BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ace Ventures LLC is considering a few upstate New York cities, including Buffalo for a marijuana production facility.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said he met representatives of Ace Ventures LLC on Tuesday. He said there were nine people and one person on video conference, saying "they're serious."
"It was an impressive group of people with significant private sector experience, significant resources, significant management experience," Brown said.
The minority and woman-owned startup partners with Rohan Marley, son of the late reggae great Bob Marley, and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke.
The initial plan to build a $25-million cannabis research and development, and production center.
"They think Buffalo is a good place to be, they like the growth that they've seen in Buffalo, they think Buffalo is well positioned post pandemic," Brown said.
The mayor is aware of how lucrative the business could be.
"It is going to be a multi-billion dollar industry, it already is in areas of the country where it is legal," Brown said. "This group talked about creating hundreds of jobs for members of this community, legal jobs, good paying jobs."
It's unclear when a final decision by the LLC will be made, but it could happen before the end of summer..
The mayor also told 2 On Your Side that other groups have expressed interest.