Expand / Collapse search
☰

Chris Webber announces $50M cannabis facility in southwest Detroit

By and David Komer online producer
Published  September 28, 2021 9:10pm EDT
Detroit
FOX 2 Detroit

Chris Webber breaks ground on $50 million cannabis facility in SW Detroit

The former University of Michigan basketball star, Detroiter and basketball hall of famer is jumping head first into the marijuana industry.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Chris Webber is a native Detroiter, a member of the Fab Five at Michigan, and a basketball hall of famer. On Tuesday Webber entered the cannabis field, breaking ground a new $50 million facility in southwest Detroit.

"This is an awesome moment, I am overwhelmed," Webber said. "And this is my biggest priority in life."

Webber's facility will have a comprehensive training program and operations to provide jobs and opportunities for under-represented members of the community.

"We also have two cultivations, the cultivations right now would equal over 70,000 square-feet in our first phase," he said. "We will also have Cookies University right here in this tower, where we will train thousands of individuals for the cannabis industry. Not only will we train you, you won't just get an empty certificate. But by Cookies being one of the best brands in the country, if you come through this program with a certificate of the program three months from seed to sell, we can have job placement for you."

The facility will be built in Detroit's historic Corktown neighborhood.

"I really want to thank all of you business owners that have been here," Webber said. "You guys have been putting your sweat and your equity and your time into the ground here in Detroit. For those like myself who were able to go away, work, live, come back and visit, you guys kept it stable and took it to another level.

"All I hope is that I can seamlessly come in and work with you, and have a successful business here. But also I am really excited for some of the other announcements we're going to have - especially when it comes to real estate, hospitality, and some other things."

Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, who has known the Webber family for decades - and has a son in the ownership group with Webber - had high praise for this venture.

"I enjoyed very much getting to be the mayor in the city of Detroit," Archer said. "But I enjoy it even more now, to see what Chris Webber and his team, his group, and others are doing in the city."