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The medical marijuana production facility in Macon is expected to create nearly 100 new jobs.
Credit: Pexels stock photo
The medical marijuana production facility in Macon is expected to create nearly 100 new jobs.
Construction is expected to start soon on a 50,000-square-foot medical marijuana production facility in Macon that’s billed to create nearly 100 new jobs and infuse millions into the local economy.
FFD GA Holdings, doing business as Fine Fettle, was among six companies selected recently by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission to grow marijuana for use in producing low-THC therapeutic oil.
The venture represents a $30-$50 million investment in the local economy, according to a Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority news release.
The facility will be located on 10.21 acres owned by the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority at 700 Joe Tamplin Industrial Blvd. The property is within the authority’s Ocmulgee East Industrial Park off Interstate 16 in east Macon.
“We are confident Georgia can and will become the premier medical marijuana program in America,” FFD GA Holdings CEO Jeremy Fort said in a news release. “We cannot wait to bring these positive elements to Macon, creating strong partnerships, bonds and economic growth to the community.”
Some key takeaways:
Additionally, the company has several planned partnerships and initiatives Fort identified in a letter to the state licensing commission. Those include:
“Just as we do at our affiliated facilities across the country, we intend to provide Georgia patients with unadulterated, pharmaceutical-grade, evidence-based medicinal products that are both safe for patient consumption and safe to manufacture, stable in potency and purity, and effective for targeted medical therapy for numerous qualifying conditions,” Fort wrote in the letter.
“In order to do so, we will implement tightly controlled production standards and strict protocols to ensure all extracted products have been manufactured in a safe and clean environment designed for efficient operations. Simply put, our team is primed and ready to create a world-class medical cannabis cultivation and production facility that will serve as a source of Georgia pride and a pillar of the Macon-Bibb community for many years to come.”
Included in the application process was an ownership profile that required the listing of those who control 5% or more of the company, including Fort.
Also listed were Eric Michael Zachs, as advisor, and Benjamin Samuel Zachs, as director. Both have controlling interest in other marijuana production facilities, including FFD Enterprises MA, Hindsville, MA, and New Leaf LLC, Cranston Rhode Island.
The others listed include Lenardo Jay Smith, as director of social impact and government affairs; Darin Wayne Mitchell Jr., as chief financial officer; and Dr. Tammy Marie Allen, as chief medical officer.
FFD GA Holdings, which is a domestic limited liability company, was incorporated on Nov. 26, 2019. In late 2019, the company approached the industrial authority in their search for a suitable site, according to the release.
The company was among 69 applicants scrutinized by the state Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. The initial licensing fee was $100,000, with the annual renewal fee of $50,000.
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Telegraph.