San Marcos selected for $25M medical cannabis facility

Staff Reports

L to R: San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson, goodblend Texas president Marcus Ruark and Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra break ground at goodblend Texas’ future facility on Leah Ave in San Marcos, Texas. Once completed, the 63,000 square foot facility will be home to a new state-of-the art cannabis cultivation, production and retail facility that will bring hundreds of jobs. Credit to GSMP

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Parallel, one of the largest privately-held multi-state cannabis operators in the United States, selected San Marcos, Texas as the location to establish its new $25 million cannabis cultivation, processing, manufacturing, and flagship goodblendä Texas (formerly Surterra Texas) retail facility to meet the growing demand for medical cannabis across Texas.  The region’s workforce was cited as a primary reason for its selection of San Marcos.

According to Chmura Economics & Analytics Jobs EQ ®, there is a labor force of over one million within a 30-mile radius of San Marcos.

“Parallel was primarily attracted to San Marcos because of its central location between San Antonio and Austin on the Texas Innovation Corridor (Interstate 35) and its ability to access a talented workforce. San Marcos offers great access to a diverse, talented workforce and the community’s culture is extremely welcoming and supportive,” said Marcus Ruark, President of goodblend Texas. “Having a new state-of-the-art cultivation, production and retail facility in the region will enable goodblend to expand upon our mission of improving the lives of Texans by offering the widest selection of cannabis-based medicines available in the state.”

The overall legal cannabis industry in America is valued at roughly $13.2 billion and projected to be worth $41 billion by 2025, according to a New Frontier Data Report. With added growth to the industry, goodblend’s new facility will ultimately create several hundred jobs in a wide range of roles including cultivation, manufacturing, analytical chemistry, formulation science, marketing, customer support, and retail. Goodblend intends to hire a diverse and inclusive workforce and offer its robust benefits package to all of its employees. A limited number of job positions will become available soon, with the bulk of the positions opening the following months.

Lockhart Mayor Lew White, left, and Iron Ox CEO Brandon Alexander show a rendering of the 535,000 square foot facility that Iron Ox is building in Lockhart on Reed Drive. A groundbreaking ceremony for the site took place Tuesday, April 20. Credit to GSMP

A ground-breaking event took place on Monday, April 19, solidifying Parallel’s $25 million dollar investment on the construction of three buildings (one retail and two industrial) comprising an aggregate of approximately 63,000 square feet on the property. Additional phases of capital investment and growth will follow as operational plans advance. The planned 12-acre facility will be located on Leah Avenue near the Amazon SAT-2 Fulfillment Center.

“San Marcos is pleased that goodblend has chosen our community to be the home of its first Texas facility,” said Jane Hughson, mayor of San Marcos. “Our team stands ready to assist with a successful development and building process and looks forward to a long and collaborative partnership. We welcome goodblend to San Marcos and to the Texas Innovation Corridor!”

Authorized by the 2015 Texas Compassionate Use Act, goodblend is a fully state-licensed vertical operation that cultivates, manufactures and sells cannabis-based products in a variety of form factors, including the state’s first gummy and lozenge formats, all complying with regulations enforced by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Iron Ox CEO Brandon Alexander, fourth from left, breaks ground with various members of the Lockhart business community. The facility will be 535,000 square feet and bring more than 100+ jobs to the region. Credit to GSMP

This is not the first disruptive agricultural company to come to the region this fiscal year. In November 2020, the City of Lockhart welcomed Iron Ox, a leader in robotics and AI-enabled farming with a mission to solve food insecurity. The company purchased nearly 25 acres of land and plans to build a new, state-of-the-art facility on the property, featuring natural light greenhouses, processing operations, and AI-enabled robots to bring fresh, clean and healthy food to new customers and communities throughout Texas. A groundbreaking for the new facility took place Tuesday, April 20, in Lockhart.

“Both of these companies are helping to further diversify our region’s economy while creating new, good paying jobs,” said Jason Giulietti, president of Greater San Marcos Partnership. “These are prime examples of innovative companies choosing to come to the Texas Innovation Corridor.”