HYDROPONICS, EMPLOYEE BASE BOTH GROWING AT NEW FIRM

“Not only would we be supporting local, it’s literally farm to table,” said Marcella Williams, CEO of The Juice Standard.

Williams hopes Oasis Biotech will be just the first of many like-minded businesses that sprout up around Las Vegas and beyond.

“They’re setting the standard for an operation like this to be all over the county,” she said. “Eventually, we could hopefully eradicate hunger.”

Helping feed those in need is a goal of Oasis Biotech, and the company will overproduce product and donate any inventory that isn’t shipped in a timely manner.

“I’m going to stay ahead of demand and overseed my sales projections. Because if we don’t, these restaurants can’t put it on their menus,” Leach said. “What we don’t sell, I’m going to take to charity. That way we can start today feeding people who need food.”

Oasis Biotech plans to invest nearly $30 million into the Southern Nevada economy within its first year, further diversifying the region’s economy. With its team member base growing from around 35 in May to 138 now, Leach said interest in working at the company has been overwhelming.

Each employee had to be trained on the go, because much of the work in the facility is uncharted territory.

“The employees are the real rock stars,” he said. “This is unskilled labor. We’re literally training on the job, a completely new skill-set.

Seeing the workforce and produce yields grow over the first few months in operation, Leach is confident he’s assembled the right team to buck industry trends going forward.

“We’re making farming cool again,” he said. “I have more people (wanting jobs) than I’ve got room for and I’m hiring a ton of people. They work their tails off because there’s a reason behind it. …

“When you mix a purpose and technology together, it impacts every single person and they step up their game.”