Category: dispensary
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 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.
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.
Cannabis Design and Construction are Team Sports
Basketball, football, cannabis. What do these things have in common? They are all team sports. With the rigorous requirements for dispensary and grow facilities as well as the massive boom in the cannabis industry at the moment, “much like the complexities of operating a cannabis company itself, construction is no simple undertaking. Projects move like freight trains: There are thousands of decisions to make, and once you gain momentum, it’s difficult to stop on a dime.” Cannabis Facility Construction Principal Andy Poticha and Robert Spence of 4Front Ventures/Mission Dispensaries and Mission Calumet City Cannabis Dispensary break down fielding the right team for the job to cover your bases and produce the winning result in this Cannabis Business Executive article.
Pot shops are starting to resemble Apple stores
Our Principal Andy Poticha was featured in an article for Crain’s Chicago Business where he discussed how design in the cannabis dispensaries are becoming more high-concept and starting to resemble Apple stores and how COVID-19 has influenced that design, “You have to think about a separate place to have preorders filled versus having people shop in the store. You might come in one way, go out the other. I’m not sure the size of stores will change much. You’ll need more back of the house than floor space.” Andy said.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/marijuanacannabis/pot-shops-are-starting-resemble-apple-stores
Cannabis Facility Construction Completes Construction of New Flagship Dispensary for Greenhouse Cannabis
NORTHBROOK, IL (OCTOBER 5, 2020) – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm based in Northbrook, IL, has just completed construction of a new recreational and medical cannabis dispensary for Greenhouse. The new flagship dispensary, located at 755 Skokie Boulevard in Northbrook, IL, opened to the public on September 29 and offers 9,982 square feet of finished space.
“It’s been an honor working with Greenhouse on this new flagship dispensary offering an enjoyable, high-quality customer experience,” said Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction. “As their design-build partner, our team has delivered dispensaries for Greenhouse across multiple states over the past six years and we are tremendously excited to deliver yet another, this time right in our own backyard.”
Construction commenced in May, revitalizing the site and the surrounding area that had been vacant for quite some time.
The location’s sleek, modern, industrial design represents a new look for the Greenhouse brand and features an open floor plan with high vaulted ceilings, skylights, abundant natural light. The point of sale stations, consultation areas and easy-to-browse product displays provide ease and comfort for social distancing and complement the wood and masonry structure.
In order to create a differentiated and welcoming customer experience, careful consideration has been given to both customer traffic flow, and the reality of social distancing with all points of sale six feet apart, so transactions take place with proper space between people at the counter. In addition to the retail space up front, the location also includes back office space, a secure, oversized vault for substantial inventory storage and a highly advanced security system.
CFC’s work complements exterior infrastructure improvements that happened simultaneously, revitalizing the surrounding area with natural landscaping, a retention pond, large parking lot, and new turn lane from Skokie Boulevard.
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 10 states.
For more information on CFC or to connect with principals Andy Poticha, Ira Singer, and Mike Frazin, please visit www.cannabisfacility.net.
Cannabis Facility Construction Starts Construction on New Mission Dispensaries Location in Calumet City, IL
Latest Project Represents Multiple Projects with 4Front Ventures in IL, MI and MA
CHICAGO, IL (SEPTEMBER 23, 2020) – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm based in Northbrook, IL, is excited to announce the start of construction on a new Mission Dispensaries recreational and medical dispensary for 4Front Ventures Corp. in Calumet City, IL.
“As their preferred design-build partner, Cannabis Facility Construction has delivered multiple dispensaries for 4Front Ventures in Ann Arbor, MI, Georgetown, MA, and on Chicago’s South Side,” said Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction. “We value our continued relationship and are excited to revitalize this new building and create a beautiful space with great street presence in Calumet City.”
Construction on the new dispensary, located at 1330 Torrence Avenue, across from River Oaks Center in Calumet City, commenced in early September and is expected to be complete by mid-December.
This new location for the brand offers plenty of parking and approximately 3,000 square feet of finished retail space, back office space for processing, a secure, oversized vault for substantial inventory storage, and a highly advanced security system.
According to Robert Spence, Director of Facilities at Mission Dispensaries, “Cannabis Facility Construction has been an incredibly collaborative partner during the construction process, working seamlessly with our team on the design and zoning process on this and multiple projects across the country.”
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.
