Carlondo Mitchell & Mike Mitchell – 5th House Farms

There’s a quote attributed to actor Larenz Tate that says “Never beg for a seat when you can build your own table,” and that is exactly what Carlondo Mitchell did within the Washington cannabis industry. 

5th House Farms is a black-owned, family-run Tier 3 Processor-Producer in The Evergreen State of Washington, quickly building a name for itself through its modern vape cartridge technology and pure, terp-filled, cannabinoid-rich oils. 

The company’s story is one of recognizing the inequity within the cannabis community for Black people and taking it upon themselves to rise above it through their outstanding brands and products. They are now in 35% of the dispensaries within Washington state, rank within the top 10 in their product category, and have ambitions to take their product national. 

“I Wasn’t Meant to be in That Room”

Carlondo is a life-long entrepreneur, running businesses as a child and youth selling beef jerky and candy, with the spirit of trying and building new things being part of his family’s DNA. In 2012, he became a medical cannabis patient in Washington, and began learning all he could about the emergent regulated industry in his state. In 2016, he began his career in the cannabis industry as an entry level sales rep and farm worker. He began cultivating under his own state license in 2018, learning to perfect his craft as a grower, with the goal of producing some of the highest quality crop in Washington. 

While bringing his crop to retailers to purchase, Carlondo came to some tough realizations that ultimately led to his biggest opportunity. 

At the time, 97% of what was being sold in Washington’s market was flower, meaning that 5th House Farms had a lot of competition from other cultivators who were at an advantage. “I realized that selling flower was hard for Black men; our counterparts already had tight knit circles that were hard to get into.” Dispensaries wouldn’t pay us the same as they would pay others,” he says. Feeling discouraged about the inherent discrimination in the industry, Carlondo quickly turned towards recognizing an opportunity in a different product category. “I wasn’t meant to be in that room,” he says. 

Instead, Carlondo began to research THC concentrates with intentions to release a distillate cartridge. With the assistance of peers that turned into family, he conducted market research and sought out imperative relationships to develop his first cannabis brand. 

Now, his vape cartridges are within the top ten selling brands within the vaporizer category, having sold 1.2 million vape carts since 2018. The vape carts boast a 99.96% retailer-verified pass rate, among the highest in the state.

Family Values at the Core

The shared family values within 5th House Farms are integral to what makes the company a success. 

“When we came together to create this, it was based off of a need to have family at the forefront,” Carlondo explains. He strategically identified individuals from various areas of his life who shared in his vision. His first company was a team of two and he has grown to have over 20 employees and contractors. Carlondo’s passion guided his team’s efforts to expand his company to a level where he looked to his older siblings, Carmen and Mike, who are also successful entrepreneurs, to support and further build out the enterprise.

Mike admits that at first he was hesitant to join his brother in an industry that had been so highly stigmatized. He took time to reflect on how Black people and other people of color had been so disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs, and how too many people who looked like he did had been viewed as criminals. Mike chose to reject those long-standing stigmas and ideas, agreeing to join Carlondo, assuming leadership as 5th House Farms’ CEO. 

“We speak the same language. We are on the same wavelength,” says Mike, about working alongside his brother and sister within a common goal. “Here is an opportunity to achieve some equity; we’re not just looking for equity in the cannabis space, we want equity in all things,” he added, “We believe that this cannabis space can be used to achieve equity and reduce the racial wealth gap.” 

“Working with family is so cool because you have people that are there not just for the goal of the business being successful, but above that goal, you got people there for your personal well being,” says Carlondo. “Coworkers are our family as well,” adds Mike, “We can’t turn off the family vibe when talking to others; it’s the spark that keeps the rest of the company going.” 

What 5th House Farms has achieved for cannabis consumers is a high-quality, low-price product. Carlondo explains that over four years of data on their products is proving that it brings retailers revenue, while earning the company the fair wholesale price that their hard work and intentions rightfully deserve. “We recognize that our product is strong, and others know that too,” adds Mike. 

Seeking Prosperity to Help Others Find Success

Anyone close to the Mitchell family will immediately recognize the degree of compassion that they hold for each other and their communities, both individually and as a family unit.

The company has seen tremendous revenue and growth, working together to smartly invest revenues back into the company’s long-term financial health. But, the mission of 5th House Farms is much more than just about making money. 

“We want to be financially successful because that gives us the means to do right, take care of our families, and help other people,” says Mike. He explains that each member of the family is involved in their own community endeavors and that they pull together within the company, as a vehicle that helps move their community-based initiatives along. As an example, Carlondo and Mike’s sister and the company’s VP of Marketing, Carmen, is heavily involved in food equity and helping distribute food within underserved communities. 

“It’s about living our purpose. Being intentional about what we do,” says Mike. 

Carlondo explains that the name of the company “5th House” represents “five generations of legacy post slavery since 1865”. Their motto, “Every generation is a house” reminds them that their unity aids in serving their greater purpose and keeping “the house” in order. Thus, a significant part of what 5th House Farms is working to do is provide opportunities for other Black-owned cannabis businesses to join on their path of success. 

The company will be extending the opportunity for fellow licensees to grow their brands within the 5th House Farms acreage. Since Carlondo entered the industry in 2016, a lot has been learned about the predatory practices that can occur from many different players in the cannabis space. Carlondo and Mike want to prevent these predatory practices from happening to others who have had similar experiences as racialized people in America. 

