Public – Public

CANNABIS DISPENSARY
CULTIVATING PUBLIC COMMUNITY
THROUGH COMMITMENT TO
FAIR CHANCE, SOCIAL EQUITY,
DONATION & COMMUNITY SERVICE.

ACTS OF SERVICE IS OUR ETHOS. OUR CUSTOMER CARE PROCESSES WERE CREATED TO PROVIDE AN EXPERIENCE THAT CONSISTENTLY LEAVES EACH CLIENT FEELING EMPOWERED, HEARD, AND TENDED TO. THERE IS NO RUSH. THERE IS NO PRESSURE. THERE IS ONLY HUMAN CONNECTION AND KNOWLEDGE TO SHARE.

WE PRIORITIZE HIRING PEOPLE WHO LIVE A COMPASSION-FORWARD LIFE - SUPPORTING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, STRONG HETERO WOMEN OF ALL COLORS, & MINORITIES OF ALL COLORS; BLACK, ASIAN, AND LATINO BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

AS PUBLIC, WE UNITE.

Public is a cannabis company that is diverse in ownership with people of color in leadership positions. Rooted in love, creation, and collective wellbeing, the devoted team is made up of experts in cannabis education, passionate communicators, and creative entrepreneurs. We take pride in both our shared and varied roots to best serve our community, which is as diverse as we are. We are committed to varying our storefront location to avoid overlooking low socioeconomic neighborhoods that would otherwise be without professional cannabis services.

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLIC FOUNDERS

We know that our mission is only as effective as our willingness to tend to communities of all kinds. We accept all and reject none. Our storefronts are safe spaces where folks of all backgrounds are welcomed and celebrated.

We provide a welcoming, inclusive, and safe experience paired with high quality and ethically sourced cannabis products. We pride ourselves in creating intentional spaces that provide nourishment from the moment a client walks in our doors and extends into each connected moment with the self and others thereafter.

We know there is work to be done. We believe collective unity and connectedness is achievable with enough patient, devoted work. It is our deepest honor to acknowledge and celebrate our unique differences to create a more authentic and unified whole.

We are better together. También hablamos español para ayudar a nuestros clientes hispanohablantes.

ALEX
CALLERES

CEO

Alex Calleres has been operating multiple 20,000 square foot cannabis cultivation facilities for the past several years. Before cannabis, he worked in the oil refinery industry, and has done a lot of work on airport construction projects. Alex is a doer, a trouble shooter, and has an astute eye for detail. His cultivation team relies on him for his mentoring and advice where he always pushes products to a higher level.

At his existing licensed cultivation facilities, Alex takes pride in the cultivation processes. The grow team takes the necessary time to select the right genetics in order to produce the best products on the market. The team is ingrained in the process from seed to sale. The facility is designed with worker safety and environmental safety as our priorities. All employees receive the proper safety training and have been orientated with industry policies and procedures. Alex diligently oversee the water and electrical conservation plan as well as the transplanting and feeding processes. As a seasoned cultivator, Alex has always used the safest nutrients on the market to make sure all of the final products pass all state and local required testing. Alex takes pride in knowing he only puts out safe to consume products.

CHRISTOPHER
HENRY

COO

Christopher Paul Henry is a co-founder and responsible for the strategic development and business deployment of various sectors within The Empire Connect Group, a Moreno Valley-based medical and adult-use retail outlet. In his role as Chief Operating Officer he manages day to day operations in dispensary management and cultivation. Christopher Henry’s experience exceeds 17 years in the professional cannabis industry, his expertise also extends to cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution. His extensive experience in onsite retail dispensaries development and operations is concretized through the many years he has dedicated to building and designing 77 dispensaries. Christopher is versed in purchasing, managing, sourcing and anything that comes in between, having managed at one time 30 plus dispensaries under Prop 215. A noteworthy time for Mr. Henry was when he found himself working with the City of San Francisco to draft one of the first security measures ordinance when opening Mission Organics, one of the first retail stores in the State of California.

In addition, Mr. Henry has worked with various cities to create and structure ordinances that nominate guidelines for retail operations. He currently oversees all the management of three Empire retail locations where he assumes the responsibility for purchasing, managers, working with directors and VP’s as well as deputing the hiring. He is also in charge of all the financial structuring and budgeting, working directly with his team of professionals to maintain healthy financials and run strict audits.

