Worcester Business Journal

Craft marijuana cooperative ....................................... 2 Marijuana cultivator ................................................. 34 Marijuana establishment agent ................................ 26 Marijuana microbusiness ........................................... 7 Marijuana product manufacturer .............................. 17 Marijuana research facility ......................................... 3 Marijuana retailer ..................................................... 36 Marijuana transporter with other existing license ................................................. 1 Third-party transporter ............................................... 2 Total ...................................................................... 128 wbjournal.com | June 25, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 13 At ROCG – a nationally recognized leader in the business exit/transition field – we have the answers. Our hands-on, best practices approach, ensures our clients implement successful plans to meet their personal lifestyle and legacy objectives, whether it be an outside third-party sale, management buy-out or a next genera- tion family transfer. For more information, our White Paper on Business Transition, recent business exit and value growth articles and upcoming speaking engagements visit http://americas.rocg.com or contact Terry Shepherd at 617-412-4640. We work with business owners to: • re-energize their business model • help them discover what they need to support their long-term goals and financial lifestyle needs • develop a strategic plan to meet their goals • help set milestones to ensure everyone works with the end goal in mind • execute their strategic plan successfully 617-412-4640 • http://americas.rocg.com Where You Finish The Race Depends On Who You Bet On To Start. Rely on ROCG to Help You Maximize Your Business Value. F O C U S E N T R E P R E N E U R S & I N N O V AT I O N The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is currently weighing applications for a variety of adult-use marijuana businesses, ahead of the July 1 rollout of the industry. Note: Companies listed have submitted at least one part of their overall application Source: Cannabis Control Commission Type of business Applications Pending recreational applications mom of 16 years. "I don't have deep pockets, and I also don't want to sell off portions of my company to multiple investors." Bennett hopes Sira's program will provide her access to ingredients she needs – namely oil – at wholesale. With cannabis oil and oil-infused products replac- ing the marijuana flower, Dundas said the company's expertise in extracting that oil can help other budding firms in the face of the tedious and expensive process of extracting the oil. Extraction equipment alone can cost upwards of $150,000. Even if a company can finance and build its own cultivation facility, it takes about four months to grow a healthy-sized plant. en, it takes another month to cure the flower and extract cannabis oil. at entire process takes an immense amount of expertise and training, Dundas said. "You can't just do it off the cuff if you've never done it before," he said. Fighting the stigma e stigma associated with marijuana is loosening, but it's been there for a century, said Jim Borghesani, the Massachusetts former spokesman for the Marijua- na Policy Project and current industry consultant. "I consider it a hangover from 100 years of hysteria," he said. e lasting effects from that hangover are creating large roadblocks for marijuana entrepreneurs, most notably funding thanks to cannabis' illegality at the federal level. ose companies that have survived those obstacles – like Sira Naturals – have the unrivaled knowledge needed to navigate the fledgling industry. "Knowledge like that is very helpful to get into this business," Borghesani said. Borghesani, who served as the spokesperson for the successful campaign to legalize and regulate recreation- al marijuana in 2016, said Sira's program is the first he's heard of, and he's not surprised. Dundas "is one of the smartest businessmen I know in this sector," Borghesani said. "I'm not surprised that this first concept came from him." W

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