Having weathered the storm of inequity and risen above adversity, 5th House Farms is meant to be a safe space to help BIPOC businesses build generational wealth together. 

Creating Generational Wealth Through Cannabis as a Collective

The story of how Carlondo’s passion for cannabis and entrepreneurial spirit led to a family coming together to build generational wealth and help others become successful is one of perseverance and overcoming adversity. 

What Carlondo did with the help of his brother Mike and other family members was accept that “people that looked like us” did not have the same starting point in the cannabis industry as those who never had to experience growing up Black. “We are being perceived as less or weak because of our hue,” Mike says. 

“Diamonds are made through pressure,” Mike adds, “I would rather things be easier. The pathway is not the same for everyone. For some it’s wide and short, and for others, it’s rocky and long.” In spite of this, these brothers believe that the company’s ability to persevere through adversity and predatory industry practices will be of benefit to any fellow BIPOC Washington licensees who choose to align with them. 

When asked how everyone within cannabis could work towards dismantling some of the inequities within the industry, Mike offered some poignant advice: “Remove your own bias and be a good person.” These cannabis leaders challenge all within the cannabis industry to recognize the personal and systemic biases that create inequity, see people that look different from them as they see others in the space, and to choose to do businesses with those who have been historically negatively impacted. 

“We want to change the conversation into cannabis for equity. Utilize cannabis to create equity,” Mike says. 

Carlondo is already blazing the trail in Washington, and he has big plans for using 5th House Farms as a vehicle for change in the cannabis industry. He’s following the inspiration of Black business icon, Tyler Perry, who once famously said, “while others were waiting for a seat at the table, I was building my own.”  

“We’re striving to be the model for economic equity in the cannabis industry, ” Carlondo adds, “We’re building a table with seats reserved for others as we brand beyond Washington to go national.”

Learn more about 5th House Farms, their team, their brands and products, and where they can be found in Washington at https://5thhousefarms.com. Follow them on Instagram at @5thhousefarms.

Andrés Rigal and Taylor Bazley of Green Qween: “Queer All Year!”

“Many people don’t know that the cannabis industry was founded by queer people,” said Andrés Rigal, co-owner of Green Qween, a queer-owned downtown Los Angeles dispensary that opened last month with a mission to increase queer and QTBIPOC (queer, transgender, and BIPOC) representation in the cannabis industry, “We are reclaiming our story. We are coming back and educating people. We want Green Qween to be the intersection of queerness and cannabis.”

“It’s Important to Tell the Story of How We Got Here”

While BIPOCANN is of the mind that we need to authentically celebrate and elevate the contributions of LGBTQ2SIA+ and QTBIPOC people in our community in all we do year-round in the cannabis industry, Pride Month provides us all an opportunity to pause, reflect, recognize, and celebrate the importance of this group’s advocates for our industry. 

Thus, we couldn’t think of anyone better than Andrés Rigal and Taylor Bazley of Green Qween to remind us why the queer voice is so important, and that beyond Pride Month, our colleagues are “queer all year” which forms one of the retail brand’s taglines.

Indeed, the industry owes so much to the efforts of Dennis Peron who saw the positive benefits of cannabis on HIV/AIDS patients, having lost his partner to AIDS in 1990. A year later, he opened the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club and went on to coauthor California’s Proposition 215 which allowed Californians the use of medical cannabis. “It’s important to tell the story of how we got here,” adds Rigal.

Business partners Andrés Rigal and Taylor Bazley have very personal reasons for entering the cannabis space with Green Qween. “Taylor and I looked at the cannabis industry and didn’t see ourselves in it,” explains Rigal. “It was important to create a vehicle that properly represents queer people in the industry.”

And represent it does! Rigal says that the design intent was “ queer, colorful, and fluid, as everyone expresses themselves in different and beautiful ways.” The building itself, located on S Broadway in DTLA, can’t be missed. The outside is adorned by a colorful mural by notable artist Patrick Church whose works are renowned for exploring the queer identity. The interior aesthetic screams good taste with its sleek and sophisticated design, attention to detail and the customer experience, and intentionally chosen color palate. The interior and exterior colors represent those of the trans pride flag, and the store’s queer flair shines through with a moving disco ball installation on one of the shop’s walls.

Motivated by the Need for Safe Spaces for QTBIPOC in Cannabis

Both Rigal and Bazley bring to Green Qween impressive business backgrounds and histories of service to the QTBIPOC communities. Rigal, who is originally from Puerto Rico, got his professional start as a Hollywood talent agent and transitioned into a queer nightlife event producer, holding everything from Club Kid parties to Drag Shows, and everything in between, over his long and remarkable career. Bazley started his professional journey serving in public affairs for the City of Los Angeles. After earning his MBA from UCLA Anderson, he began working in social enterprise as a means to support the QTBIPOC community.

Both Rigal and Bazley are accomplished and experienced business people, but both admit that the cannabis industry has never felt like a safe or inclusive space to them as proud gay men. After all, it’s no secret that the cannabis industry is largely made up of cisgendered white men. 

“A lot of cannabis events are boys’ clubs,” explains Rigal, “There is tense, heterosexual masculine energy. While I can think ‘If people have a problem with me, tough shit!’, I still go into these events and feel a bit uncomfortable.” These occurrences led him to conclude to himself “Maybe I just need to build my own space!” and thus began his business partnership with Bazley and the path to building a QTBIPOC owned and curated cannabis dispensary in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

Yes, the Queers are REALLY Here!

