By Rob Meagher
The Cannabis Industry has attracted more than its fair share of creative, driven, and successful entrepreneurs and business executives since (and before) states began licensing producers, processors, and retailers to sell medical and then adult use marijuana to customers in the United States.
There are now 25 states with medical marijuana programs and four (4) with adult-use programs in the U.S., and more coming in the fall with several states supporting ballot initiatives, including the holy grail of states — California.
To date, CBE estimates that there have been in excess of 10,000 licenses granted to Producer, Processor and Retailers (PPRs), and there have easily been thousands of new, ancillary businesses (ABs) that are targeting these licensees and consumers.
These ABs are a key part of the industry food chain as they sell their products and services to the PPRs to help them grow their business as they pursue profitability, and, to help consumers of licensee products satisfy their individual needs for the plant whether they use it for recreational or medical purposes. Unlike PPRs, ABs are not prohibited, for the most part, in doing business nationwide or internationally, so their targets are not limited to their home states or even to licensed businesses only. In fact, many have supplied the black market for years.
On the other side of the coin, many nationally and internationally recognized brands have not entered the industry for fear of retribution by their current non-cannabis related customers who want to distance themselves as far away from marijuana as they can instead of being viewed as a friend to an industry that is still Federally illegal.
Banking, payroll, insurance, security, software, and staffing are just a few of the basic segments of products and services needed by any industry, yet the large national providers are eerily absent from the Cannabis Industry due to Federal Prohibition. Brands like Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Prudential, Allstate, Marsh & McLennan, ADT Security Systems, IBM, Oracle, ADP, Spherion, and Kelly Services have remained on the sidelines, and their absence has produced unprecedented opportunities for several of the categories recognized in the inaugural CBE 100 Ancillary Businesses rankings.
The 2016 list is composed primarily of pioneering private companies and others that have decided to target the fastest growing industry in the U.S. and arguably worldwide, cannabis, and is represented predominantly by over 10 segments including but not limited to:
- Compliance;
- Consulting;
- Cultivation Products & Services;
- Extraction Equipment;
- Lab Testing Services;
- Media/Publishing/Events;
- Packaging;
- Payroll;
- Staffing;
- Security;
- Software.
The list does not include other segments that have clearly contributed to the success of PPRs like venture capital, accredited individual investors and investment firms since it is virtually impossible to track annual revenues or services like accounting and legal which are populated by hundreds and thousands of local players.
Like the 2015 CBE 100 PPR list, our goal was to help attract capital to companies that we believe will generate revenues and play a key role in industry expansion.
As usual, transparency is a key issue that CBE Press is following in the industry, and we have been fortunate to collect 2015 employee counts and revenues for the majority of the companies listed. In some cases, we were able to estimate revenue based on publicly available information and our own calculations. We have ranked companies in revenue slices this year and included 10 companies that have either shared their revenues and asked not to be ranked by revenue segment or have flat-out declined to share revenues. In these cases, CBE Press believes they belong on the 2015 list and have included 10 companies that fit this profile in slots 91-100. Several of these firms would rank towards the middle to top of the 2016 rankings if we used their revenue figures.
This year’s list is represented by companies based in 17 states and three foreign countries. More specifically, here are the top five locations for CBE 100 ABs by location and the number in each:
- Colorado — 31;
- California — 20;
- Washington — 7;
- Florida — 6;
- Oregon — 5.
At the top of this year’s list is Gavita Holland, one of the oldest specialized horticultural lighting companies. Right behind are VapeWorld out of Boca Raton, Florida, and Nexus Greenhouse Systems of NorthGlen, Colorado. We apologize if we missed your company, be sure to let us know.
Please join me in congratulating the members of the 2016 CBE 100 Ancillary Businesses!
