Real Projectives® (RPL) continuously learns about and helps our clients navigate the evolving licensing and inspection procedures regarding cannabis cultivation and processing facilities.
In addition to the normal zoning and building codes reviews by local municipalities, the state or county Department of Health, Food and Agriculture, and Cannabis Control Commission all get involved.
These layers of inspections are required prior to facility opening, when significantly modifying or expanding, and then continue throughout the active license holding and operational periods. In many instances, one or more agencies can shut down the business if a facility is not in full compliance with all codes and regulations. As each day of operations is worth tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in production; opening late or shutting down due to failed inspections is simply not an acceptable option.
When beginning a new or expanded property, RPL carefully plans through the necessary approvals and future inspections to ensure each scope of work addresses the requirements and passes on the first attempt. As project managers, we engage design professionals, security experts, operations managers, general contractors, and specialty vendors on the team. Prior to submission of applications, the team reviews the laws and codes, prepares the construction plans, and fills out the requisite paperwork to garner approvals. During construction, the team coordinates and sequences the activities with all parties so that the work is ready on time to satisfy each inspector’s concerns. After the regular construction stage is complete the access control and security systems must be installed and tested, and operational plans adopted so that the specific cannabis regulators can give a final seal of approval to place the regulated products into production.
Furthermore, with increasing demand for both medicinal and recreational uses, the drive to produce more and create differentiated and improved products prevails. Many cannabis cultivation and processing companies are in full growth mode (pun intended), scaling operations on an existing campus or at multiple locations. As program managers, RPL’s most impactful skills to scale up facilities are foresighted organization and repeatable processes.
Our managers study the big picture of goals along with the key objectives along each stage to plan and organize resources in the most effective manner and then qualify and procure them to be part of the team. Additionally, we memorialize repeatable processes and templates for tracking, communications, decision-making, and reporting to foster expected outcomes and minimize unwanted surprises.
No matter if it’s your first cannabis project or big dreams of opening one hundred others, RPL provides clients with proactive planning and assertive management services. Our experience across dozens of cannabis growing and processing facilities in several states throughout the U.S. enable us to drive results while managing the related inspection and other risks of projects and portfolios.
If you’d like to revisit our previous posts on the Intersection of Construction Management and Cannabis, follow the links below.
The Intersection of Construction Management and Cannabis: Part I
The Intersection of Construction Management and Cannabis: Part 2: Utilities
The Intersection of Construction Management and Cannabis: Part 3: Focus on Facilities and Equipment
Whether you are an investor, landlord, real estate developer, or operator of cultivating and processing facilities for cannabis, hemp, or other plant products and looking to break into or scale up within this sector, please contact Real Projectives® to discuss how we can leverage our knowledge, expertise, and ambition to drive your next project or portfolio to success.
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