Brightwaters Farms seeks medical-marijuana license

UTICA — Thomas Jefferson, a cannabis farmer and third President of the United States, wrote that these plants were “… of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country.” The Empire State agreed last July when it passed the Compassionate Care Act, authorizing the growing and distribution of medical marijuana. Applications for the licenses were submitted by May 29 of this year, and in July, the New York State Department of Health will grant licenses to five of the 43 applicants. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set three criteria for selecting the licensees: create jobs, set up operations quickly, and enjoy the support of the local community.

Brightwaters Farms — a business operating three farms in Suffolk, Delaware, and Oneida counties — says it meets all three criteria. “We have over 1 million square feet of greenhouses ready for planting,” says Anthony Quintal, Jr., company president. “We have also leased four locations in the state for our medical dispensaries: Rochester, Albany, Manhattan, and Suffolk. The plan is to hire 100 professionals and another 100-200 employees to staff the operation. Most will work locally. The professionals will include lawyers, accountants, security officers, physicians, engineers, pharmacists, and plant scientists. The annual payroll is projected at $10 million. As for community support, I have spoken to a number of area organizations and with area politicians to explain the plan and to assure them that this operation will not attract criminals … We have [garnered] very strong support from area residents. I believe Brightwaters Farms is the only applicant that is ready on day one to meet the governor’s directive.”

The Brightwaters Farms professional team will include the chief of pediatrics at South Side Hospital in Bayshore on Long Island; the chief of internal medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip (also on Long Island); Lighthouse Pharmacies; and MedMen, a national medical marijuana consulting firm. As part of the application process, Quintal has retained the services of the Harris Beach, PLLC law firm; Posinelli Affairs, a political consultant; and Scheinkopf Communications.

The marijuana will be grown and distributed to those with serious illnesses, such as seizure disorders, ALS, cancer, and epilepsy. The plant in its medical form alleviates nausea and seizures. Access is available only by prescription. The product originates from female marijuana plants and comes in the form of a pill, vapor product, or an oil-based product; it can’t be smoked for recreational purposes and thus has no street value. The marijuana oil extract must be processed and separated differently for each illness.

Quintal had 35 days to complete the application process. “The requirement was to submit 10 copies of the application,” he says. “We submitted a total of 70,000 pages after running background checks and vetting everybody involved. The application alone cost well over $1 million.” Quintal estimates the New York state market for medical marijuana exceeds $1 billion. Payment is currently the responsibility of the purchaser, since insurers do not cover reimbursement. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) is seeking support for national legislation to require coverage by insurance carriers.

Brightwaters Farms’ investment to date far exceeds just the cost of the application. “In 2014, the company began the process of purchasing the former C.F. Baker & Sons nursery [in North Utica] out of bankruptcy. Farm Credit held the lien. Brightwaters Farms is the fourth owner of the property in 20 years. In addition to the purchase price, we have sunk more than $1 million on capital improvements to restore the facility. The original plan was to grow not just shrubs, flowers, and plants but also to add fruits, vegetables, evergreens, and landscape plantings for sale to wholesalers. Last July, when the legislature and governor authorized medical-marijuana legislation, we decided to add this to our … [offerings]. Initially, I have set aside 100,000 square feet to grow medical marijuana with expansion of another 300,000 feet in three phases. The operation will also require a 40,000-square-foot lab located inside the existing facility; the projected cost is $10 [million] to $15 million.”

The Oneida County Brightwaters Farms operation, situated at 1113 Herkimer Road in North Utica, projects employment at 100 to 200 people to operate the non-marijuana facility. If the company receives a license to grow and dispense marijuana, it will add another 200 to 300 employees to the total. Quintal, his wife Robin, and another couple hold the stock in the Utica venture.

The Quintals are also the stockholders in the other two Brightwaters Farms. The original site is located on 15 acres in Bayshore. The farm was originally purchased from the King of England by the Phelps family in the late 1600s. The Quintals purchased the business in 1997. The couple bought an 85-plus-acre dairy farm in Masonville in Delaware County in 2006, on which they now grow hay. The deal for the Oneida County property, sited on 64 acres, closed on March 31, 2015. 

