Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM| JANUARY 9, 2023 15 Kennard Ray and Tiana Hercules will each be debuting their own separate cannabis business ventures in 2023. HBJ PHOTO | SKYLER FRAZER areas of immigration, family law and civil litigation. She is currently an attorney at The Sills Law Firm in Hartford. Prior to that, she was a public defender for the state and has helped lead an anti-gun violence initiative in Hartford. She was appointed to the Hartford City Council in late 2021 as a member of the Working Families Party following the resignation of Wildaliz Bermudez. Hercules said she's still finalizing a location for the marijuana grow operation she hopes to open in Greater Hartford, while acknowl- edging tight industrial real estate inventory is a hurdle. "We're hoping to close up a deal for space pretty soon," Hercules said. Hercules also submitted a social equity lottery application to open a cannabis dispensary but wasn't selected. She said she hopes to open her Lady Jane adult-use dispensary concept when more licensing oppor- tunities become available this year. For now, Lady Jane has been host- ing events across the state as part of its "Changing Legacies" informational series focused on topics like record expungement for individuals with past cannabis criminal offenses. "We're gearing up to do another pardons clinic sometime in February," Hercules said. Hercules said she's also partici- pating in reSET's cannabis business accelerator program in January. After securing a location, she'll put the finishing touches on a workforce development plan for the business. Hiring a master grower and team for the facility is another key next step, Hercules said. Point of pride While Ray's cultivation business isn't up and running yet, his compa- ny's equity joint venture dispensary in Manchester — to be located at 91 Hale Road — should be ready to debut in January, shortly after the industry opens for business. "We all put a lot of time and energy into making sure we could have a first-class, grade-A facility that they haven't seen on the medical side yet," Ray said. Ray is also active in the local Hart- ford community. After spending some time in prison when he was younger for drug- and gun-related convictions, Ray founded and became co-director of the Full Citizens Coalition, an orga- nization committed to civic engage- ment and restoring voting rights to ex-felons and convicts. Ray is also CEO of Earth Strong Naturals LLC, a Hartford-based tobacco leaf company. "It's a point of pride to know that we may have the very first (equity joint venture dispensary) to open in the state," Ray said. "We, together, are creating the model that Connecticut really desired." TIANA HERCULES Founder & CEO Connecticut Cultivation Solutions, Lady Jane Education: MBA, UConn School of Business; University of Con- necticut School of Law Age: 40 5 TO WATCH Cannabis entrepreneurs Ray, Hercules hope to strike gold in 2023 By Skyler Frazer sfrazer@hartfordbusiness.com W ith the state's adult-use cannabis industry set to launch Jan. 10, dozens of entrepreneurs are hoping to carve out a piece of the multimillion-dollar industry through new dispensaries, grow operations and everything in between. The state has already approved provisional licenses — a key step in opening a cannabis business — for more than 40 new recreational marijuana cultivators, retailers and other operators that have 14 months to get their companies off the ground. Among the first social equity can- nabis entrepreneurs planning to open new businesses in 2023 will be Hartford residents Kennard Ray and Tiana Hercules. Partnering with local dispensary chain Fine Fettle, Ray's company — FFD 149 — recently proposed opening a 45,600-square-foot social equity cultivator facility in Bloom- field at 10 Mosey Drive. The hope is for construction — pending town approval — to begin next year so the facility can debut 18 months later and employ 60 to 100 people. In addition, Ray and Fine Fet- tle plan to operate six equity joint venture adult-use retail stores, the first of which is expected to debut in January. Under the state's equity joint ven- ture program, an existing medical cannabis company can partner with qualified social equity applicants to open new businesses without going through the lottery process. That's the route Ray took with Fine Fettle, which is led by CEO Richard Car- bay and Chief Operating Officer Benjamin Zachs. The social equity applicant must own at least 50% of the ven- ture and have daily managerial responsibilities. Finding space Hercules, who is on the Hartford City Council, is partnering with Florida-based multistate cannabis operator Ayr Wellness and has plans to open a large-scale social equity cultivation facility with more than 15,000 square feet of grow space. The endeavor, Connecticut Cultiva- tion Solutions, will be Ayr Wellness' first Connecticut operation. Hercules is a licensed criminal defense lawyer who earned her degree from the UConn School of Law. She also has an MBA from UConn. The 40-year-old mother of three children has practiced law in the KENNARD RAY Principal, FFD 149 CEO, Earth Strong Naturals Education: New York University Age: 41

• Cover