Last year it was discovered by the Census Bureau that up to 8% of the American adult population identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender, which represents 20 million people in the country, with potentially millions more having other identities such as pansexual, or asexual. Of this group, 42% identify as people of color. 

Needless to say, the queers are here in cannabis, and they’re here all year!

“LGBTQ people are often overlooked in the BIPOC community,” says Bazley, “If people are fragmented, they disappear. When you’re [queer or trans] and you add in BIPOC, you only become more invisible in a community that centers around the white community and the male community.” Bazley notes that the black and brown stripes were added to the Pride Flag to recognize the experiences of being silenced in a small community, which is something Green Qween strives to fix within cannabis.

“In cannabis, [QTBIPOC people] are all that kid in that small town who is by themselves. They feel alone. They need a safe space, and a family, and a network,” says Bazley, “The only way anything is actionable and moves forward is if we do it together.”

Part of Green Qween’s mission is to be an incubator for QTBIPOC brands to launch within the greater cannabis space. “It’s difficult enough to break through the industry, nevermind if you’re BIPOC or queer,” says Rigal, “We’re creating an ice-breaker ship to break through the glacier of cannabis,” he adds, referring to the pervasive favoring of cisgender white men for industry opportunities.

Giving Back to the QTBIPOC Community of Downtown Los Angeles

The company is very serious and intentional when it comes to not just talking the talk, but walking the walk when giving back to their community.

Green Qween recently signed an agreement with the Chrysalis program that helps people with barriers to entry to employment, job-readiness, and workforce re-entry services, demonstrating that they want to go above and beyond the required “good faith” hiring efforts required by the City of Los Angeles. While the company cannot discriminate on sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity for its staff, Andrés and Taylor say they are “creating an exceedingly open workplace where employees can be who they are.”

In addition to this, Green Qween will donate a percentage of their profit to the DTLA Proud Community Center which holds a homeless youth drop-in center, mental health services, and testing for LGBTQ+ people in the area.

Authentically Celebrating Pride in Cannabis

With Pride Month being a time where many companies will simply put up a rainbow flag or change their logo to the rainbow on social media, Rigal and Bazley remind us that celebrating pride has to be authentic, and again, honoring queer and QTBIPOC employees is a year-round thing.

“Creating safe spaces starts at the top,” says Rigal when asked how businesses can be more inclusive to the QTBIPOC population, “Having a space where their teams and employees can represent themselves in an authentic way so that they don’t have to hide who they are. For instance, hold events with queer vendors, create moments or events, and or products that are queer-leaning. Have that moment where they can be themselves and also transform and grow and be a higher version of themselves.”

The company noticed that at last year’s MJBiz Con, there was not one queer vendor or speaker represented. “We’d love to see a Hall of Flowers type event featuring queer brands, or even a convention of queer,” says Rigal. Bazley adds that the QTBIPOC community can be supported all year through donations to queer charities, queer product activations, and speaker series’ focused on QTBIPOC experiences. “It’s not us against them, the idea is that we’re all working together,” adds Rigal, “When the tide rises all the boats rise together.”

Rigal and Bazley recognize that opening Green Qween is just a small start towards creating truly safe spaces within a cannabis industry that is actually representative of QTBIPOC people. These goals require the efforts of not just the QTBIPOC community itself, but also the entire cannabis community at large. “It’s hard work, and a lot of responsibility,” says Rigal, “It’s a canvas that is not yet finished and we’re holding a paintbrush. We can finish painting this together.”

“If you’re not helping your community, who is going to help you?” – Karla Rodriguez, Wana Brands

“At the most human level, the most important thing we can work on is equity,” said Karla Rodriguez, Corporate Social Responsibility Director of Wana Brands when BIPOCANN caught up with her to talk about all things CSR in cannabis, “For everyone to have the opportunity to succeed at life, build generational wealth, and always have something to eat.” We couldn’t agree more.

Personal Motivations to Build an Equitable Industry

Rodriguez is someone who not only talks the talk, but authentically walks the walk of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in cannabis. This Denver-based advocate has very personal reasons for wanting to enter the cannabis industry as a means to bring about positive change in the world.

Her father’s side of the family is Mexican American, and Rodriguez witnessed the devastating and lasting impacts of the War on Drugs at an early age. She saw many of her family members incarcerated for cannabis, and tragically lost one cousin to unsafe synthetic cannabinoids, a by-product of prohibition. The scars left on her family will never truly heal.

“There is some real room to make incredible change and impact right now, and we can still see the impact of what has happened, and we have a responsibility to do something about it,” said Rodriguez of her personal motivations, “That is why I eat, breathe and sleep equity and social responsibility every day while walking through this industry.”

An Authentic Path to Community-Based Work

Rodriguez comes from a very impressive background that in many ways, made her the perfect person for the role of Corporate Social Responsibility Director for Wana Brands.

For over 15 years, Rodriguez was a participant in the film industry, working as the Community Partnerships Manager for the Denver Film Society and then as the Private and Community Events Manager, and later as the National Culture and Community Manager at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, where she found herself working “in tandem with the C-Suite on community engagement”. Rodriguez describes this time in her career as “when I recognized the power of coming together and working collaboratively.”

