- Dhar Mann
-
Dhar Mann, Medical Marijuana Entrepreneur 
Dhar Mann, Founder of weGrowBorn Dharminder Mann
May 29, 1984
San Francisco, California U.S.A.Nationality American Education Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Minor in Political Science Alma mater University of California, Davis Occupation Founder & CEO of weGrow Store Employer weGrow Known for Medical Marijuana Entrepreneur Home town San Francisco, California Title Mr. Parents Baljit and Surinder Singh Website http://www.dharmann.com Dhar Mann, (born May 29, 1984) is an American business owner, entrepreneur and CEO of weGrow Store (formerly known as iGrow), a retail franchise selling supplies for the cultivation of medical marijuana. weGrow is the first full service hydroponic superstore that supplies consumers with what they need for indoor gardening. weGrow is a one-stop-shop for cultivators. National media have covered Mann's business ventures extensively.
Contents
Early life
Mann was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the son of Baljit and Surinder Singh, who, as the owners of Friendly Cab, held a near monopoly on taxi service in Oakland, California.
Mann’s first business venture was a real estate mortgage brokerage company, which he started at age 19 while attending the University of California, Davis. The early success of the venture led him to drop out of college. But when his parents read a newspaper article in the California Aggie about his start-up company, they convinced him to go back to complete his degree.
Mann graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Political Science in 2007. In 2008 he opened a luxury transportation company and in 2009 expanded the company to include exotic vehicles.
Mann became interested in the hydroponics business after becoming a medical marijuana patient himself in the state of California and encountering many frustrations with the California hydroponics industry.
Business Ventures
Mann opened the first weGrow store in Oakland, California on January 28, 2010. The 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) store was originally called iGrow, but Mann changed the name to weGrow on October 3, 2010 as plans grew to expand the brand into a national franchise.[1] The weGrow Oakland store now serves as a non-retail distribution hub and training center.
The second weGrow store (10,000 square feet) was opened by franchisee Michael Garcia in Sacramento, California on February 26, 2011.[2]
Mann led the opening of the third weGrow store in Phoenix, Arizona on June 1, 2011 with franchisee Sunny Singh.[3] At 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2), the Phoenix store is the largest weGrow store to open yet. The grand opening festival—named “The Green Rush” [4]—was planned to occur on the day the Arizona Department of Health Services began accepting Medical Marijuana Dispensary Permit applications. Due to a lawsuit led by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer requesting clarification on the Federal medical marijuana laws, the program was put on hold, but the weGrow Phoenix store continued with its grand opening plans. The weGrow Phoenix opening was covered by major television networks (ABC[5], NBC[6], CBS, FOX[7], CNN[8]) and was syndicated across the nation.
Media Coverage
The weGrow franchise and its CEO garnered widespread attention from media across the world.[9][10][11] In February 2011, Mother Jones featured Dhar Mann on the cover of their January/February issue.[12]. In February 2011, Geraldo Rivera talked about the first marijuana superstore to hit California [13]. The store was also featured in Time Magazine[14] in February 2011. The grand opening of the Phoenix weGrow store was featured on numerous national media outlets: CNN[15])aired a segment about the opening of the "Walmart of Weed" on May 31, 2011 and Reuters reporter David Schwartz wrote a story that was picked up by hundreds of online media outlets about the first medical marijuana superstore in Arizona on June 2, 2011 [16]. The Arizona grand opening event was also covered internationally by The Guardian on June 2, 2011 [17]).
weGrow and Dhar Mann have also been covered in multiple franchise publications including The Franchise Hound [18] as well as The Franchise Times [19].
References
- ^ Steve Elliott (October 4, 2010). [http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2010/10/oakland_city_leaders_attend_reopening_of_marijuana.php "Oakland City Leaders Attend Reopening Of Marijuana Megastore "]. Toke of the Town. http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2010/10/oakland_city_leaders_attend_reopening_of_marijuana.php. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ "weGrow Opening in Sacramento". Cannabis Times Magazine. February 25, 2011. http://cannabistimesmagazine.com/2011/02/25/california-medical-pot-growing-emporium-opening-in-sacramento/. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'Michael Martinez' (May 31, 2011). "'Walmart of Weed' to open in Arizona, promote growing your own". http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/31/arizona.marijuana.superstore/index.html?iref=allsearch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ Steve Elliott (May 23, 2011). "Green Rush: Marijuana Superstore Opens in Phoenix June 1". Time Magazine. http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/05/green_rush_marijuana_superstore_opens_in_arizona_j.php. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'Tim Vetscher' (May 31, 2011). "'Marijuana Superstore to Open Wednesday'". http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/marijuana-superstore-to-open-tomorrow. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ "Walmart of Weed' to open in Arizona'". May 31, 2011. http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/28090301/detail.html. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ "'Arizona's First Medical Pot Supply Store Opens'". June 1, 2011. http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/sci_tech/apx-AZMedical-Marijuana-Store_52240055-06012011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'Michael Martinez' (May 31, 2011). "'Walmart of Weed' to open in Arizona, promote growing your own". http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/31/arizona.marijuana.superstore/index.html?iref=allsearch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ McLean, Kate (July 18, 2010). "Proposal for Marijuana Factories Prompts a Battle for Control". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/us/18bcmarijuana.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ Hecht, Peter (February 25, 2011). "Walmart of weed' Opens First Franchise in California'". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2014335429_potstore26.html. Retrieved April10, 2011.
- ^ "Marijuana Megastore opens in California". NBC2. January 29, 2010. http://www.nbc-2.com/story/11901797/marijuana-megastore-opens-in-california?redirected=true. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ Josh Harkinson (January/February 2011). "Weedmart: Marijuana Superstores. IPOs. Reality TV.". Mother Jones. http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/wegrow-dhar-mann-derek-peterson. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ "This Exists: Marijuana Superstore Opens in California". February 27, 2011. http://www.mediaite.com/tv/this-exists-marijuana-superstore-opens-in-california/. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- '^ Christy Choi (February 28, 2011). "Want to Grow Your Own Bud? Head to California's 'Wal-Mart of Weed". Time Magazine. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/28/want-to-grow-your-own-bud-head-to-californias-wal-mart-of-weed/?iid=nfmostpopular#echoComments. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'Michael Martinez' (May 31, 2011). "'Walmart of Weed' to open in Arizona, promote growing your own". http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/31/arizona.marijuana.superstore/index.html?iref=allsearch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'David Schwartz' (June 2, 2011). "Medical Marijuana Superstore Opens in Arizona". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/02/us-medical-marijuana-idUSTRE7514Y320110602. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'Adam Gabbatt' (June 2, 2011). "Medical Marijuana Superstore Opens in Arizona". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/02/medical-marijuana-superstore-opens-arizona. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'KDelGrande' (June 1, 2011). "Marijuana Superstore Opening as Franchise in Arizona". Franchise Hound. http://thefranchisehound.com/2011/06/01/marijuana-superstore-opening-as-franchise-in-arizona/. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ 'Sean Kelly' (August 2011). "Growing Franchises". Franchise Times. http://www.franchisetimes.com/content/story.php?article=02243. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
External Links
Categories:- 1984 births
- Living people
- University of California, Davis alumni
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