax-free construction materials and other real estate tax incentives throughout the renovation.
“We’re excited to have revitalized this building and delivered a beautiful dispensary in Calumet City,” said Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction. “It’s been a pleasure for us working with the Mission team who are always very detail-oriented and organized, making our job that much easier.”
As their preferred design-build partner, Cannabis Facility Construction has delivered multiple dispensaries for 4Front Ventures, including Ann Arbor, MI; Georgetown, MA; Montclair, NJ and on Chicago’s South Side.
“It’s a pleasure working with Cannabis Facility Construction as our design-build partner on this and multiple projects across the country,” said Robert Spence, Director of Facilities at Mission Dispensaries. “We decided to add additional air purification and air filtration components to our HVAC system at the Calumet City dispensary to further enhance our response to the pandemic, and the CFC team was able to adjust seamlessly mid-project so we could make a significant improvement to the indoor air quality for our occupants without delaying our opening.”
A leader in serving the construction needs of the cannabis industry since 2015, Cannabis Facility Construction has built more than 30 cultivation centers, processing laboratories and retail dispensaries customized for the needs of medical and recreational cannabis clients in ten different states.