“It’s about the people.”
Elite Cultivation, headquartered in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, is more than a medicinal marijuana distributor, it’s an extension of the Elite culture carefully curated by founder and owner Richard Freeman.
Freeman, an Oklahoma native, owns and operates five different companies including Elite Motorsports, which, in addition to providing race teams with the best motorcoaches, trailers, truck and trailer combinations, race cars and equipment in the industry, also fields the largest drag racing team in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) with drivers like six-time world champions Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr.
“He’s a bells and whistles guy, you can see it in everything he does,” said Brian Lane, General Manager at Elite Cultivation. “The vision was Richard’s. He saw a creative business opportunity to break into the marijuana industry early in the legalization process in Oklahoma. He’s a businessman, he knows a good opportunity when it presents itself.”
When Freeman approached Lane, he had been a regional sales manager at Anheuser-Busch for over 25 years and was able to bring his experience to Elite Cultivation.
“I was open to a change, and I knew some of the other quality people Richard was talking about bringing into the fold, he was building an all-star group,” Lane said.
Included in that all-star group along with Lane is Jamie Hairston whose official title is Chief Financial Officer, though she admits she wears many hats.
“I was working in logistics when Richard first came to me about working for him. It was in the middle of COVID. He told me he wanted me to come run the cultivation business,” Hairston said. “I had to admit to him that I didn’t know anything about keeping books or human resources. Richard had confidence in me that I could do it, he told me, ‘You’ll learn.’ He has a knack, in all his businesses, for putting people in positions he knows they can handle, even if they might be unsure.”
The Elite Cultivation facility, located next door to the Elite Motorsports offices and machine shop, rivals the best in the region. A point of pride for everyone who works at Elite Cultivation, but those close to the operation would expect no less from Freeman.
“Being in the racing industry and then coming over to the weed industry, Richard carried over a lot of the same mentality. The race shop is almost hospital worthy with how clean and organized it is. He’s brought that over here,” Brian said. “Everyone who works here takes pride in that. It allows us to be very consistent in what we do and the product we produce. It’s the same with the employees, our standards are set high, Richard expects it.”
The consistency and the quality of the product is another cross over from Richard’s winning mentality. Dedicated to creating environments where employees can – and want to – excel at their craft produces not only race wins, but consistent, high-quality alternative medicine that companies, and their patients, can depend on. They know Elite Cultivation products are produced in a controlled and professional environment where quality will not waiver from month to month.
“I’m not going to do something if it’s not going to be done right,” Freeman said. “We don’t half ass anything over here, in anything we do. When I got into this, I wanted the best. I believe we have that now.
I have to have the right people. The people are what make it work. They’ve got to know their job and do it well, do it better than anyone else, they’ve got to work together,” Freeman continued. “That’s true in any industry. If you cut corners, you’ll be paying for it in the long run. Attention to detail, hard work, and persistence, that’s what it takes and it’s not for everyone.”
The attention to detail is hard to miss in the 36,000-square-foot facility, with dedicated rooms for each of the different phases including a clone room, three veg rooms and seven flower rooms. The 25 employees of Elite Cultivation each specialize in difference aspects of the business.
“Each state of the plant’s life has designated teams that are experts on that cycle. We think this creates more accountability, encourages teamwork, and ensures the end product is better,” Lane said. “It’s hard work. We don’t just want to grow marijuana; we want to grow some of the best marijuana. Add in Richard’s thoroughness and attention to detail, it’s tough.”
Elite Cultivation rotates anywhere from 20-25 different strands and harvests every month. Some of their most popular strands are Donny Burger, Lemon Skunk, Durban Poison, Blue Dream, Peach Pie and Gelato Cake. Along with the flower, the facility also produces concentrates, edibles and vape pens.
“With the future trending towards further legalization, expansion is a huge possibility. It’s part of why we are very big on empowering our employees and fostering an environment for people to be passionate about what they do,” Hairston said. “It’s a small town and we recognize our employees will be our best recruiters if and when expansion does happen.”
While rules and regulations are ever changing in Oklahoma’s marijuana legislation, Elite Cultivation has stayed steadfast and vigilant in making sure they meet the standards required and are prepared for what may come in the future.
“We got into this at the right time. Our thought process has been consistent,” Freeman said. “We wanted to go above and beyond when it came to the tools, the facility, the people and how we run this thing. We’ve got great structure and great product. The best product in my opinion. We’re on top of the changes that come about in the industry, and we want to be the standard for the state, and maybe eventually beyond that.”
