Carson City's Miles Construction: Building the Future of Cannabis, while Preserving Nevada's Past

Carson City’s own Miles Construction has set itself apart in its field of being at the forefront of Nevada’s future industries, as well as preserving the buildings with historic significance to our community.

Miles Construction has been around since 1986, and recently has been behind many of the projects making the news time and again for both innovation and preservation.

In a way, Miles Construction has been “building” the cannabis industry, and now, as an offshoot, the hemp industry.

Vice President and Senior Project Manager Cary Richardson became involved in the industry seven years ago, and saw it as an entrepreneurial opportunity with the end of prohibition on the horizon.

“Cannabis, and horticulture in general, is nothing more than advanced manufacturing,” said Richardson. “There’s a learning curve to it, but once you become the expert in your field you set yourself aside from the pack.”

Richardson made sure to become an expert, and now Miles Construction is leading the charge for building cannabis manufacturing plants throughout the entire state and beyond.

To date, they’ve completed nine horticulture manufacturing projects related to the cannabis industry, from cultivation (farming and greenhouses) to production (extraction and manufacturing) to consumers (dispensaries).

And now with the new Farm Bill being passed at the federal level, the doors have been opened for the cultivation of hemp, a relative of cannabis who until 1937 was grown for its uses in construction, textiles, medicine, and more.

Advanced manufacturing projects in general is what Richardson finds compelling in his industry, but there’s something unique about the cannabis industry that keeps them going back.

“It’s an incredibly unique time,” said Richardson. “With the end of prohibition, there’s been a paradigm shift while at the same time there is still this lingering, illegal aspect to it. Paired with the changes of opinion from negative to positive, this creates unique entrepreneurial opportunities for both the cannabis industry and the hemp industry. Hemp is going to be even more exciting than marijuana has been.”

The most recent project for hemp Miles is conducting is underway in Ely with a 27,000 acre property planted with hemp, and a quarter million square foot greenhouse to be planted with seedlings.

It is set to become the largest hemp facility in the United States. For an area that primarily is known for growing alfalfa, this will be a huge economic shift. Alfalfa currently goes for around $900 per acre. Depending on what cultivation practices are being employed, hemp can go anywhere from $300 per acre if selling hemp grain, to $75,000 per acre if cultivating for CBD oil, the non-psychoactive sister of THC which is used medicinally.

“This is a huge economic win for White Pine County and for the state of Nevada because it puts the state on the forefront of the hemp industry for the country,” said Richardson. With the 2018 Farm Bill recently passed allowing cultivation of hemp, this created the urgency to get the project started.”

With the introduction of agricultural hemp to Nevada, Richardson hopes this will reignite interest in the next generation of farmers.

“Hemp fiber is strongest in existence, even stronger than carbon fiber,” said Richardson. “Everything can be used in a different industry, even the waste. It’s hard to be a farmer in the US and to have the opportunity to have this crop available is a game changer for future farmers.”

Miles Construction doesn’t dabble only in cutting edge agricultural manufacturing, of course. They’ve also been center stage for numerous preservation projects in the area, including the recently opened Bently Distillery, the Farmer’s Bank across the street from the distillery in Minden, the renovation of Jack’s Bar — which is set to become the Bank Saloon — and they’re also currently working on preserving the historic Dobbins Hall at Zephyr Point.

“We’re very fortunate to be in an area where people care about preserving the past,” said Richardson. “We’ve gotten to be a part of multiple once-in-a-lifetime projects. It makes us feel good to have a role in preserving a meaningful structure for future generations. These are some of the projects that make a difference, that make working in this industry worthwhile.”

You can learn more about Miles Construction and their projects by going to their website, or checking out their Facebook here.