COALINGA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Have a Heart, a cannabis retailer with headquarters in Seattle, Wash., and a reputation for “doing good,” today celebrated the opening of its first store in California. Have a Heart’s Coalinga location will bring 23 jobs to Fresno County, in addition to the company’s signature approach to customized shop design and community service.
“We consistently strive to have a positive impact in the neighborhoods where we do business,” said Ryan Kunkel, CEO of Have a Heart. “We are delighted by the warm reception from the people of Coalinga and look forward to offering a premier cannabis experience, a safe and empowering workplace, and revenue for Fresno County’s residents and community.”
Have a Heart recently partnered with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, forging one of the first union contracts for an adult-use cannabis retailer. The agreement ensures quality jobs and benefits for Have a Heart employees, including above-average compensation, comprehensive health and welfare coverage and other benefits, such as trainings, mentoring programs and staff-development opportunities.
Located in the heart of Coalinga at 286 N. 5th St., the cannabis shop's grand opening festivities start Saturday, Oct. 13, with events and promotions planned throughout the weekend. Guests will benefit from Have a Heart’s careful curation of cannabis offerings, including “top shelf” flower, edibles, concentrates, topicals and an assortment of medical products. The store’s bright, custom design is featured here.
“At least twenty-six different companies were vetted by the City of Coalinga to start some type of business, whether it be indoor medicinal cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, testing, or packaging,” said Coalinga Mayor Nathan Vosburg. “I believe this new industry will help those with a medical need and at the same time bring significant employment opportunities and economic growth to our region. I am pleased that Have a Heart, a company with a strong social conscience, is joining our community.”
Coalinga’s police chief Michael Salvador, acting fire chief Dwayne Gabriel and Mayor Vosburg along with Have a Heart’s CEO Ryan Kunkel and Ed Mitchell, COO, are scheduled to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m.
Founded in 2011, Have a Heart started 2018 with five operating locations in Washington state. Last month, the company closed $25 million in series A financing, the largest private financing round for a pure-play U.S. retail cannabis company to date.
Have a Heart now has more than fifteen retail licenses across six states: Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, California, Iowa and Ohio. The company has more than eighteen applications pending, including in five additional states. In addition, it has more than twenty sites under negotiation with potential merger partners in another four states.
About Have a Heart
Have a Heart, founded in Seattle, Wash., in 2011, owns and operates five licensed cannabis retail locations in Washington with more than 15 other locations in California, Iowa, Hawaii, Oregon and Ohio. The company has robust plans to expand nationally. Have a Heart employs more than 400 people across the United States. The company recently established one of the industry’s first agreements with organized labor, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). Have a Heart is recognized for its support of legislation to promote the safe and compliant growth, manufacturing, distribution and consumption of cannabis in states that have made it legal.
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