When the pandemic hit, the landscape of employment in the arts drastically changed, and Rodriguez experienced a layoff. However, to her delight, before she’d lost her job in the film industry, she had applied to Wana Brands in the cannabis industry which offered her an interview. “I saw the true heart and intention through which Nancy Whiteman ran the company and I knew it was the place for me,” she said. She also was attracted to the opportunity to work for a Denver-based company with a national and international focus.

A Journey in Corporate Social Responsibility in Cannabis Begins

Just five days after giving birth to her daughter, Rodriguez had her first interview with Wana Brands. “Never have I been my more authentic self,” she says as she recalls her initial time with the company during her recruitment. It was that undeniable authenticity that ended up with her landing the role of Corporate Social Responsibility Director, which she has enjoyed since March 2021.

Rodriguez explained that Wana Brands has four pillars of giving: racial and social injustice (which also includes the LGBTQIA+ community), sustainability, domestic violence, and fighting food security and homelessness. Wana Brands very visibly mobilized their authentic spirit of giving this past 420. “We are trying to shape what would be days of marketing into days of giving,” she explained. 

To mark the monumental cannabis holiday for 2022, The Wana Foundation distributed $140,000 among 14 community organizations across the country. The impact of this donation resulted in helping to open a grocery store in a historically Black community that is also a food desert in Tulsa. Food deserts describe geographical areas that are under-serviced in terms of access to consistent, fairly-priced, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods. The donation also contributed to building community gardens within food desert neighborhoods in Miami, and bringing an LA-based food desert neighborhood closer to opening a grocery store.

The company has also participated in campaigns with Legal Women Voters to increase voter registration and education, and during the pandemic, provided free vaccination clinics for those who wanted the option, but didn’t have adequate access.

Wana Brands’ CSR initiatives aren’t just about looking outward. “It’s really important that when you’re doing this work in the external community to not neglect your internal community,” Rodriguez advises, “Support equity, inclusion, and growth within your own company. Factoring that from within is going to fuel the intention to do the work outwardly.” As a measure of giving back to their own workforce, the company created an Emergency Assistance Fund that employees could apply to if they’re experiencing financial hardship.

Executing Authentic Corporate Social Responsibility in Cannabis

We asked Rodriguez about the required mindset needed to change marketing into giving and awareness of community needs. “Corporate Social Responsibility programs have to work with the balance of taking what we know in our hearts as the right thing to do and also have a business lens,” she explained, “Sometimes you need to pull off that business lens just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s a balancing act, and it’s about taking that passion and injecting it into the soul of corporate industries.”

Rodriguez went on to share how cannabis companies can execute their CSR strategies in true, impactful, and authentic ways. “When it’s baked into everything, then it’s authentic,” she says, adding “pun intended”. “It’s not just someone sitting in a room and writing checks and that’s the end of it. It trickles down and it’s a part of all the thoughts when a new product launches or a new initiative is undertaken. It’s not just a one-time performative act.”

She enjoys working for Wana Brands because that spirit has been at the forefront of the company since its inception. “We are here to serve. Nancy created this company to serve the world, to serve the cannabis industry, and enhance the world for others through our products and programs.” She refers to giving, volunteerism, community events, and awareness campaigns as some of what make Wana Brands unique in its CSR approach. “It’s a holistic approach, all year round,” she says.

“Pride is great, but what are you doing year-round? Black History Month? What else are you doing the other 364 days of the year to recognize the contributions of Black and Brown people?”, she posits, “It has to be built into the day-to-day of everything you’re doing.” She also noted that when considering their CSR strategies or reporting on diversity hiring within the industry, Indigenous people are often left out. “I don’t want Indigenous people to be lost in the shuffle,” she said.

We asked Rodriguez how cannabis companies direct their community engagement in a way that truly has impact. “You can’t make assumptions about the needs of the community,” she said, “You need to honestly step back and listen. It’s hard because we often want to react and fix things quickly. But if you don’t know what the true needs of the community are, you won’t make an impact. Half of my job is listening and following the lead of people I meet with.”

Her Hopes for the Future in Cannabis

We asked Rodriguez where she would like to see the cannabis industry five years down the road. 

“We don’t ask ourselves that question enough because we’re so busy fighting on a day-to-day basis that we forget to project towards the future,” she says. “We know that so many social equity programs aren’t working. My hope is that we can get to a place where Black, Brown, and Indigenous businesses can thrive and have as much chance to succeed as any other large MSO or large manufacturer out there. My other hope is that obviously that we keep getting closer and closer to federal legalization, and access to banking.”

Rodriguez also places access to formalized education for BIPOC and women in the industry of high importance, seeing a lack of access to formalized education both outside and inside the cannabis industry that teaches people how to succeed in business. “I have faith that five years from now we’ll be light years ahead around education which will lessen the stigma about the plant.”

Before we closed off our conversation with Karla Rodriguez, we asked her how to combat some of the resistance that can be rampant in cannabis toward Corporate Social Responsibility. She left us with a great tidbit of advice for cannabis executives who may be a bit resistant to sharing a bit of their piece of the pie with others: “What got you where you are is by the help of others. No one gets success without the help of another,” she stated, “Your continued success will definitively rely on the support and loyalty of your community, so if you’re not helping your community, who is going to help you?”

