During the Good Farm Day groundbreaking in mid-December, one of the company's owners talked about opening a learning/training center in Pine Bluff with an emphasis on the fast-growing cannabis industry.
The company, with a nod of approval from the city's mayor, has taken a first, important step.
"It's early, early in the process," said Eric Thornton, company co-owner, after the purchase of a vacant 7,000-square-foot building and a house on Smart Street in Pine Bluff.
The properties are only blocks away from Good Day Farm's 100,000-square-foot cannabis production facility at 3300 N. Hutchinson St. inside the Jefferson Industrial Park. It is currently under construction and expected to be operational by mid-year.
The plan is to refit the building, transforming it into a programming and teaching space with an emphasis on succeeding in the cannabis industry.
Thornton said company officials are "exploring how to create an education and job training program for those looking to get into the medical cannabis profession."
However, enrollment wouldn't be restricted to those planning on taking a job with Good Day Farm but is open to anyone considering the field. It would also enroll people who may have found themselves in the past on the wrong side of the older cannabis laws.
"We have a real opportunity to help folks that have been disproportionately impacted by the war on cannabis," Thornton said. "I think we have a responsibility to do so as well. This negative impact has for the most part been on poor and Black communities...It's often hard for (marijuana) offenders to find a job."
Often, he added, "this includes some very talented people who have a knack for cannabis."
Good Day Farm sees the center as more than an investment geared toward building a skilled workforce, but Thornton said it's about building a better community.
"I feel very passionate about it," Thornton said.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
Already, the company is reaching out, looking for community support and help with developing a curriculum.
"We've acquired a building and a house to get the program started, and we are working with local officials and others in the education community to see the best way to start the program," Thornton said.
Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington has already signed on and supports the plan.
Soon after the purchase of the building and a nearby home, Washington said she was pleased and the city will be part of the conversation in its development.
"We want to work with them," Washington said.
The company has also reached out to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas College, both in Pine Bluff.
UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander said previously that as a land grant institution, cannabis studies and research fits within the university's mandate.
"We want to be involved. We look forward to our role and working with them," Alexander said.
Thornton said, "I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish with local leaders in Pine Bluff and others in the neighborhood to introduce people to a career in medical cannabis."
The facility may be open within about 12 months, he said.
A GROWING DEMAND
At this point, there's a real industry need for skilled workers, but there's little training available because the industry remains largely shadowed.
"The conversation around the industry is rapidly changing as people become more enlightened," Thornton said.
"Together with other cultivation facilities and dispensaries, we are a large employer in the state of Arkansas and the United States. Last year in the United States, there was a 44% increase in jobs created with estimates of more than 400,000 industry jobs," Thornton said.
While much of the economy is suffering, in a Dec. 15, 2020, article, Forbes magazine predicted the legal pot industry could top $24 billion in sales in 2021. That would be a growth of about 33% over 2020.
According to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, since the first dispensary opened in May 2019, sales have totaled about $200 million, or about 30,648 pounds.
In Jefferson County, there will soon be two cannabis production facilities, Good Day Farm and Natural State Medicinals near White Hall, employing as many as 500 in the future, Thornton said.
Good Day Farm's initial investment is expected to be about $50 million, resulting in about 200 jobs. The jobs will average $19 an hour, with an annual payroll and benefits of approximately $9.4 million.
Good Day Farm has operations in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Like industry experts, Thornton said he expects the industry to grow.
"This is an exciting field" with great paying jobs and room for advancement, and he added, "People want to have a career in the medical cannabis profession."
