Business
Lone Peak Caregivers to open storefront in Westfork Plaza
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Doug Hare EBS Staff
BIG SKY – Nine years ago, Philadelphia native Charlie Gaillard decided to move to Big Sky with the intention of opening a medical marijuana dispensary. With a little elbow grease and entrepreneurship, he started Lone Peak Caregivers in the units across from the Whitewater Inn. Five years ago, Gaillard moved into his current location in the Big Horn Shopping Center next to the Big Sky Community Food Bank. Three years ago, LPC expanded to open another dispensary in Ennis.
“We’ve really been growing year after year,” Gaillard said. “The reasoning behind the Westfork shop is to extend the service hours for patients that were unable to get to us because of work hours or other scheduling conflicts.”
Gaillard now employs nine full-time employees and at busier times of the year also has numerous part-time employees. By mid-November, he plans to have a new storefront in the Westfork Plaza open for business.
The current location will operate as usual—as an organic growing operation of over 65 strains of Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa, and also as a retail store featuring Montana-made products and art.
“We’re excited to provide patients with a convenient location with expanded hours,” said Sammy Weiffenbach, who will manage the new location. “It’s also another place where we can offer locals and tourists locally-sourced merchandise.”
Medical marijuana has been legal since the Montana Medical Marijuana Act was passed into law in 2004. This past summer, after more than a decade of having a medical marijuana program, the Montana Legislature passed Senate Bill 333, a law that increased regulations on the industry and levied a 4 percent gross sales tax for dispensaries—the first of its kind in the Montana medical marijuana industry.
According to the Department of Revenue, cannabis tax collections for the months of July, August and September totaled $380,000, from a reported $7.5 million in gross revenues, exceeding expectations. Notably, only 393 dispensaries of an estimated 610 licensed providers statewide have turned in their quarterly taxes, leading some to infer that the state’s yearly revenue from the newly implemented tax will easily exceed the estimated $1 million mark.
Early reports from Helena suggest that cannabis tax revenue is slated to fund a statewide marijuana seed-to-sale tracking program and other improvements to regulations on the industry. The cannabis tax is scheduled to decrease to 2 percent in July 2018 and remain at that level for the foreseeable future.
Gaillard is in favor of the new tax and thinks it’s a good way to fill up the state’s coffers. “I think we will see improvements to the industry directly from the revenue it provides.”
The Department of Health and Human Services reported a resurgence in enrollment in the medical marijuana program after the passage of more comprehensive regulatory measures last spring. In November 2016, there were 7,558 registered medical marijuana patients. According to data from the DHHS, that number more than doubled in less than a year, with 17,819 cardholders reported as of this July.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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april, 2024
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
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14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
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Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m.
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Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m. on April 24.
Jacob Rountree is an alternative/indie songwriter living in the stunning alpine of Montana. Contemplative yet playful, his lyric forward style is reflective of his love for philosophy, poetry and quantum physics.
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(Wednesday) 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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The Wilson Hotel
145 Town Center Ave
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Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd