Prime Wellness breaks ground
SOUTH HEIDELBERG » As Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana industry begins to take shape, Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at its new Berks County location.
Prime Wellness was one of 12 companies awarded permits for growing and processing medical marijuana by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in June, and one of two companies planning to open facilities in Berks County.
Prime Wellness is on track to become the first grow/processing facility in Pennsylvania, according to a press release from the company.
The company will lead the way by supplying medical marijuana in approved forms to dispensaries across the state.
Prime Wellness “is committed to making a difference by having a positive impact on people’s lives. Above all, it’s all about compassionate care through the ethical and legal use of medical marijuana — and it’s truly gratifying to know that so many will benefit from the plant’s therapeutic properties,” said Sharon Ali, CEO of Prime Wellness of PA.
She was speaking before an audience of state and local elected officials, business leaders and media gathered at the company’s future South Heidelberg Industrial Park home. “Whether we’re engaging with dispensaries, the medical community or the community at large, our priority is serving as a trusted resource for medical marijuana,” Ali.
Prime Wellness was awarded a permit for the state-designated medical marijuana region which includes Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties.
Specifically, Prime Wellness of PA received approval to build a 30,000-square-foot growing facility with a 25,000-square-foot greenhouse planned for a second phase of development. The building will include indoor space to cultivate, process and package medical marijuana in full compliance with the forms authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Stackhouse Bensinge, Inc., of Sinking Spring, is the engineer, and Harrisburg-based Quandel Construction Group Inc. is general contractor for the project.
“We are thrilled that the state selected Prime Wellness of PA for a grower/processor permit. The company possesses the strategic vision and compassion necessary to lead the way in bringing Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana industry to life,” said H. Chase Lenfest, Managing Member, HCL MM Investments PA, LLC.
The South Heidelberg Township Board of Supervisors has expressed full support for the project and welcomed the economic stimulus it will provide for the township, according to a release from the company.
The most immediate impact of the facility will be in its capital expenditure investment, which is anticipated to approach nearly $5 million.