Quintal

Quintal also owns Quintal Contracting Corp., which he incorporated in 1989. The company offers landscape/site development, wetlands remediation and restoration, arboriculture, paving, hardscaping, demolition, marine construction, and parks/athletic fields to civil, commercial, industrial, and large residential customers located on Long Island. About 75 percent of the work is for public entities, the remainder is private. Another company, Quintal Realty Holdings, manages the multiple properties owned by the Quintal family on Long Island and Upstate.

Quintal began his business career in high school. “When I was a senior at Islip High School, I cut out of school one day to sell my first commercial account,” confesses Quintal. “That year, I did $750,000 in business. I worked as the head gardener at the Macy estate in Islip and for other South Shore estates. I founded Quintal Landscaping in 1983, incorporated as Quintal Contracting Corp. in 1989, and later set up the Quintal Group as a holding company. In 1995, Robin and I worked with Edith DeFere to cultivate crops on the Brightwaters Farm in Suffolk. The addition of the Oneida County farm now gives us the opportunity to become one of the northeast’s largest growers and distributors of fresh vegetables and fruits grown year-round.” The Quintals live in Suffolk County with their three sons: Anthony III, Barry, and Michael.

Community activity

Brightwaters Farms recently formed a partnership with Upstate Cerebral Palsy (UCP). “We leased 80,000 square feet of greenhouse space to UCP, of which a sizable space was donated. The agency plans to grow vegetables that will put many of its clients to work. The idea originated with Cornell Cooperative Extension to start a pilot project with UCP, which obtained a grant to underwrite the initial phase. The idea was to create a sustainable model. Brightwaters Farms has committed to employ UCP clients as production expands for its own operations. Our Oneida County farm has also partnered with the Veteran’s Outreach Center [in Utica] to help get unemployed veterans back to work. These are just a couple of examples of how we work with the local community.”        

UTICA — Thomas Jefferson, a cannabis farmer and third President of the United States, wrote that these plants were “… of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country.” The Empire State agreed last July when it passed the Compassionate Care Act, authorizing the growing and distribution of medical marijuana. Applications for the licenses were submitted by May 29 of this year, and in July, the New York State Department of Health will grant licenses to five of the 43 applicants. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set three criteria for selecting the licensees: create jobs, set up operations quickly, and enjoy the support of the local community.

Brightwaters Farms — a business operating three farms in Suffolk, Delaware, and Oneida counties — says it meets all three criteria. “We have over 1 million square feet of greenhouses ready for planting,” says Anthony Quintal, Jr., company president. “We have also leased four locations in the state for our medical dispensaries: Rochester, Albany, Manhattan, and Suffolk. The plan is to hire 100 professionals and another 100-200 employees to staff the operation. Most will work locally. The professionals will include lawyers, accountants, security officers, physicians, engineers, pharmacists, and plant scientists. The annual payroll is projected at $10 million. As for community support, I have spoken to a number of area organizations and with area politicians to explain the plan and to assure them that this operation will not attract criminals … We have [garnered] very strong support from area residents. I believe Brightwaters Farms is the only applicant that is ready on day one to meet the governor’s directive.”

The Brightwaters Farms professional team will include the chief of pediatrics at South Side Hospital in Bayshore on Long Island; the chief of internal medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip (also on Long Island); Lighthouse Pharmacies; and MedMen, a national medical marijuana consulting firm. As part of the application process, Quintal has retained the services of the Harris Beach, PLLC law firm; Posinelli Affairs, a political consultant; and Scheinkopf Communications.

The marijuana will be grown and distributed to those with serious illnesses, such as seizure disorders, ALS, cancer, and epilepsy. The plant in its medical form alleviates nausea and seizures. Access is available only by prescription. The product originates from female marijuana plants and comes in the form of a pill, vapor product, or an oil-based product; it can’t be smoked for recreational purposes and thus has no street value. The marijuana oil extract must be processed and separated differently for each illness.

