Marijuana Business Magazine January 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | January 2019 66 Also, some rural plots of land don’t have water rights. In a more urban setting, you need to consider drainage. Cannabis growers can’t have waste- water flowing back into the community’s water supply. A well-versed real estate agent— especially one who’s dealt with cannabis businesses—should be able to assist. Do develop a realistic timeline. One strategy to eliminate guesswork ahead of time is thoroughly planning your facility before breaking ground. A business plan will go through many iterations before you’re ready for construction. Issues will no doubt arise during the construction process. State or local regu- lations could change while you’re build- ing your facility, for example. Any changes you make as you go will affect your entire timeline. For example, if you decide on different lights halfway through the building process, you may need to alter your electrical plan and, subsequently, your heating, air- conditioning and water plans. Be aware that “it’s going to take way longer than you think,” Gordon said. A typical project can take anywhere from nine to 18 months to complete. Do pay close attention to biosecurity. To maintain a pesticide- and disease-free environment, you need to design your facility to protect your in- vestment. Kessler recommends building changing rooms for employees to keep street clothing away from plants. He also would include “quarantine entries,” which have air curtains that blast air from above to create a physical bar- rier against insects and knock off any critters that might be hitching a ride on workers’ clothes. Kessler said TriGrow’s facilities also have foot mats, so employees can clean their shoes. “This will give employees and owners the best chance of reducing the potential of entry of pathogens and pests,” Kessler said. Do consider your workflow. Kessler likes his facilities to be designed with a directional workflow for efficiency. You want to limit the movement of product and employees as much as possible, he said. Cannabis cultivation involves many repetitive tasks, so you can save time and money by designing your facility with workflow in mind. For example, At Gnome Grown Farms in Portland, Oregon, a worker helps to construct a greenhouse cultivation facility. Photo courtesy of GroTec Builders David Kessler Courtesy Photo