Rob Meagher
Founder, President and Editor-in-Chief
CBE Press LLC
| Rank | Company Size 2015 Revenue Range | Public/Private | HQ Location | Management | Title | Employees | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $45,000,000 Plus | |||||||
| 1 |  Gavita | Private | Netherlands | NA | NA | 12 | Cultivation Products and Services - Lighting |
| 2 |  Vapeworld | Private | Boca Raton, FL | Aaron Locascio | CEO | NA | Consumption Gear & Supplies |
| 3 |  Nexus Greenhouse Systems | Private | Northglenn, CO | Mike Porter,Cheryl Longtin | President/CEO/Co-Owners | 100 | Greenhouses, accessories & controls |
| $25,000,000 to $44,999,999 | |||||||
| 4 |  WeedMaps | Private | Irvine, CA | Doug Francis | CEO | 170 | Media/Publishing |
| 5 |  GGS Structures Inc. | Private | Ontario, CN | Leigh Coulter | Owner | 75 | Greenhouses, accessories & controls |
| 6 |  Waters Corporation | WAT/NYSE | Milford, Ma | Christopher J. O'Connell | CEO | 6500 | Extraction Equipment |
| 7 |  Grodan | Private | Netherlands | Ryan Halvorsen | Retail Business Manager | 110 | Cultivation Products and Services |
| $15,000,000 to $24,999,999 | |||||||
| 8 |  High Times | Private | New York, NY | Larry Linietsky | COO | 30 | Media/Publishing |
| 9 |  Growers Supply | Private | South Windsor, CT | Barry Goldsher | CEO | 400 | Cultivation Products and Services |
| 10 |  MJardin | Private | Denver, CO | Adam Denmark Cohen | CEO | 250 | Cultivation Management |
| 11 |  Growers House | Private | Tuscon, AZ | Paul & Nate Lipton | Owners | 22 | Grow/Cultivation Equipment |
| 12 |  CoolJarz | Private | Irvine, CA | Ken Loritz | President & CEO | 22 | Grow/Cultivation Equipment |
| $10,000,000-$14,999,999 | |||||||
| 13 |  Nanolux | Private | Petaluma, CA | Emily Walter | National Sales Manager | 9 | Cultivation Products and Services - Lighting |
| 14 |  Keirton | Private | Vancouver, CN | Jay Evans | CEO | 25 | Cultivation Products and Services - Trimmers |
| 15 |  Apeks Supercritical | Private | Columbus, OH | Andy Joseph | CEO | 31 | Extraction Equipment |
| 16 |  Eden Labs | Private | Seattle, WA | AC Braddock | CEO | 25 | Extraction Equipment |
| 17 |  MJ Business Daily (Anne Holland Ventures) | Private | Providence, RI | Anne Holland & Cassandra Farrington | Co-Founders & CEO | 13 | Media/Publishing |
| $5,000,000-9,999,999 | |||||||
| 18 |  Best Value Vacs | Private | Naperville, IL | Thomas Marosi and Mitchell Marosi | Owners | 26 | |
| 19 |  urban-gro | Private | Lafayette, CO | Bradley Nattrass | CEO | 22 | Cultivation Products and Services |
| 20 |  Cannasure | Private | Colombus, OH | Patrick McManamon | CEO | 8 | Insurance |
| 21 |  SURNA | SRNA/OTC | Boulder, CO | Stephen Keen | CEO | Cultivation Products and Services | |
| 22 |  TrimPro | Private | Montreal, CN | Steven Drummond | Executive Director | 26 | Cultivation Products and Services - Trimmers |
| 23 |  Ms Mary's Staffing | Private | Denver, CO | Stephen Sullivan | CEO | 5/500* | Payroll & Staffing |
| 24 |  Envirotech Greenhouse Solutions | Private | Richmond, CA | Zev Ilovitz | President | 8 | Greenhouses, accessories & controls |
| 25 |  Terpp Extractors | Private | Fort Collins, CO | Lori Hainkel | CEO | 10 | Extraction Equipment |
| 26 |  Zwart Systems | Private | Ontario, CN | Jim Van Ryn | General Manager | 40 | Greenhouse Irrigation |
| 27 |  MJ Freeway | Private | Denver, CO | Amy Poinsett & Jessica Billingsley | CEO/COO | 39 | Software |
| $2,500,000-$4,999,999 | |||||||
| 28 |  Precision Extractions | Private | Detroit, MI | Nick Tenant | CEO | 15 | Extraction Equipment |
| 29 |  Cannaline | Private | Elkridge, MD | Arnold Heckman & Andrew Rickert | CEO/COO | 7 | Packaging |
| 30 |  FunkSac | Private | Colombus, OH | Garrett Fortune | CEO | 15 | Packaging |
