COHASSET — Andy Nintzel described the Thursday, June 5, cannabis license lottery as a shocking experience.
"Not so much as the outcome, but just how it worked," he said.
Andy and his wife Mandy are one of the founding couples of M.N. Technology, a cannabis company that was planning to build a cultivation facility in Cohasset.
They gathered with family and friends to watch the Office of Cannabis Management's lottery livestream, where licenses were awarded for the four capped license types.
Only 50 cultivator licenses can be issued until at least 2026 under state law.
Nintzel said everyone expected something like bingo balls for the lottery.
"But instead they said, 'We're going to hover over this green button and start the lottery,'" he explained. "And then they clicked the mouse and said, 'The lottery is completed.'"
"Unfortunately, we had to live through that twice."
M.N. Technology was among the social equity applicants eligible for the first 25 licenses. When they didn't win then, they were entered in the general applicant pool, which had its lottery for the other half of the licenses three hours later.
Mandy Nintzel said it took the weekend to fully recover from the results. Andy said the immediate aftermath felt like they'd just attended a funeral.
"We’re sort of walking around a little numb," he said. "But then at one point I definitely remember saying, 'OK, enough of this, we’re going to get in my pontoon boat and start working on all of our contingency plans and start getting on the phone.'”
M.N. Technology had many backup plans, according to its leaders. The Nintzels said they’ll have more to share on what comes next soon.
"We're just kind of fired up and motivated to go on to the next step," Mandy said.
They did share that they're working with other people who did get licenses, who have a lot of options, Andy said.
"What really separates us out from a lot of other people in license pursuit ... was our readiness and our backing by our community and our city," he added.
M.N. Technology has worked closely with the city of Cohasset. Multiple cornerstone projects for the city's industrial park have fallen through in the past.
There was some initial fear after M.N. Technology didn't get a license, which the Nintzels and their partners were quick to allay.
"Craig, one of our partners, was over at the City Council meeting yesterday working diligently with them to help us kind of put together the pieces we need to put out a very big announcement," Andy said.
"Not as fun as, 'We won the lottery,' but it will still be fun to say we've secured our license."
HWY35 is another cultivation business planned nearby in Grand Rapids.
KAXE could not reach the company for comment, but principal investor Jack Mitchell previously said HWY35 planned to buy a license from a lottery winner if it did not win.
Only the application number of the license winners has been released. Additional information will not be shared until applicants are officially granted a license. They must first complete several steps, including passing background checks and securing a site location and local government approval.
"What people won in the lottery wasn't the license, it was the opportunity to go get the license, if they're ready," Andy Nintzel said.
"So now a lot of these places have 18 months to get their stuff together and prove that they can actually execute the plan that they claimed they could do when they put an application in."
