Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalyn Bliss and other city officials cut the ribbon this week on a new marijuana growing facility in downtown Grand Rapids that promises to bring over a hundred new jobs with it.
After the city’s first medical marijuana provision center opened earlier this year in downtown Grand Rapids, Fluresh, the company that owns that storefront, has just opened a new 133,000-square foot cannabis grow facility.
Company officials say the new Fluresh growing operation will create more than 100 diverse employment opportunities with expanded hiring beginning in August.
Lindsay Levin is the Chief Marketing Officer at Fluresh. She says the company brings a sophisticated approach to the cannabis industry, with the hope of eliminating the stigma around marijuana that some people have.
“Cannabis is no longer the experience you had from decades ago,” Levin said.
According to officials, Fluresh plans on launching an equity-focused business incubator to help develop the future leaders in the industry. In addition, Fluresh executives will collaborate with strategic community partners in the Grand Rapids area to actively recruit and retain a diverse pool of job applicants, especially those negatively impacted by the War on Drugs.