| 31 |  Biotrak THC | Private | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Patrick Vo | CEO | 40 | Software |
| 32 |  Good Earth Organics | Private | Cave Junction, OR | Roy DeLeon | CEO | 10 | Cultivation Products & Services |
| 33 |  Kush Bottles | KSHB/OTC | Santa Ana, CA | Nick Kovacevich | CEO | 20 | Packaging |
| 34 |  Dauntless Software | Private | Redmond, WA | Clark Musser | CEO | 16 | Software |
| 35 |  Forever Flowering Greenhouses | Private | Grass Valley, CA | Jonathan Valdman | CEO | 8 | Greenhouses, accessories & controls |
| 36 |  Gobi Analytical | Private | Denver, CO | Bugi Perrone | Owner/President | 17 | Lab Testing |
| 37 |  Steep Hill | Private | Berkeley, CA | J Michelle | CEO | 30 | Lab Testing |
| 38 |  GreenBroz | Private | San Diego, CA | Cullen Raichart | CEO | 15 | Cultivation Products and Services - Trimmers |
| 39 |  iGrow | Private | Colombus, OH | Ari Seaman, Cary & Eric Senders | Co-Owners | 15 | Cultivation Products and Services - Lighting |
| 40 |  NuAxon BioScience | Private | Bloomfield, IN | Jason Edwards | CEO/President | Extraction Equipment | |
| 41 |  ExtractionTek | Private | Denver, CO | Sean Winfeild | VP Sales & Marketing | 7 | Extraction Equipment |
| 42 |  American Cannabis Company | AMMJ/OTC | Denver, CO | Corey Hollister | CEO | 13 | Consulting & Reseller |
| 43 |  Trimminator | Private | Grass Valley, CA | Dana Mosman | CEO | 15 | Cultivation Products and Services - Trimmers |
| $1,000,000-$2,499,000 | |||||||
| 44 |  ArcView Group | Private | San Francisco, CA | Troy Dayton | CEO | 7 | Media/Publishing |
| 45 |  Guardian Data Systems | Private | Seattle, WA | Lance Ott | CEO | 12 | Software and Financial Services |
| 46 |  Amercanex | Private | Denver, CO | Steve Jancic | CEO | 16 | Media/Publishing |
| 47 |  HelioSpectra | HLSPY/OTC | Goteborg, Sweden | Staffan Hillberg | CEO | 22 | Cultivation Products and Services - Lighting |
| 48 |  Isolate Extraction Systems LLC | Private | Lafayette, CO | Kelly Knudson | CEO | 9 | Extraction Equipment |
| 49 |  CANNAFAM | Private | Scottsdale, AZ | Ryan Bishop | CEO | 16 | Packaging |
| 50 |  Bulbulyan Consulting Group | Private | Burbank, CA | Avis Bulbulyan | CEOs | 8 | Consulting |
| 51 |  Black Dog LED | Private | Boulder, CO | Corey Drew | Founder/CEO | 11 | Cultivation Products and Services - Lighting |
| 52 |  GreenLeaf Labs | Private | Portland, OR | Rowshan Reordan | CEO | 16 | Lab Testing |
| 53 |  HempTemps | Private | Aurora, CO | Shannon Forman | CEO | 121 | Staffing |
| 54 |  Franwell | Private | Nashville, TN | Jeff Wells/Scott Denham | CEO/Executive Director | 15 | Software |
| 55 |  Oaksterdam | Private | Oakland, CA | Dale Sky Jones | Executive Director | 12 | Training & Education |
| 56 |  National Cannabis Industry Association | Non-Profit | Denver, CO | Aaron Smith | Executive Director | 10 | Trade Association |
| 57 |  4 Front Advisors | Private | Phoenix, AZ | Leise Rosman | Managing Partner | 16 | Consulting |
| 58 |  Cannaguard Security | Private | Lake, Oswego, OR | Noah Sykes | CEO | 25 | Security Solutions |
| 57 |  Incredible Extractor | Private | Denver, CO | Rick Scarpella | CEO | 8 | Extraction Equipment |
| 59 |  Witlon | Private | Denver, CO | Nick Murer | CEO | 50 | Payroll & Staffing |
| 60 |  Bud Bar Displays | Private | Gold River, CA | Will Smith | CEO | 15 | Retail Displays |
| 61 |  Analytical 360 | Private | Seattle, WA | Brenton Dawber | CEO | 17 | Lab Testing |
| 62 |  Confidence Analytics | Private | Redmond, WA | Bobby Hines & Nick Mosely | Co-Owners | 26 | Lab Testing |
| 63 |  RM3 Labs Colorado LLC | Private | Denver, CO | Ian Barringer | Founder/CEO | 20 | Lab Testing |
| 64 |  Denver Consulting Group | Private | Denver, CO | Greg Gamet & Justin Jones | Owners | 10 | Consulting |
| 65 |  ProVerde Laboratories, Inc. | Private | Milford, Ma | Dorian A. Des Lauriers | CEO | 10 | Lab Testing |
| 66 |  Capsule Consulting Group | Private | Pompano Beach, FL | Jonathan Gilinski | CEO | 19 | Consumption Gear & Supplies |
| 67 |  Comprehensive Cannabis Consulting | Private | Denver, CO | Nic Easley | CEO | 10 | Consulting |
| 68 |  BIOS | Private | Ft Lauderdale, FL | Sean Tegart | President & CEO | 12 | Cultivation Products and Services - Lighting |
| 69 |  Stink Sack (Quark Distribution) | Private | New York, NY | Ross Kirsh | Founder/CEO | 6 | Packaging |
| 70 |  EZ Trim | Private | Broomfield, CO | Joe Black | CEO | 9 | Cultivation Products and Services - Trimmers |
| 71 |  Massachusetts Cannabis Research Labs | Private | Framingham, MA | Michael Kahn | Ownership, CEO | 11 | Lab Testing |
| Under $999,999 | |||||||
| 72 |  Oregon Growers Analytical | Private | Eugene, OR | Bethany Sherman | Founder/CEO | 11 | Lab Testing |
| 73 |  CannaSafe Analytics | Private | Murrieta, CA | Matthew Haskin | CEO | 8 | Lab Testing |
| 74 |  Vangst (Gradujuana) | Private | Denver, CO | Karson Humistan | CEO | 10 | Staffing |
| 75 |  Medicine Man Technologies | MDCL/OTC | Denver, CO | Brett Roper | COO | 4 | Consulting |
| 76 |  Cannasecurity | Private | Denver, CO | Tom Siciliano | COO | 25 | Security Solutions |
| 77 |  Leaf Logix | Private | Roswell, Georgia | James Minutello | CEO | 16 | Software |
| 78 |  Iron Laboratories | Private | Walled Lake, MI | Howard Lutz | CEO | 16 | Lab Testing |
| 79 |  Adilas | Private | Salida,CO | Stephen Berkoncotter | CEO | 3 | Software |
| 80 |  Calyx | Private | San Diego, CA | Chris Boudreau | CEO | 15 | Distributor |
| 81 |  Vegamatrix | Private | Scottsdale, AZ | Kyle Kushman & Susie Ambrose | Founder/President & CEO | 4 | Cultivation Products & Services |
| 82 |  Rolland Safe | Private | Dallas, TX | Rick Rolland | CEO | 84 | Security Solutions |
| 83 |  Adherence Compliance | Private | Denver, CO | Steve Owen | CEO | 5 | Compliance Software |
| 84 |  Indo Expo Trade Show | Private | Denver, CO | Chris Olson | CEO | 7 | Media/Publishing/Events |
| 85 |  iComply | Private | Denver, CO | Mark Slaugh | CEO | 10 | Compliance Software |
| 86 |  C3 Labs | Private | Berkeley, CA | Marc Deppe/Tobias Paquet | Owner/CEO | 8 | Lab Testing |
| 87 |  Weedtraqr | Private | Seattle, WA | David Busby | CEO | 4 | Software |
| 88 |  HempStaff LLC | Private | Miami, FL | James Yaglielo | CEO | 9 | Staffing |
| 89 |  Sapphire Risk Advisory Group | Private | Dallas, TX | Tony Gallo | CEO | 3 | Security Solutions |
| 90 |  Canna Consulting Group | Private | Clearwater, FL | Karl Keich | Executive Director | 9 | Consulting |
| Companies That Wouldn't Share Revenue Listed Alphabetically | |||||||
| 91 |  Cascadia Labs (no image) | Private | Portland, OR | Amy & Jeremy Sackett | CEO | 10 | Lab Testing |
| 92 |  Current Culture H2O | Private | Fresno, CA | Daniel Wison | President | 16 | Cultivation Products & Services |
| 93 |  CW Analytical | Private | Oakland, CA | Robert Martin | Co-Founder | 11 | Lab Testing |
| 94 |  Denver Relief Consulting | Private | Denver, CO | Ean Seeb & Kayvan Khalibari, Nick Hice | Co-owners | 14 | Consulting |
| 95 |  MedMen | Private | Los Angelas, CA | Adam Bierman | CEO | NA | Consulting & Management |
| 96 |  MassRoots | MSRT/OTC | Denver, CO | Isaac Dietrich | CEO | 30 | Media/Publishing |
| 97 |  SCLabs | Private | Santa Cruz, CA | Jeff Gray | CEO | 50 | Lab Testing |
| 98 |  TRIQ | Private | Bend, OR | Matt Cohen | CEO | 13 | Cultivation Products & Services |
| 99 |  Viridian Staffing | Private | Seattle, WA | David Muret | Founder & COO | NA | Recruiting & Staffing |
| 100 |  Women Grow | Private | San Francisco, CA | Jazmine Hupp | Co-Founder & CEO | 7 | Media/Publishing/Events |
