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 Cresco labs is currently building a medical marijuana cultivation
facility next to Gehrke Trucking. In recent years, the state of
Illinois became one of 27 states that have some form of law
regarding legal marijuana use. In Illinois, it is legal for
marijuana to be used for specific medical conditions.
Bill Thomas, the executive director of the Partnership, began by
asking questions of two representatives from Cresco. Dominic Sergi
and Rob Sampson were present; Sergi and Sampson are two of four
owners of Cresco Labs. After Thomas spoke, members of the public
were allowed to ask questions as well.
Sergi said that Cresco Labs successfully filed three applications to
build facilities in the state. The other two facilities are under
construction in Joliet and Kankakee. “We had the top highest scores
in the state,” said Sergi. “We’re trying to set the golden standard
in Illinois.” Sampson added that they are trying to model their
business plan after the best parts of other plans and operations in
the country.
One application was granted per state police district in Illinois
for companies such as Cresco. There are twenty-one of these
districts in Illinois, and Lincoln is in the 9th District.
Sergi said that Cresco chose to build in this part of the state
because of its centralized nature. “We asked ourselves, how do we
make sure we’ve got a facility from a locational standpoint that can
service the entire state?” said Sergi.
The building will measure 40,000 square feet, although there will be
room for future expansion. Sergi said the area will be very
non-descript, and “all we will do is grow the product and
manufacture the product. There will be no retail sale here.” Sergi
said there are sixty dispensaries in the state they will ship to.
As for security, Cresco will be connected to the state police
twenty-four hours a day. There will be 182 cameras on the building,
with state of the art security measures in place.
Sergi said they hope to be operational in September. It would likely
be at least four months after that when dispensaries would be
selling their product.
On the topic of possible expansion, Sergi said that there are
currently thirty-nine conditions that can be treated in the state
with medical marijuana products. There is also legislation going
through the state government that could expand that list.
“This program, with the way the state has set it up, is phenomenal.
There are other states looking at Illinois as a model,” said Sergi.
Currently, Cresco and other labs are part of a four-year pilot
program at a state level, and they are hoping it will be extended by
another four years.
On the topic of how the product would be grown, Sampson said that
everything would be grown indoors. Although they are allowed to use
greenhouses, Sampson said they will grow the plant inside the
building for the time being. The product will be tested for quality
both internally by Cresco Labs, and externally by state-approved
independent labs.
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A question was asked about transportation and how Cresco will move
their product. Sampson said they will be covering transportation
themselves, as they are required to transport it with two drivers
and specialized GPS software.
Multiple people asked about the future, and what Cresco would do if
recreational marijuana was legalized. Sampson said that they are
keeping that thought in mind, but they are not planning on altering
their business plan should that happen. Sergi said the focus of the
company is to provide marijuana for medicinal purposes, not
recreational.
As for the product itself, Sampson said the plant will be
concentrated into pills, salves, oils, and other similar medical
products. Sampson said they will be making the various medical
products on site, and working with twenty different strains of
marijuana. When asked where the closest dispensary would be, Sergi
said the closest one would be between Lincoln and Springfield.
On the topic of possible jobs, Sampson said the state will be
involved in hiring employees, and approving hires could take up to
forty-five days. Potential employees will need to be granted
state-approved ID’s, pass background checks, and be finger-printed
by state police.
Sampson said that as the facility opens, Cresco will need around
twenty employees. Those jobs will range from entry-level positions
to management positions, technicians, and gardeners. Security
officers will be hired with the assistance of an outside security
company, as per state regulation. By the end of the facility’s
expansion, they will likely have fifty to sixty jobs at the
facility. Sampson said that by the end of the weekend, job
descriptions will be up on their website, and they are already
accepting applications.
When asked about part-time or seasonal help, Sampson said there is a
chance for that to happen. Sampson said that harvest time will
likely present a need for part time help for quicker harvests,
especially at first. Sampson said that Cresco will likely harvest
every week.
As for pay, Sampson said that salaries will vary based on position
and various kinds of experience that people bring to the facility.
Sampson said Cresco will be offering full health insurance and
benefits to their employees, including those with disabilities.
Sampson also said they will be looking to hire locally for their job
openings.
Additionally, an employee will be able to work at the facility and
still qualify for medical marijuana use, should they have an
approved condition. “As owners, I can’t be a card-holder, but the
employees can be,” said Sampson.
A question was asked as to how employees will be trained. Sergi said
Cresco is partnering with experienced harvesters in Colorado to
provide training for the first groups of employees.
Thomas said the Development Partnership will be helping as well to
get the job information out to the public through the news media.
[Derek Hurley] |
