Meet Our Team
It all starts with a dream, or a hope, or a mission, or a purpose, or a calling. But how will you bring it to life?
The task of creating an operational cannabis facility can be an extremely complicated, and overwhelming process. You need a plan, and a team. That’s where we can help.
We are designers, innovators, dreamers and doers. As a vertically integrated company, we have an array of industry experts in both traditional markets as well as the cannabis industry. Our passionate and collaborative team is dedicated to helping budding entrepreneurs realize their dreams of being part of this exciting and ever changing industry.
We are here when you need us.
From winning licenses, to launching and establishing new brands, to designing, building, and optimize state-of the art facilities, to implementing operating plans and standard procedures, Kush is your go-to resource for the cannabis industry. We have the knowledge, connections, passion, and experience to turn your cannabis business vision into reality.
Our Mission
To grow with, give back to, and act as leaders within the communities we serve.
Our Vision
To transform the industry through a commitment to positive change and innovation.
Our People
Mike Myers
Co-Founder | Managing Partner
Over the last two decades, Mike has established himself as a successful entrepreneur. After several years in the banking industry Mike left to fulfill his life’s dream to work for himself. He was the driving force from the startup process, day-to-day operations, and finally to the sale of a successful repossession company fifteen years later. As he slowly transitioned out of the repossession area, he discovered the untapped cannabis market and dove in headfirst.
From the creation to the operation of multiple companies, Mike has worked tirelessly, side by side with his partners, to help build a group of companies in the cannabis space that are on the cutting edge of this industry.
One of Mike’s gifts is the ability for long term business strategy and business strategic planning. He opened a repossession company in 2006, two years before the second largest financial crash in US history. In 2018, he moved into the cannabis space to watch it become an essential business during a national pandemic. Mike is a dedicated member of the team but also has the ability to be flexible as the situation dictates. He has proven time and time again to be a success in any of the industries in which he operates.
Ryan Lafferty
Co-Founder | Chief Executive Officer
For the past 20 years Ryan has worked with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and startups to implement change and inspire creative ways to approach and solve challenges and opportunities.
Ryan is an innovator, creative problem solver and professional educator with over twenty years of experience managing, developing and delivering creative solutions to complex problems. He has a proven ability to build high-performance operations, lead collaborative teams, generate revenue, and strengthen business relationships.
As a collaborative designer, his range of experience includes corporate branding and social responsibility, design thinking and service design, entrepreneurship and business development, innovation and change management, internal and external communications, marketing strategy, research and analysis, media and public relations, product development and design.
He works with teams to ignite creative thinking, design new products, enter new markets, explore company strategy, strengthen or redefine brands, evaluate new or existing processes and develop team creative chemistry.
His focus is on the value and strength of opposition thinking, and the power of innovation that is inspired by the chaos. He leads organizations down a path toward best practices, and uncover creative ways to empower teams to function at the highest level.
Chris Newberg
General Counsel
Chris is a practicing business, entertainment, and litigation attorney at the Rodenhouse Law Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He frequently counsels clients on various aspects of the Michigan’s marijuana laws and the application process. Chris is ready and willing to help clients of Kush Development Group navigate the multitude of legal issues that arise throughout the course of creating and operating a marijuana facility.
Chris has considerable experience in business formation and planning, land acquisition and use specific to the marijuana industry, and regulatory issues specific to the marijuana industry. This knowledge, combined with his own personal business experience and profound interest in the marijuana industry, allows him to provide unparalleled legal assistance to Kush and our clients.
Beyond assisting with legal issues, Chris is also instrumental in helping connect clients to potential lenders. With a deep understanding of and interest in various private financing options and structures specific to the marijuana business, he is able to provide invaluable insight into opportunities for both borrowers and lenders that are increasingly crucial in this time of great expansion in the marijuana industry.
With a passion for law, the marijuana industry, and business development, in general, Chris is an invaluable resource for both Kush and our clients.