“It’s your responsibility as a global citizen of this world.”

“We Laid the Foundation and Paid the Heftiest Prices” – Steven Duran, Colorado Kush Company & Cookies Pueblo

From a young age growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, Steven Duran was “knee-deep into weed”. By the age of 12, cannabis had become a regular part of Steven’s lifestyle, friend circle, and eventually would make him the go-to guy in his neighborhood. “It was around everything we did,” he says.

“I was always talking and rambunctious,” said Steven of his younger years, when he was identified as an at-risk juvenile by his teachers and school. “If you smelled like weed, you were basically the devil,” he says. “I was told I’d never amount to anything and that I’d be stupid,” he recalls, “It’s funny how something like that can deter your whole life and you take on that stance of what they’re telling you about yourself.”

Becoming a Fulfilling Prophecy

What was really going on in Steven’s life was that he was lacking guidance and support at home. A child of a single mother who was always working, Steven was always left up to his own devices. “I literally got kicked out of every school,” he says, “I never embraced the school setting.”

When he was able to take some classes, his school days were short. By 12pm every day, he’d secured his friend’s orders, and would wait diligently for the “weed guy”. His house became the place where he would run his teenage cannabis empire. “We’d smoke my mom’s house out,” he says while laughing at the memories. 

Before he became a teenager, he was placed in foster care and just a few years into his teenage years, he began collecting criminal charges, for which cannabis was always attached as a secondary charge. “By default, you fall into this stuff,” Steven recalls of his painful past, “when people tell you you’re dumb, there is no one there to advocate for you and protect you.”

Difficult Choices at Young Age

Before he turned 16, Steven was faced with a big choice once he’d been on the wrong side of the law too many times. As part of the Youth Offender System (YOS), he was given the option to go to prison for three years, or drug rehab; a state-sanctioned program for drug use, which Steven was lumped into because of his cannabis charges.

For two years, because of his use of cannabis and by court order, Steven lived in a residential rehab program with alcoholics and kids who were using meth and other street drugs. He was released early from the program, but on one condition: that he was released into the custody of his biological father who had been completely absent in his life.

The arrangement with his father didn’t last long, as it was an abusive environment that Steven quickly recognized he needed to get out of. He moved back to his hometown of Pueblo, and was able to move in with a friend’s family for a year. 

When he was 19, his life changed forever, for the very best.

Forced to Grow Up Quickly

“That was my growing up point,” says Steven of when he first heard he would be expecting a baby with his then-partner, “That really changed my heart. I am now responsible for someone else other than myself.”

Having a child on the way made Steven want to get on a secure path where he could provide for his family. He got a job within a local school district as a janitor that had a decent wage and benefits, where he stayed for many years. “I settled in and that became my life path,” he says, recalling everything he’d been told from those teachers that said he’d never amount to anything, “This is good enough for someone like me,” he recalls saying to himself.

He eventually moved to an even better paying job within a power plant, only to find that he was often surrounded by racist jokes and attitudes, “It was miserable, but I had a family to provide for,” he says. And so, Steven, like many, settled into the grind of working-class America. That is, until medical cannabis was legalized in Colorado, which would send Steven back into cannabis, but this time, in a manner where he couldn’t get jailed and thrown into rehab for it.

A New Path Towards Cannabis Begins

“I’m going to quit this place and go into weed,” Steven said one day to the woman who would later become his wife. He says she looked at him like he was delusional, but she was supportive nonetheless. After investing $500 into a course put on in Denver by California’s Greenway University, Steven was ready to chart his course into cannabis.

The best advice he got came after all the hustle and bustle of the Greenway University course had died down when one of the cannabis experts told him to enter the market as a caregiver, and serve patients under him. “That was the first guidance I had ever gotten in my life,” says Steven of that critical advice that set his path. From there, Steven invested what was left of the pension he withdrew after Uncle Sam’s cut and found a fully-gated house where he could grow medical cannabis and serve his caregivers. Getting a taste of providing cannabis legally left Steven wanting more, seeing himself being the owner and operator of his own dispensary one day.

“Drive was never an issue for me,” he explains. He went on to take a job at a dispensary to learn the ins and outs of the business. After becoming Head Cultivator, he knew he couldn’t move up any further in someone else’s business, so it was time to build his own. “That was the crossing point,” he says.

Setting out determined to find the perfect property, Steven experienced hang-up after hang-up from potential landlords. Just as he was about to give up, he made one last call. “Looks like you called the right guy,” the voice on the other end said, finding out that the landlord had already started the process with another cannabis dispensary that had pulled out. He leased the property, but he was far from opening day. “We were the test dummies,” Steven says of the City of Pueblo as they were figuring out the licensing in the early days of medical cannabis. The process took 2.5 years, holding a lease on his building the whole time, and he was finally able to open up 719 Dispensary (now named Colorado Kush Company), the first medical cannabis dispensary in the city of Pueblo, Colorado, where he could freely and legally provide medical cannabis, and not be criminalized for it anymore.

“You’re the Guy Doing All The Work”

While he took immense pride in being a medical cannabis provider, he saw the imminent changes for recreational cannabis in Colorado as an opportunity to build. “For legacy operators, medical is what got us started. When you look about pivoting away from medical it’s tough especially if you come from it,” he explains about moving from medical to recreational cannabis, “The real tough part in business is that the numbers in medical don’t make much sense. I’m trying to build generational wealth.” And so, recreational cannabis seemed to be the way to go for Steven to do just that.

