Debra Borchardt
Illinois-based Verano Holdings, LLC has acquired Four Daughters Compassionate Care Inc. of Sharon, Massachusetts and its provisional medical cannabis licenses for an undisclosed amount. The first cultivation and dispensary facilities in Sharon are expected to open in six to nine months. The company said it would hire 50-75 employees locally and train them for these sites in 2019
“We’re excited to join forces with the Four Daughters team to build upon the solid foundation of support and host agreements they secured within each of the communities, and put construction on the fast track to help bring Four Daughters’ dream to fruition,” stated Sam Dorf, Verano’s Chief Growth Officer. “This transaction continues Verano’s strategy to create a brighter way for health and wellness with high quality, organic branded products for cannabis patients, consumers and their communities through the acquisition of licenses and/or partnerships with operators in highly regulated, limited license states.”
Four Daughters Compassionate Care was co-founded by Brian and Lynne Striar, whose family has longstanding roots in the Sharon Community. The Striar family members, including the namesake’s four daughters, Stephanie, Kimberly, Nicole, and Robin, who have been heavily involved in cannabis advocacy, will be active members of Verano’s local operational management team. The dispensaries operate under the name Zen Leaf.
As a result of the acquisition, Verano has begun building a cultivation and production facility in Sharon Massachusetts. The company is also renovating an adjacent building for the dispensary. The acquisition marks Verano’s expansion into an additional adult-use market and its expanding geographic footprint into the Northeast from its current 10 operating facilities in Illinois, Maryland, Nevada and Florida, with 45+ licenses under active development in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Puerto Rico, and Maryland.
Four Daughters Assets
The statement noted that the FDCC assets in the transaction included:
- The medical cultivation and production facility and medical dispensary now under construction in Sharon, with local approval for additional recreational facilities
- Real estate and community host agreements in Plymouth for an adult use dispensary
- Real estate and community host agreements in Halifax for a 180,000 sq. ft. adult-use cultivation greenhouse and a 20,000 sq. ft. processing facility
Community Involvement
Verano said that it would continue sharing a percentage of its profits with the Town of Sharon in perpetuity, a holdover from FDCC. “We will be providing the training to enable local residents to manage and staff a broad array of full- and part-time positions from the moment the doors open,” noted Ron Goodson, Verano President and Chief Operating Officer. “Whether you have experience in the cannabis industry or not, this provides a great opportunity to get your foot in the door and learn about the world’s fastest growing industry, and the plant that has the power to positively impact human health and wellness.”
Nevada Lawsuit
Verano had no new comments regarding the recent lawsuit filed in Nevada by Naturex and BB Marketing. The $135 million lawsuit is alleging that Verano cut its Nevada partners out of an application process. George Archos, Verano’s CEO, said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review that “based on what we know of the allegations … we do not believe the complaint has merit. We intend to defend aggressively against these claims.”
Verano owns 50% of Naturex, which was founded by Michael and Robert Frey. The brothers claim they submitted all of their information to Verano for an application on behalf of Naturex. Verano said it didn’t have all the information needed to submit the application. However, it did submit an application through Lone Mountain Partners, which is the Verano local entity. Lone Mountain was awarded 11 retail licenses.
