Lume Cannabis Company in Evart is asking the township to expand its current grow facility.

The cannabis center has only been operating for less than a year. Now, the company says they’ve outgrown their current building.

“We have our eyes on the prize and we’re trying to go big and do it right,” says Kevin Kuethe, director of cultivation at Lume Cannabis.

Kuethe says plants aren’t the only thing outgrowing their pots here. The whole facility is packed.

“We’re there! We have reached our limit and that’s why we are rushing to build the cultivation as fast as possible, but we are struggling to supply just the stores that we have now.”

To keep up with that demand, Kuethe is proposing to the Evart Township Board to expand their grow facility by an additional 65,000 square feet.

“The township owns a small piece of property that we need to do our expansion correctly,” says Kuethe. “It’s just on the south side of our property line, it’s not a huge piece of property but it is essential to our construction.”

In a written statement, the Evart Township Supervisor Doug Derschied says a decision by the township has not yet been made, but he anticipates a decision in the coming weeks.

Kuethe says, “We want to give back more and show that cannabis companies don’t have to be really hiding in the shadows, that they can be morally sound and good companies to work with.”

Kuethe says the expansion would create an additional 130 employees, growing the local economy.

“Not only are we hiring more people, but more people are moving here. A lot of the employees that I hire that are from different parts of the state, relocate.”

Now approaching year two Kuethe says he’s excited for the future:

“We found something that’s not broken, and it works really well for us and we’re going to stick with that best practice for us.”