When the Greathouse family was forced to close their dairy farm in 2014, Clinton Greathouse asked his father, Gerry, what might be possible for their 140 acres in Roswell, New Mexico. The family still held the water rights and didn’t want to sell. By 2015, the state was accepting applications for medical cannabis growers and that seemed like an opportunity to keep their agricultural business going and create a great cannabis buying experience for customers.
Clinton’s brothers Kyle and Jason worked in the oil business at the time, so Clinton and Gerry dealt with the application procedures. They received the license a few months later and got to work growing — Pecos Valley Production (PVP) was born.
In April 2016, PVP branched out with the company’s first retail location, right in Roswell. The Greathouses successfully transitioned to legal cannabis.
“It was a family business,” says Clinton, who is head of production and expansion. “Our father was in the dairy industry for 37 years. We have a lot of employees that actually worked with us on the dairy farm that we brought over to this industry. So, we probably have close to 90 years of loyal employees that have been with us.”
The family takes that loyalty seriously and works to pass on the goodwill to customers. Visitors and locals venturing into that Roswell location or any of the company’s other facilities will find a welcoming environment and great buying experience — whether a recreational user or needing something for a medical issue.
“We actually have a couple of stores that we’re pushing toward that cannabis and coffee vibe,” says Kyle Greathouse, chief of retail operations. “What we are trying to do is create an experience where people can come in not only to get their medication, but come and get some free wifi, stay and have a coffee, and just create a vibe of people wanting to be there.”
Creating A Great Customer Buying Experience
When New Mexico legalized the personal use of marijuana in 2021, the Greathouses were ready. The company has greatly expanded to serve New Mexicans across the state, including Albuquerque, Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Clovis, Hobbs, Las Cruces, and many more. What’s a visit to one of these locations like?
“It’s all about customer service and education,” Clinton says. “When you get someone in you want to provide them a wide variety of opportunities to understand what they’re actually getting from a cannabis standpoint. Because a lot of people don’t understand there’s a lot of different things to cannabis that actually help you out medicinally.”
PVP’s 200 employees are eager to help customers who may not know anything about the product — from cannabis connoisseurs to first-timers. Guests will find well-kept, clean, professional dispensaries and the company works to separate itself from others in the industry.
The operation goes beyond in-person sales to create a unique cannabis buying experience. There is much more to bringing in customers and it involves the same efforts as in other businesses.
“Retail involves a lot of ancillary things, such as marketing, e-commerce, online sales, in-store sales, and promotions,” says Kyle, who works as chief of retail operations and brought a sales background to PVP. “So, my day to day is just to make sure that people are hitting on the cadence that we have developed to make the retail locations successful.”
Many not familiar with legalized cannabis, Clinton says, often are stuck on the notion that modern plants may have high THC levels. He says customers can make their own choices, and PVP puts a major focus on the potential benefits of using the products and helping customers have a good buying experience.
“It’s not all about that,” he says of high THC levels. “There are a lot of variations in the plant from terpenes to cannabinoids to the actual THC that can benefit patients. We’ve really focused on that from the beginning and along with being able to give a good whole experience when they come in. Because at the end of the day, when someone comes in that’s not knowledgeable, if you don’t show them the right thing from the beginning, then you lose them.”
Quick Facts About Legalized Cannabis
Those new to legalized cannabis may not know the ins and outs of laws concerning marijuana and what’s allowed. Here’s a quick look.
- In 2007, New Mexico became the 12th state to legalize cannabis for the treatment of numerous medical conditions including HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy.
- The law was expanded in 2019 allowing medical use protecting patients from losing custody of children, allowing for employment protections for patients, allowing medical cannabis card renewal every three years instead of one, legalizing medical use at dispensaries, and providing other protections.
- Recreational, personal use was legalized in 2021. Under the law:
- Adults 21 and over could legally possess cannabis for personal use beginning on June 29, 2021. There is no possession limit at home, but there is a two-ounce limit outside a user’s home.
- Personal cultivation of six mature plants and six immature plants is allowed per person, limited to 12 mature plants per household.
- Retail sales started on April 1, 2022. The state applies a 12% excise tax along with regular sales taxes. The excise tax increases by 1% annually beginning in 2025, topping out at 18% in 2030.
- There is no limit on the number of retail licenses. Local governments can limit the number of dispensaries or regulate their location but can’t ban the facilities.
- Using cannabis in public is still illegal, but dispensaries can offer on-site consumption if meeting regulations.
Story Sponsored by Pecos Valley Production
Posted by Ruidoso.com
