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CULTIVATE is my 12‑month Cannabis Equity Implementation Partnership that gives you a
turnkey framework to design, launch, and sustain a cannabis workforce and social equity
ecosystem—modeled on my work with the City of Muskegon.
CULTIVATE is built for leaders who know cannabis is coming—or already here—but don’t want to guess their way through workforce and equity.
If you want to show your community, “We did this right,” CULTIVATE is the vehicle.
CULTIVATE is not just curriculum; it is a full implementation partnership broken into four phases.
CULTIVATE is engineered around clear, quantifiable impact.
My work with Muskegon shows that when you combine structured funding, workforce training, and business support, you can build a closed‑loop ecosystem that keeps opportunity local.
With the City of Muskegon, I helped design and implement a social equity ecosystem funded by cannabis revenues.
In CULTIVATE, I bring this blueprint to your city or institution and customize it to your laws, funding, and community.
CULTIVATE is a 12‑month partnership with tiered pricing based on your size and scope.
For most partners, trying to build this internally would cost 250,000–500,000 in staff time, consulting, and curriculum development. CULTIVATE delivers a proven, turnkey approach at a fraction of that, with a much higher likelihood of success.
There are many consultants in cannabis—but my edge is that I am both an institution and a builder of ecosystems.
If you are serious about turning cannabis into a workforce and equity engine—not a political headache—CULTIVATE is built for you.
A 12‑month implementation partnership that designs, builds, and launches your
cannabis workforce and social equity ecosystem.
“I help cities and institutions turn cannabis policy and funding into a fiscally safe, locally owned workforce and small‑business ecosystem—not just a ‘social equity program’ on paper.”
Use these exact ideas when you pitch the South:
“If you care about social outcomes, we deliver them. If you care about fiscal safety, fraud prevention, and keeping jobs and ownership local, that’s exactly how we designed the model.”
If you paste in specific sentences or paragraphs you want rewritten, the language can be tuned line‑by‑line to hit this “equity + fiscal responsibility” balance everywhere.
This language should live in three main places:
I help cities, states, and tribal nations turn cannabis policy and funding into a fiscally safe, locally owned workforce and small‑business ecosystem—modeled on the proven Muskegon Blueprint.
Legalization creates pressure to “do something” with cannabis policy and potential tax revenue—but very few cities have the internal expertise to design effective workforce and small‑business programs. The risk is wasting money on disjointed grants, one‑off trainings, or failed businesses that don’t survive.
My work with Muskegon, MI and other partners has shown that without a structure, funds get spent but results are hard to track, and residents still feel locked out of ownership and good jobs.
In Muskegon, I helped design a closed‑loop economic system that used cannabis revenues to fund education, workforce training, and locally owned businesses.
Together we:
Structured tiered grants and interest‑free loans funded by cannabis excise tax revenue.
Prioritized education and training so local residents could qualify for jobs and licenses.
Supported residents from classroom to licensure to operating businesses that now serve as training sites for the next generation.
The Muskegon Blueprint proved that you can move beyond symbolic “social equity” and actually create measurable jobs, businesses, and new tax revenue while protecting public funds.
Many states in the South and Southeast are still medical‑only—or are preparing for adult‑use. Those markets need a Readiness Frameworkmore than they need a retrofitted “equity program.”
Here is how I support medical‑only and early‑stage markets:
Workforce Readiness: I deploy a 10‑week accelerator model that trains local residents in compliance, operations, and retail before new facilities open.
Small‑Business Incubation: I help design grant and loan structures that support homegrown operators and ancillary businesses, not just large outside corporations.
Policy & Program Alignment: I align workforce and small‑business efforts with your existing economic development goals, not against them.
The end result is a city or region that is ready for growth with a local talent pool and a pipeline of local entrepreneurs—not just a rush of outside operators.
CULTIVATE is my flagship 12‑month implementation partnership for governments and institutions. It is built around a four‑phase, turnkey process:
Phase 1: Discovery & Strategy
I conduct stakeholder interviews, analyze your regulatory and funding landscape, and map your workforce and small‑business goals. Together we define clear metrics and a roadmap.
Phase 2: Program Design & Infrastructure
I design curriculum frameworks, grant/loan structures (including reimbursement‑only models), and the tracking systems needed to measure jobs, businesses, and ROI.
Phase 3: Launch & Pilot Cohorts
We launch training and support initial cohorts of workers and entrepreneurs, with continuous monitoring and adjustment to make sure the model works on the ground.
Phase 4: Scaling & Reporting
We refine, scale, and build long‑term sustainability—providing impact reports that show job creation, business launches, and the return on your investment.
Throughout the partnership, my role is to serve as your external cannabis workforce and equity department so you don’t have to build it from scratch.
CULTIVATE is intentionally designed for fiscally conservative environments where the primary concerns are fraud, waste, and long‑term cost.
Key safeguards include:
Reimbursement‑Only Funding: Public dollars are only released when approved expenses are documented and verified with receipts.
Clear Eligibility & Vetting: Applicants are screened and supported through a structured process instead of one‑off “giveaways.”
Measurable Outcomes: We track job creation, business formation, and economic impact so you can justify every dollar to stakeholders and auditors.
Contracted Expertise: Instead of hiring new full‑time staff with long‑term benefit obligations, you engage HLI for a flat annual fee.
This isn’t just about social equity as a value—it is equity as a fiscally responsible, measurable economic development strategy.
This page and the CULTIVATE partnership are designed for:
Municipalities and counties with cannabis tax revenue or projected revenue.
States and cities in medical‑only markets preparing for adult‑use.
Tribal nations launching or expanding cannabis operations.
Community colleges, universities, and workforce boards that want a turnkey cannabis workforce and small‑business solution.
If you are responsible for economic development, workforce, or community impact around cannabis, CULTIVATE is built for you.
If you want more than a symbolic “equity statement,” and you’re ready for a fiscally sound, workforce‑driven ecosystem, I’d like to show you what we built in Muskegon and how we can adapt it to your community.
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