In 2017, Pueblo opened up a competitive application process for eight recreational cannabis stores in the city. What he didn’t realize was that those companies he was going up against had funding that could support the hiring of expert application writers. 

“When you don’t have the resources or the funding, you’re the guy doing all the work,” Steven says. He credits his wife for working extremely hard to write an application that had them scoring in the top three, securing them a license. “Cannabis social equity wasn’t a ‘thing’ at that time,” he explains of the factors that got him his license, again crediting his wife’s support and hard work for the winning application.

Steven secured a location for his recreational cannabis store a bit easier this time around as Pueblo had opened up more buffer zones. He got connected with the team at Cookies, one of the most recognizable cannabis retailers in North America and signed a deal to open under the Cookies brand. Cookies Pueblo officially opened in 2021.

“Hell Yeah! This is What it Should Be!”

When Steven began his career in the industry, he did not have the benefits of cannabis social equity programs that sought to undo the damage to BIPOC communities due to the War on Drugs. So focused on building his own business, the whole concept almost passed him by, “My head had been at the grindstone, looking down,” he says, “Once I realized what cannabis social equity was, I said, ‘Hell yeah! That’s what it should be!’ Ultimately, we laid the foundation for the industry and paid the heftiest prices. There should be a lot more of us and people like us that are represented at the higher levels. So much of what they’re offering now would have helped us in our beginning stages.”

“Social equity does appear to be a lot of smoke and mirrors because it’s so new,” he says of his observations, “How do we bang down these doors? How do we hold these guys responsible like they say they want to be? I feel like social equity is a movement, a time in history where we have to take a stance or it’s going to be another overlooked ‘march’, if you will.”

Steven believes the next few years are crucial to see if cannabis social equity programs actually help BIPOC entrepreneurs, “If cannabis social equity is a thing, then I’m going to hold [them] accountable just like [they] held me accountable for all these years.”

Advice for Emerging BIPOC Cannabis Entrepreneurs

When asked what advice he has for emerging entrepreneurs, he says, “Prior to entering the industry, look for your resources,” he says, which includes any social equity programs. “You can’t come into this industry lazy. If you’re not willing to do 110% every single day, you’re not going to get anywhere,” he explains, “These giants with the funding have ten of you doing what you’re doing. You’ll want to know what you’re getting into. This is not for the faint of heart.”

Reflecting on his journey, Steven hopes he can reach even just one kid to ensure that they know that people can be wrong about them, just as all those teachers were wrong about him and discouraged him all those years ago. “Telling me that I was going to be a loser was what made me successful. Had I listened to them, I would be King Janitor by now, but all the teachers still would be looking down on me!”

BIPOCANN supports BIPOC cannabis entrepreneurs in various stages of entering and navigating the market, both in plant-touching and ancillary services. Stories like Steven’s inspire us to ensure that entrepreneurs have the support, visibility, mentorship, and resources to be successful within this often complicated and competitive landscape. Learn more about BIPOCANN and the benefits of becoming a member here.

“Fight for the People Who Have Been Harmed in the Past” – Sheba Williams of Nolef Turns, Inc.

“The intersections between the criminal legal system and cannabis legalization absolutely intersect every day. When people are fighting for legalization, we also need to fight for people to live and be free of criminal recourse,” said Sheba Williams, Founding Director of Nolef Turns Inc. “Fight for legalization and fight for the people who have been harmed in the past.”

Nolef Turns is a non-profit group that advocates for people with criminal and felony convictions throughout Virginia. Founded in 2016, the Richmond-based group’s mission is to support and advocate alongside those with court and justice involvement. Their vision is to be a leader in decreasing the prison population by supporting and empowering those who are most affected by crime, trauma, and incarceration. 

Nolef Turns provides various services to people with convictions, including a back to work program, pre-release services, re-entry services, post-convictions, care for people with convictions following incarceration, and support for families of those with convictions.

Living the Injustices of the Criminal Justice of the System

“Dignity and justice are very important to us,” describes Williams, “Our foundation is solid and solidly rooted in integrity.” To say that Williams comes to her work through lived experience is an understatement. From a young age, Sheba Williams saw the injustices brought upon Black families by the criminal justice system. At 10, she awoke one morning to an empty house to find that both her parents had been taken to jail. Her father was sentenced to 38 years in prison, while her mother served six months; a time in her life that she never recovered from, as the State of Virginia was not concerned with the rehabilitation of those with convictions.

Sheba and her siblings were raised by their grandparents, and credits one of her teachers, Mrs. Odessa Smith, as her biggest source of empowerment, as Mrs. Smith saw Sheba’s natural intelligence and talents, and encouraged her to continue her studies while helping her get her first job in 1995. After graduating fourth in her high school class of almost 200, Sheba enrolled in Norfolk State University to study business, soon giving birth to her first child and almost immediately becoming a single parent.

Soon after securing employment at a local hospital, Sheba’s sister was wrongfully convicted for homicide, leaving Sheba to take care of her sister’s children before being fully acquitted of charges. After having two more children of her own, Sheba knew that it was time to go back to college to get her degree. During this time, she worked extremely long days to fulfill her role as a mother, student, and valued employee at the local hospital, barely finding time to sleep.