Christopher Henry serves as the managing director of the Southern California Cannabis Chamber of Commerce (SC4), a 501c nonprofit consisting of businesses in Southern California concerned with cannabis business policies at the state, and local levels of government. He is well rounded in positioning cannabis operations to meet the heavily regulated industry standards far before they have emerged. With the reputation for world class facility design, Christopher Henry often works with local governments to establish standards for the cannabis industry in California. As a result, Christopher Henry has become integrated in the areas of compliance and leads discussions on compliance standards for the cannabis industry. Christopher Henry has led multiple PAC’s (Political Action Committees) successfully championing the implementation of new cannabis law through citizen backed initiatives.

JEFFREY
HENRY

CONTROLLER

Mr. Henry is a commercial real estate banker with 15 years of direct structuring, underwriting, asset management, syndication and credit experience in all asset types across complex lending and investment products including CMBS, mezzanine, bank, bridge, and construction loans as well as community development/tax credit debt and equity.

In addition he is a capital markets, finance and strategy consultant to the medical and adult-use cannabis industry, having advised one of Southern California’s largest vertically-integrated cannabis operators.

With a Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance from Howard University, School of Business, Henry has extensive high-level experience dating back to 2005:

RON
BRANDON

SOCIAL EQUITY CONSULTANT

Ron Brandon, Entrepreneur and Chief Cannabis Officer (CCO) at NatureTrak. Ron spearheaded the marijuana activity detection (MAD) platform for CRB risk management fraud prevention and rules engine, which prevents illegal cannabis money from entering into the banking system. Ron has over 15 years of cannabis experience as an owner, manager, operator, and broker. Over 100+ million dollars in cannabis products sold.

In 2015 he founded Kingston Royal, a multifaceted cannabis brand that specializes in artisanal cannabis flower. Ron is a pillar and a thought leader in the cannabis social equity community. He uses his platform to educate plus mentor social equity applicants on licensing, branding, and operations. He sits on the Board of Advisors for the San Francisco Youth Arts Exchange, is a member of the California Growers Association, and a founding member of the San Francisco Cannabis Licensing Group, where he played an integral role in influencing regulations in favor of local operators.

He played professional football for seven years in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He attended San Jose State University, where he majored in Radio Television Film (RTVF).

MUSHANA
KELLY
McCOY

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Mushana (Kelly) McCoy was born and raised in Fresno, CA and owns 49% of Fresno Verde Public, Inc. A top student, she attended elementary school and junior high at Carver Academy in southwest Fresno and went on to high school at Edison High also located in South West Fresno. After graduating from high school in 2002, she enrolled in Fresno City College and majored in Liberal Arts from which she received her Associates degree.

Upon finishing City College, Mushana worked with mentally disabled adults at Lloyds Liberty Homes in Fresno, CA and happily volunteered at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 2004. Here she learned how to work with an array of animals but particularly enjoyed working with the reptiles. She also found some time to work on her studies with adults who suffered from mild to moderate disabilities. She was skilled at what she did, so she pursued her medical assisting degree from Milan institute in Clovis, CA.

More of her experience with medical assisting came from working at the Sequoia Medical Clinic in Fresno, CA and later by working for a local private company assisting elderly patients. Mushana, then begun her college studies at the local, University of Phoenix, campus. Whilst at school Mushana became a proud mother of her oldest son.

Albeit it was exceedingly difficult, she continued with her studies and graduated in April of 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Mushana’s top priority was to graduate, a full-time mom and a full-time student, she believed nothing should get in her way of achieving her goal, and nothing did. With time, Mushana went on to work for a well-known non-profit business known as Fresno EOC. Over the six years she was there she gained a reputation for being one of the most dedicated Administrative Assistants the organization has ever seen. Things for Mushana have slowed down during the COVID- 19 Pandemic. She is focusing her energy on continuing her formation and obtaining a 2021 certification as a professional Life Coach. Mushana put it best when she said, “I am no stranger to helping and coaching those who need a little help in their lives, I definitely have a passion for helping others”.

Keep out of reach of children.
For use only by adults 21 years of age and older.