Yesterday, University of Michigan & NBA Legend Chris Webber announced the launch of Players Only Holdings and a new $50 million-dollar cannabis operations and training facility in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood:
“I am opening the Webber Conservatory. It is a campus where we’ll have Cookies University with job training and job placement. There will be two large cultivations. There’s a dispensary that’s going to be the number one dispensary in Michigan, and we’re starting it with Players Only. This tower right is is going to be our cannabis lounge. 30,000 square feet with private movie theater, private bowling lanes, and some other things I don’t want to talk about right now. But it’s for adults.”
The state of the art 180,000 sq ft facility will feature a 60,000 square foot cultivation, an 8,000 square foot dispensary, and a private cannabis consumption lounge. The business is expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the Detroit metro area over the next three years. During the groundbreaking, Webber also announced the expansion of Cookies U into Detroit and an exclusive distribution partnership with leading Michigan operator, Gage Growth Corp., for Players Only branded cannabis products.
“This will be the shining jewel of Michigan. Everything great in Michigan starts in Detroit, and I am excited to collaborate with Gage to bring our premium line of Players Only products to this community,” said Chris Webber. “Gage is the HOF of cannabis operations. With Fabian Monaco as a teammate, this relationship is a winner on every level.”
“This Detroit training and operations facility is only the first step in bringing tangible opportunities to the people of this city – one that means so much to me – while eliminating barriers to an industry with unlimited economic potential,” added Webber. “We will create, foster and provide a cannabis ecosystem that celebrates diversity, creates jobs, and benefits this community – focusing intensely on those who are being left behind. As social equity programs struggle in many states, we are here to support legacy operators who created the foundation for this industry so that they are included in future iterations of it while we wait on the politics to catch up.”
The Cookies U training program is a high-impact, hands-on educational experience that will recruit students from minority and underrepresented communities. The comprehensive “no fee” educational curriculum is aimed at job training and job placement in the cannabis industry. A recent partnership will also bring access to a virtual GED program with a financial literacy component. The Cookies U concept was announced in May as a partnership between Cookies and The WebberWildWillis Foundation.
The Webber Wellness Compound will be located at 2599 22nd Street, near Michigan Avenue and the Fisher Service Drive in Detroit’s Corktown and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods. It will encompass 9 acres including properties along Michigan Avenue. Webber has been personally interviewing black-owned architectural firms and general contractors to be named. Construction is slated to begin this Fall with first phase completion expected in March 2022.
Stay tuned to Players Only on their website or Instagram.
image & video courtesy @realchriswebber on Instagram