Just as Sheba was getting back on her feet, she was hit with a wrongful criminal charge herself when a disgruntled former co-worker implicated her in an embezzlement case. Despite Sheba having the finger wrongfully and unjustifiably pointed at her, she was sentenced to a hefty fine and 5 years probation. She says that during this time, it was next to impossible to find someone to advocate for her case, and the system was focused on punitive measures for something she hadn’t even been involved in. 

While this was traumatic for Sheba, it didn’t stop her from achieving her degree in Business Administration from Norfolk University and moving forward to find stability with her new degree and a good job at the hospital. However, another blow came when she was relieved of her duties at the hospital where she’d worked for six years, stating that she had not disclosed her conviction.

A Strong Need for Advocates Arises

Losing hundreds of inalienable rights affected her life so gravely that Sheba became inclined to advocate for those who had done their time but weren’t allowed to move beyond their convictions. “Inspiration came from others who were surviving life after a conviction in Virginia,” writes Sheba, “Inspiration came from others who didn’t know where to turn, but never gave up. Inspiration came from knowing that almost 95% of individuals who were convicted of a felony in Virginia must reintegrate into society as our neighbors, leaders, brothers, and sisters.” Along with five others, Nolef Turns was founded.

In 2020, when it was announced that the state of Virginia would move towards adult-use cannabis legalization, there was hope that those who had been incarcerated in the state for cannabis “crimes” would have their records expunged. In 2021, a bill nicknamed “The Clean Slate Act” was introduced in the Virginia General Assembly, furthering the hope that those who had cannabis offenses could have their records sealed. This was the first time in Virginia’s history that this has even become possible. According to Sheba Williams, over ten people in Virginia are still incarcerated for an offense strictly related to cannabis, while hundreds of others are incarcerated for other offenses but also include a cannabis conviction.

As of 2022, there has been no movement in Virginia towards cannabis legalization, or the expungement of records related to cannabis. In February 2022, the plans to establish an adult-use market were killed by Republicans in the House of Delegates, leaving the provisions for legal cannabis essentially halted.

Virginia Cannabis Users are in a “Dangerous Gap”

“We’re in a dangerous gap because people don’t understand what’s going on and how it impacts everyday folks,” said Sheba, “People are in a ‘gray area’ with understanding because things change so rapidly, and we have to wait until a Bill actually comes through.”

“We want people to stop being arrested for possession of a plant that has more healing properties than alcohol has ever had,” continues Sheba, “We want people to be educated, generate wealth for their families, in order to make money from what has plagued them for years, and for people to not have to live with criminal records for the rest of their lives.”

Nolef Turns currently has two legislative priorities. First is the Right to Vote Campaign, an initiative to amend the Constitution to disallow voter disenfranchisement based on a past conviction, recognizing that voting is a fundamental right to all citizens. The group’s second legislative priority is an Expanded Expungement Bill. “If we are truly a nation of second chances, then we should do what is necessary to dismiss bias and allow for expungement law to expand to those who have previously been convicted of a crime,” reads the language on this priority.

Towards an Equitable Cannabis Industry 

“Poverty is criminalized more than anything in this country,” says Sheba, “When the War on Drugs happened, we were losing funds for affordable housing; parks and recreation, which are a deterrent to crime; neighborhood beautification, which leads to gentrification. Communities were disinvested from.” Sheba speaks of the difficulty of actually reinvesting in communities that were historically hurt by the War on Drugs. “People think we are doing something nefarious when they say to reinvest into the communities, and possibly give some advantages to some people,” she says, “[They] don’t recognize that disinvestment has happened. The reality is most criminal offenses are because of a lack of resources or mental health issues.”

When asked for the future of social equity programs in cannabis and in Virginia, Sheba says, “The burden should not always fall on us, because at the end of the day the state will be making the money so they need to find a way towards social equity.”

“Social equity applicants need to have the resources and tools necessary for success in the industry on Day One,” Sheba says, recognizing that social equity programs should not be a legalization afterthought. “Once the gate is open, you can’t go back. You have to get it right from the beginning.”

According to Sheba, the state of Virginia still has a long way to go before they can implement the processes required to make legislative and criminal justice changes. For instance, Police Services are working on antiquated software that doesn’t allow the sealing of records to happen efficiently, a process of upgrading that could take up to five years.

Despite these challenges, and the long road ahead, Sheba Williams and Nolef Turns are not stopping their advocacy. “It’s still early in 2022,” she says, “We still have time to help the state recognize we can do social equity well.”

Nolef Turns can be supported in a number of ways by the cannabis community. Visit their website to see a list of ways to donate, become a board member, or get involved with one of their Community Partners.

“It Comes Down to Being Intentional.”

“I was always one of those curious kids getting in trouble for taking things apart,” recalls Anthony Winston III, P.E., P.Eng., of his early years in the South Side of Chicago where he developed an interest in technology and understanding how things work. 

His interests in tech would set the foundation for what would later become Winston Engineering, a full-service engineering firm providing HVAC, piping, plumbing, electrical services, and more to cannabis companies across 10 states and in Nova Scotia in Canada.

Early Paths to Engineering & Entrepreneurship

After recognizing that it was the engineering field that would allow him to pursue his natural interests, Winston achieved his degree in Electrical Engineering with Emphasis in Power Transmission and Distribution at Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University.