Quintal had 35 days to complete the application process. “The requirement was to submit 10 copies of the application,” he says. “We submitted a total of 70,000 pages after running background checks and vetting everybody involved. The application alone cost well over $1 million.” Quintal estimates the New York state market for medical marijuana exceeds $1 billion. Payment is currently the responsibility of the purchaser, since insurers do not cover reimbursement. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) is seeking support for national legislation to require coverage by insurance carriers.

Brightwaters Farms’ investment to date far exceeds just the cost of the application. “In 2014, the company began the process of purchasing the former C.F. Baker & Sons nursery [in North Utica] out of bankruptcy. Farm Credit held the lien. Brightwaters Farms is the fourth owner of the property in 20 years. In addition to the purchase price, we have sunk more than $1 million on capital improvements to restore the facility. The original plan was to grow not just shrubs, flowers, and plants but also to add fruits, vegetables, evergreens, and landscape plantings for sale to wholesalers. Last July, when the legislature and governor authorized medical-marijuana legislation, we decided to add this to our … [offerings]. Initially, I have set aside 100,000 square feet to grow medical marijuana with expansion of another 300,000 feet in three phases. The operation will also require a 40,000-square-foot lab located inside the existing facility; the projected cost is $10 [million] to $15 million.”

The Oneida County Brightwaters Farms operation, situated at 1113 Herkimer Road in North Utica, projects employment at 100 to 200 people to operate the non-marijuana facility. If the company receives a license to grow and dispense marijuana, it will add another 200 to 300 employees to the total. Quintal, his wife Robin, and another couple hold the stock in the Utica venture.

The Quintals are also the stockholders in the other two Brightwaters Farms. The original site is located on 15 acres in Bayshore. The farm was originally purchased from the King of England by the Phelps family in the late 1600s. The Quintals purchased the business in 1997. The couple bought an 85-plus-acre dairy farm in Masonville in Delaware County in 2006, on which they now grow hay. The deal for the Oneida County property, sited on 64 acres, closed on March 31, 2015. 

Quintal

Quintal also owns Quintal Contracting Corp., which he incorporated in 1989. The company offers landscape/site development, wetlands remediation and restoration, arboriculture, paving, hardscaping, demolition, marine construction, and parks/athletic fields to civil, commercial, industrial, and large residential customers located on Long Island. About 75 percent of the work is for public entities, the remainder is private. Another company, Quintal Realty Holdings, manages the multiple properties owned by the Quintal family on Long Island and Upstate.

Quintal began his business career in high school. “When I was a senior at Islip High School, I cut out of school one day to sell my first commercial account,” confesses Quintal. “That year, I did $750,000 in business. I worked as the head gardener at the Macy estate in Islip and for other South Shore estates. I founded Quintal Landscaping in 1983, incorporated as Quintal Contracting Corp. in 1989, and later set up the Quintal Group as a holding company. In 1995, Robin and I worked with Edith DeFere to cultivate crops on the Brightwaters Farm in Suffolk. The addition of the Oneida County farm now gives us the opportunity to become one of the northeast’s largest growers and distributors of fresh vegetables and fruits grown year-round.” The Quintals live in Suffolk County with their three sons: Anthony III, Barry, and Michael.

Community activity

Brightwaters Farms recently formed a partnership with Upstate Cerebral Palsy (UCP). “We leased 80,000 square feet of greenhouse space to UCP, of which a sizable space was donated. The agency plans to grow vegetables that will put many of its clients to work. The idea originated with Cornell Cooperative Extension to start a pilot project with UCP, which obtained a grant to underwrite the initial phase. The idea was to create a sustainable model. Brightwaters Farms has committed to employ UCP clients as production expands for its own operations. Our Oneida County farm has also partnered with the Veteran’s Outreach Center [in Utica] to help get unemployed veterans back to work. These are just a couple of examples of how we work with the local community.”