An Illinois hemp and hemp-derived products maker aims to reach new heights with a move to a larger facility in Kenosha.
Zion, Illinois-based
Lifted Made will move later this month into a 11,238-square-foot facility at 5511 95th Ave., said company chief executive officer Nicholas Warrender.
Lifted Made should be fully operational in its new space by late February, Warrender said. The company employs 38 people.
It is moving there from an approximately 5,000-square-foot facility in Illinois. The company started out last year with approximately 3,300 square feet of space.
The larger facility is needed to accommodate Lifted Made's rapid growth, said Warrender. He said the company is looking to grow its production and fulfillment output by five times.
Lifted Made will be "drastically increasing" its laboratory space with the new facility, he said. It will also contain offices and a multi-purpose room for purposes of research and development and brand creation. There will be a room exclusively for flower production.
Along with its building footprint, the company also expects to grow its employee headcount. Warrender said he anticipates getting up to 60 employees this year. This would include a production staff of 40, with the other 20 being executive roles, sales and marketing.
Lifted Made makes a wide variety of hemp products, including new tincure with
CBD for anxiety.
Its flagship brand is called Urb. Warrender said Lifted Made was an early maker of products containing delta 8 THC, and is "definitely a leading brand" in that category. Its delta 8 THC products include gummies, chocolates, cartridges, disposable vapes and dabs.
It sells to distributors, retailers and directly to consumers via its website.
Lifted Made has signed a five-year lease for the building, according to a
news release. Warrender is the owner of the building, through the entity 95th Holdings LLC.
Warrender said he bought the building in December for about $1 million, adding the price tag for the tenant buildout work is in the six figures.
Under the terms of the lease, Lifted Made is obligated to purchase the property by the end of 2025.
Warrender said in its search for a new facility, the company considered locations from downtown Milwaukee to Lake County, Illinois. But Warrender strongly preferred moving out of Illinois.
He said part of his desire to cross state lines was for tax purposes. But he has clear ties to the state. He resides in Kenosha and graduated from Carthage College.
The future Lifted Made facility is located in the
Business Park of Kenosha, a
235-acre business park located at Highway 158 and 99th Avenue, south of the Kenosha Regional Airport.
Lifted Made is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois-based
Acquired Sales Corp., an investor of companies that make hemp products.
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