Equipped with the skills and knowledge on power generation and how it gets to homes and businesses, Anthony took on roles across a variety of industries, including government radar and missile defense systems, and in the building of health care facilities. During this time, Winston gained vast experience within the construction industry and was licensed as a Professional Engineer based in construction in California.

A developing interest in the idea of being an entrepreneur led to a Google search of “how to start a business”, and Anthony began taking contracts on his own. A large contract in 2015 afforded him the opportunity to walk away from working for other people, to now work for himself as Winston Engineering. He continued to develop his skills and knowledge, integrating HVAC into his engineering services.

How a “Tomato Grow” Led to Servicing a New Industry

Winston Engineering was nothing short of successful, gaining contracts with companies like Costco and Starbucks, but in 2017, a call from Long Beach changed his trajectory. 

While initial conversations were under the guise of a “tomato grow”, Anthony soon realized that his services were being contracted for a cannabis cultivation facility. As cannabis had been starting to legalize in some states and was soon to become legal in California, Anthony said his work in the developing industry “snowballed from there”.

Soon his name was being passed around the California cannabis industry, allowing him to provide his engineering services to more cultivation facilities, distribution centers, manufacturing and processing facilities, and retailers. “The cannabis industry is about who you know,” he says, “and also about who you can trust,” he adds. 

Soon, Winston Engineering was dedicating up to 40% of its time and expertise to cannabis industry clients, and was able to hire a team of four and obtain licenses in 10 states and one in Canada.

Engineering for a Cause

For Anthony, who had experiences with cannabis in various parts of his life, his work in the industry wasn’t just about contracts and paychecks. 

“While I do facilities engineering, I took it a step further to understand the amazing benefits of this plant,” he says. He began going to meetups to learn more about first-hand experiences with cannabis. He met mothers who were advocates for their children to have access to THC because it had helped end or reduce their kids’ seizures. 

“I was able to see my own grandma cut her medications in half,” he notes as he saw that more people were able to replace pharmaceuticals with THC or CBD. He says that when he has an ache or pain, he now reaches for cannabis products over what he’ll find in the medicine cabinet, valuing that cannabis is an all-natural alternative to a manufactured pill.

Anthony became a sought-after speaker because of his expertise in facilities engineering for the cannabis industry. He has spoken twice at the Cannabis Business Times Conference on cannabis facilities, and at the Black CannaBusiness Conference, where he was able to celebrate his achievements alongside other Black-owned businesses in cannabis.

An Advocate and Mentor for Black Cannabis Entrepreneurs

As Anthony and Winston Engineering enjoys growing success as a Black-owned company in the cannabis industry, he recognizes his role in helping other Black entrepreneurs find the same success in a complicated and nuanced industry.

“The War on Drugs has decimated the black community and I saw it first-hand as a kid growing up,” he recalls. “I have relatives that have been locked up for it, and it’s terrible how the Black community was used as a pawn by the government. It fractured our communities,” he says. 

“When cannabis started becoming legal, I thought this was a great opportunity to level the playing field, especially in regards to wealth disparities. We’re now so many years into legalization [across some states] and the number of Black folks in cannabis is minuscule,” he states. “My mission is to educate as many Black folks on how they can overcome hurdles to entering this industry.”

When asked about advice he could offer emerging Black cannabis entrepreneurs, he said it’s all about making connections. “Black cannabis entrepreneurs don’t typically have the same resources to lean on as their white counterparts,” he says, “You have to break out of your shell and interact with as many different businesses within the cannabis space as possible.” He talks about the importance of ensuring an entrepreneur has all the right support services around them from attorneys to accountants, engineers, and ancillary services. “Do all the right things and don’t cut any corners. This industry can be very strict,” he adds.

Working Towards a More Equitable Cannabis Industry

Like other Black cannabis entrepreneurs and allies, Anthony believes that creating a more equitable industry is everyone’s job. “It comes down to being intentional,” he says about creating equitable spaces, “It’s not okay to just ‘not be racist’, and it needs to be taken the next step further. Be intentional in your hiring. Don’t feed into the narrative that this happened hundreds of years ago. Intentionality is the biggest part.”

Anthony notes that resources like the National Cannabis Equity Report & Toolkit, by the Minority Cannabis Business Association, are steps in the right direction, acknowledging that some cannabis social equity programs set applicants up for failure. “Yes, it’s great that you’re helping Black folks get licenses,” he says, “but the financial contribution for those licenses isn’t recognized; you’re also expecting them to raise capital.”

Anthony says that the states need to contribute financially to their cannabis social equity programs, including by giving people education. He suggests a state-by-state playbook written by experts in the field would be a great start to helping people navigate various systems that have been set up around cannabis licensing.

A Bright Future for Winston Engineering

As for Anthony Winston, he sees only a bright future as Winston Engineering continues to make its mark as a Black-owned ancillary cannabis business. He plans to expand into civil engineering and broadband infrastructure, helping improve connectivity to rural areas, all with a goal of helping other Black-owned cannabis businesses succeed.

“My goal is to be the go-to facilities engineering firm for the industry,” says Anthony. 

By the looks of it, Anthony Winston and Winston Engineering are well on their way to being just that. 

Learn more about Winston Engineering at http://www.winstoneng.com/cannabis.