For more information on CFC or to connect with principals Andy Poticha, Ira Singer, and Mike Frazin, please visit www.cannabisfacility.net.
Avoiding Common Construction Mistakes as a New Cannabis Licensee
Cannabis Facility Construction Principal, Andy Poticha, spoke last month at the inaugural Sparklist Summit, hosted by Supercritical. Illinois applicants and cannabis industry stakeholders learned about “Avoiding Common Construction Mistakes as a New Cannabis Licensee.” Listen here to the video.
Building Your New Dispensary: Avoiding Common Design-Build Mistakes as a New Licensee
So you’re planning a new cannabis dispensary – congratulations! Whether this dispensary is your entrepreneurial dream come true or you’ve been down this road before, once you confirm your license, you’ll want to begin building out your location as quickly as possible. Our teams, currently building dispensaries across Illinois and other States, can help steer you through the unique maze that is the cannabis construction process.
Building a new dispensary is not as simple as it sounds. Dispensaries must offer the security of a bank branch, the compliance of a pharmaceutical company, and the aesthetic of a high-end retailer.
As experts in the design-build construction of cannabis facilities, our teams have been in the trenches building dispensaries, cultivation centers and processing labs since 2015, including a national flagship dispensary in Northbrook, currently under construction. We have been involved in more than 30 dispensary, cultivation center and processing lab projects in nine states since 2015. Currently, we are leading renovation projects that offer more than 35,000 new square feet of cannabis cultivation and dispensaries customized for the needs of both medical and recreational cannabis customers.
Here are a few ways you can jump ahead of the curve:
Differentiate the customer experience. Buying cannabis in a regulated dispensary should feel easy, welcoming and natural. Designing for the customer experience, creating welcoming sales environments, while remaining compliant with regulations, is where dispensaries differentiate themselves from the competition. One reason this is so important: with strict supply chain rules in place, many cannabis products are highly commoditized. If your product is a commodity, the customer experience becomes even more important.
Prioritize compliance or suffer the consequences. To maintain product supply and operational retail sales, stick to strict protocols and carefully follow building codes related to the handling, storage and distribution of cannabis throughout the supply chain. In Illinois, building code inspections are unique to each municipality, with enormous differences from one community to another. Be sure your design-build construction partner knows the right questions to ask, and the pitfalls that could come up at each inspection milestone.
Use a design-build approach. Design-build integrates your design and construction teams from the beginning, reducing surprises and streamlining your budget throughout the process of envisioning and construction your dispensary. When your architect and contractor are working together, you’ll find you have more time to focus on running your cannabis business, with less time spent in meetings about your space. In addition, a design-build model allows for a single point of accountability. At CFC, we use our four-step design-build process to ensure alignment and high-touch customer service throughout your project.
Your contractor shouldn’t be learning on the job. Your design-build construction partner should be respected in the industry and be able to speak to ‘tales from the trenches.’ While legalized recreational cannabis may be new to Illinois, there are companies like us that have been building for both medical and recreational cannabis for many years. You should never have to hear ‘let’s learn this together.’
Don’t let the pandemic get you down. As an essential business, construction has been building cannabis facilities throughout the COVID-19 shut-down period and continues today. With the right protocols in place, there’s no reason the construction of your dispensary can’t press forward. To understand more about how our crews stay safe, you can read our National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) blog post from June 2020 on how to expand or renovate your cannabis facility while observing social distancing.
Choose a contractor with experience. For nearly five years, CFC has worked with numerous cannabis companies, including vertically integrated multi-state operators (MSOs). “Partnering with CFC, we have been thoughtful about connecting the design/build process with our customer experience and compliance objectives,” said Mitch Kahn of Greenhouse Cannabis. “Together, we identified and solved potential issues early in the design/build process, so that the build-out is supportive of sales, security, and being good neighbors in our communities.”
Need more resources on the design-build dispensary construction process? Here are a few suggestions:
NCIA PODCAST:
https://thecannabisindustry.org/podcasts/cannabis-facility-design-and-construction/
KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW:
https://rejournals.com/know-before-you-grow-secrets-of-successful-cannabis-facilities/
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS:
While cannabis continues to be a fast-paced industry with changes on a daily and weekly basis, it’s no longer brand-new. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have a guide who knows the right questions to ask and can keep you from repeating mistakes of the past.
For more information on working with our Cannabis Facility Construction experienced teams, you can request a consultation here and one of our team members will get back to you immediately.