‘It’s more important to do it right’ city’s first medical marijuana facility to open | Business

From building a 64,000-square-foot manufacturing and growing facility from scratch to waiting a little longer than they wanted to open their pharmacy, CEO and President Chris McHugh says he feels privileged to work in the industry.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said McHugh. “On the whole, two years are not that long. There were people who toiled in this industry for 10 years. That I can come in and be able to do this in two short years is just lucky. “

In an industry like medical marijuana, McHugh says, there really isn’t a standard playbook. Operating under such special rules, requirements, and regulations that eventually led to the state of Missouri approving its production and cultivation facility means there will be challenges, and that’s only part of the game.

“There are tons of hiccups every day. I think that’s a bit to be expected. From the time we started thinking about this facility and this [dispensary] I’ve learned to expect that, ”said McHugh.

Vertical Enterprise has been operating from its manufacturing and growing facility at 3101 Townesouth Court for approximately two months and has recently started harvesting crops. After McHugh set foot in the pharmacy and it is less than two weeks to the public to officially open, McHugh is impressed with the overall design of the pharmacy and believes customers will be too.

“It evolved over time, so we had an initial design. As we developed the casework, when we developed the tree, it changed a little. In the end, I think we wanted a tasting room feel. We compare ourselves very much to vineyards and wineries in terms of business model, ”said McHugh.

Over 120 medical marijuana facilities are approved for operation by the state of Missouri, including Vertical, which received approval in April 2021.