By John LaMorte

Legal Buzz Going Around

The ever changing world in which we live in is offering many more opportunities for people to find the relaxation factor suited to their specific needs. With that, something which we know true in the United States, is that where there is a want for one person, there is the opportunity to capitalize on that for another person. The passing of legislation to legalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use in eight states, and for medical use in 29 states, creates an opening that many entrepreneurs hope to be a key figure in filling.

So when Joe and Tara Peters decided to dive head first into this foray, they did so trying to get the best advice they could find on the subject of opening a cannabis dispensary in their state. They were all in, cashing in both of their 401K’s to finance their chance at the American dream. Tara brings her accounting skills to the game, while Joe said goodbye to his marketing job in the telecommunications industry. With cash in hand, and their former careers behind them, their future depended on finding the right guidance and experience to lean on. They needed the expertise of a subject matter expert in this field, in their state.

Enter Travis Birch, someone who is revered by many on this subject and in these matters. Travis, has a strong knowledge on operating dispensaries. He offered the couple all that he knew to be as successful as he had become in another part of the state. Building rapport with other owners creates a stronger circle of comrades to rely on. Midway through his tutelage he explained how this enterprise is backed by the state, not a Federal government. Meaning that banks which are federally insured cannot legally handle the large influxes of cash that they could expect to reap from this venture, which yielded a reported 5.4 billon dollars in 2015. He advised two things to protect this high volume of incoming cash, a great and trusted CPA, and multiple safes and vaults kept on premise.

There are several things to be aware of, and many things to protect. This means that the Peters need to keep the cash coming in secure, and cash for dealing with the day to day business readily available for customers and vendors. Securing paperwork such as permits, customer/patient information, and securing the product after hours, and the back stock.

Travis suggested two safes to meet the needs of maintaining bulk paperwork and literature. The first was the HS-1750C. This offering by Hollon weighs in over 1,600 pounds, and is rated at 2-hours fireproof at 1700°. Drop tested at 30 feet, and is available on wheels, or as a standalone. The recessed curvature creates airtight construction, keeping your dry goods from absorbing smoke and water in the event of an emergency. Worth the investment at just under $3,500

Another good choice for paperwork,is the Mesa MFS170DDE under $3,000, it offers your paperwork the same safety net. It includes an overall door thickness of 4” and has interior key locking drawers. This offers you layers of protection, and is rated along the same lines, two hours at over 1800°

 Inside the office, Joe questioned Travis for something that was burglarproof, capable of combating both a fire, and someone with ill-intent. He recommended the Oyster series from Hollon, A great fire and burglary safe, FB 1505. This is engineered with heavy duty vault style hinges. Sustaining integrity at 1700° outside and 350° inside. Four massive 1.5” bolts and a glass re-locker to engage the lock when drilling attacks occur. The glass re-locker is what gives safe crackers the look of despair in the movies. Worth the $2,500 asking price. Travis mentioned that another safe, more efficiently priced with similar features is the Safeco FBCS-04, priced at around $1,200. It offers a 5” thick door, and three adjustable shelves. Verify the specs to ensure that they fit your needs.

Being fairly new to the industry, something that wasn’t foremost in Joe and Tara’s mind was a pharmacy safe. With the product dispensaries are selling at a premium price, you need a sturdy safe that can fit under a counter and regulate your product with predetermined efficiency and convenience. The Mesa MRX 3000 is a quality pharma safe that Travis uses in his store, and recommends to others. Larger versions are available, and provide security with drill resistance, tamper proof hinges, anchor holes, live locking bolts, deadbar protection, and is built with 11 gauge steel. These are staples that are standard to the industry according to Travis, our authority. Both models here are necessary, and affordably priced under $1,200.

Tara was concerned with accountability, and the potential of theft. Travis assured her that this is a symptom their peers in the market share and have addressed. Travis suggests investing in a quality deposit safe. A safe such as the Hollon FD 4020EE, has dual openings to retrieve, and an anti-fishing plate on top. Following a specific schedule of dropping excess cash that works accordingly with your store, keeps a minimum amount of cash exposed. This should discourage potential robberies. Tara asked about making change, and the 4020EE, and the Phoenix Front Loading 992  offer the ability to secure timely associate deposits, while offering a second door to access change. Both of these units are affordable at just around $1,000.

The safe and vault systems discussed with Travis are the basic must haves for this business model, and a great starting point. Joe managing the backend of the business inquired about office security. Travis mentioned a great compact safe. The Phoenix Olympian, it is small and will fit in a closet with ease. It comes with a bolt down kit, is fire rated, drop tested, explosion tested and is perfect for securing compact electronic devices such as hard drives, compact discs and thumb drives. Joe shared that he secured the unit to the floor, then he went to the grocery store and asked for a feminine hygiene bulk box. It is small, and with the bottom cut out, it drops easily over the safe concealing it from those who don’t need to know about it, while sitting in plain sight.

Finally, Travis steered the Peters to several file cabinet units. They looked at the Phoenix vertical styles, and settled on the Phoenix vertical 2 drawer cabinet. What won them over was how proactive the Phoenix system is. It is insured, warrantied and guaranteed. It leaves nothing to chance. It is ideal, and used by business owners to protect files and personal employee information  from theft, water damage, smoke infiltration, 2000° heat from fire, and impact resistant from 30 feet. Regardless if Mother Nature or the seedy criminal element attacks it, you can’t get much safer with what’s important to you and your team.

When their advisory time with Travis was over, both Joe and Tara felt comfortable putting his recommendations into action. Both realized that this type of security must be implemented at the beginning to create the environment they have invested their life savings into. Be sure to check out the savings on shipping, and financing opportunities available at Armadillo Safes.. To find great deals promotions, and product reviews, and to see what’s new in this community like us on Armadillo Safes on Facebook.