NBA Icon Chris Webber Unveils Detroit Cannabis Facility

NBA Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Chris Webber broke ground on Tuesday for Players Only Holdings, a $ 50 million cannabis production and training facility in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. Once completed, the new facility is set to create hundreds of jobs over nine acres near the Detroit River over the next three years.

Founded by Webber with fellow entrepreneur Lavetta Willis, Players Only is a black-owned company focused on cannabis cultivation, real estate development, brand partnerships, and creative content development and management. The 180,000-square-foot Players Only facility, known as the Webber Wellness Compound, will include a 60,000-square-foot cannabis grow facility, an 8,000-square-foot cannabis dispensary, and a lounge for private consumption.

At the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, Webber announced it had formed a Players Only branded distribution partnership with Gage Growth Corp., a leading Michigan-licensed cannabis operator, led by CEO Fabian Monaco.

“This will be Michigan’s shining gem. Everything that’s great in Michigan starts in Detroit, and I’m excited to be working with Gage to bring our premium line of Players Only products to this community, ”former Detroit Piston star Webber said in a statement by Players Only. “Gage is the HOF of cannabis operations. With Fabian Monaco as a team-mate, this relationship is an asset on all levels. “

Courtesy Players Only Holdings

Cookies U is coming to Michigan

Webber also took the opportunity to unveil the expansion of the Cookies U cannabis education program in Detroit, created by rapper and cannabis mogul Berner in partnership with the WebberWildWillis Foundation, a nonprofit focused on empowering and enriching the dated The drug war focused on negatively impacted black and brown communities. In a statement, Berner described the state of Michigan as “one of the most important markets for the cannabis industry”.

Courtesy Players Only Holdings

“Detroit is the first city outside of California where we opened a flagship store. I have to commend Chris Webber, Jason Wild and Lavetta Willis for supporting our vision of building Cookies U in Humboldt California and extending the program to Detroit, which happens to be Chris’ hometown, ”said Berner, Co-Founder and CEO of Cookies. “Michigan has always been an advanced and well-educated market, and we are excited to offer underrepresented people the opportunity to learn the industry from seed to sell.”

Cookies U is a hands-on, fee-free educational program that recruits students from underserved communities and prepares them for jobs in the cannabis industry, including access to a GED program with a financial literacy component. In addition to the curriculum, a job placement program will help graduates find employment in Michigan’s booming legal cannabis market.

“This Detroit training and operations facility is just the first step in bringing real opportunities to the people of this city – one that means so much to me – while removing the barriers to an industry with unlimited economic potential,” said Webber.

“We will create, nurture and deliver a cannabis ecosystem that celebrates diversity, creates jobs and benefits that community – with a deep focus on those who are left behind. With social justice programs struggling in many states, we are here to support old operators who laid the foundation for this industry so that they can be included in future iterations while we wait for politics to catch up. “

Construction of the first phase of the Webber Wellness Compound is scheduled to begin in autumn this year and work is expected to be completed by March 2022. A second phase, valued at $ 125 million, for which no schedule is known, will add 80,000 square feet of acreage.

“It’s my biggest priority in life,” said Webber. “I’ve seen who (Willis) and I have helped across the country and in lives disrupted by cannabis. Hopefully we can fix a little. Hopefully we can help the city. “