From One Field To Another: Mike Smith

From football fields to flower rooms, Mike Smith’s journey into cannabis wasn’t something he planned; it was something he grew into.

In this episode of the CashColorCannabis Podcast, Smith opens up about his path from being a college athlete and railroad worker to helping build one of Chicago’s most unique cultivation facilities. Operating out of a former bowling alley in Chicago Heights, Emerald Gardens has become home to multiple cannabis brands, including Korner Boys and Belushi Farms.

During our conversation at NECANN, Smith reflects on the lessons he learned through hard work, the realities of entering the cultivation side of cannabis without prior experience, and how relationships and culture continue to shape his journey in the industry. He also discusses working alongside Jim Belushi, discovering the now-infamous Blood Diamond Brunch strain, and why listening and consistency still matter most in cannabis.

Listen to our interview now. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 1:30

The website would also be in this episode. This is Cash Color Cannabis Podcast, a higher level of conversation. This week we sit down with Mike Smith with Corner Boys and Emerald Gardens to talk about his journey from football fields and railroad work to cannabis cultivation in Chicago. From transforming an old bowling alley into a growth facility to working with Jim Belushi, his story is about hard work, culture, and finding a purpose in the plan. So check it out. So if you already know what it is, it's your boy Mecca down here live at Cat live at NECAN. And I got my guy Mike Smithy with me, man. Mike, what is good with you, my guy, man?

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Man, what's good, big dog?

SPEAKER_01 2:09

Man, Nikan, what's up? Look, last year, last year you had me gone off that corner boys joint, man. I think it was the what was it? I forget the I forget the name of the string, but Blood Diamond Run. Blood Diamond Run. You had me gone on Blood Diamond Runch, man. And ever since then, I was like, I need to deep dive with my man to know how he got into cultivation, how he got into all that. So before we get started, man, when was your first time ever consuming? When would you get into the?

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Man, my first time ever consuming is funny because I was a late bloomer. Um, I was an all-state running back, went to a Division II college in Michigan. Um, you know, they did the normal, come here, we're gonna put you here. But then when I got there, they switched me a different position. Tried to change it up. By the time we got to um Winterball, it didn't work out, I quit. Funny thing about it, I was like the super, the super, hey, I'm not anti-smoking guy. But then once I told my coaches I wasn't coming back no more, man, we got high. And I kid you not, bro. From uh maybe a 0.2 mile walk, bro, took me an hour and 15 minutes to get to my room. Uh it was the funniest thing in the world, man. It was uh, but so I was about I was about 19 when I first over this home, bro.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Okay. So what got you into putting your hands in the dirt and watching this plant come to life? Like what made that happen?

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Man, um I had got laid off during COVID. I was working in the railroad of seven years, man. It was a beautiful, you know, beautiful thing. Like, you know, just making that railroad money, but we got laid off like so many people did. My homie owned a company in Cali called Cronja, um, GLC the rapper. Yes, sir. Um, my man's and one of my best friends, they owned it. So he was like, man, come work for us, come to the cannabis industry. I was like, man, let's do it. So I made cold calls from Chicago to Cali because they couldn't get a license in Chicago, so they packed up, got a co-deal in Cali. So I did that, man, made some good, uh made some cold calls with them, got us at over 200 dispensaries during the time. It kind of slowed down, so I found the job out in Chicago, which is the job I'm at now with the corner boys. Worked with them for about a year, and then um, and then I made the connection. Like, I think these are some good people, made the connection with Project, brought them back home.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

That's what's up, bro. And now you know what's crazy? Is the the growth, the growth y'all have is legendary because where it is.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Talk to us about the location of where this grow is.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

So it's in Chicago Heights, um, you know, uh a legendary community um on the outskirts um of Chicago, but it was an old bowling alley. So we took an old bowling alley, turned into a grow facility, man. It's a beautiful thing, dude. It was a beautiful thing. But when we when I got there, it was still lanes there. I got there to be a I got there to be a um a beginning grower, and next thing I know, I was building out rooms. I've built out three of the uh flower rooms or the seven flower rooms we have, and our two dry rooms. I ain't know nothing about construction. So he told us about Emerald Gardens and what is Emerald Gardens overall. So Emerald Gardens is the conglomerate. So Emerald Gardens is our cultivation that we took the bowling alley, turned into a growth facility. Now we house five brands, which is Corner Boys, Tickle Pink, Dollar Tree's, the in-house brands, and then the people that we work with, uh Belushi Farms and Clients and Culture. So it's five brands that we house under the umbrella of uh Ember Gardens.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

So so far, do you have a favorite strand? Because right now, like you said, that blood diamond, that blood diamond joint took me hour.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

The diamond brunch is always going to be my favorite strand, bro. When we got it, he had brought some genetics in from a few people that he had known, and they had gave him some samples. We smoked the samples at my OG crib, and we were stuck for like three hours, bro. For like three hours, bro. Couldn't move, couldn't do anything. I'm like, that's it. And from then on, man, it was crazy. And it literally tests high, crazy. Like 37%, you know, non-cannabinoids, just print straight THC was beautiful, bro.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

So talk to us about working with celebrities, because I be seeing you with Jim Belushi now, man. What's that like?

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Man, so Mr. Belushi, man, we stumbled upon it and they they kept it quiet at the you know, the higher ups, my boss. And I came in to work one day and they was like, yeah, Mr. Belushi's on this way. I said, Who? Like, the blue? And they like, yeah. So I look up, he came out, man. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. So he like a rich uncle, bro. Super rich uncle. We sat and talked one time for hours. Um, he told me about the movie here with Tupac back in the day, the principal. He just liked to sit back, talk, and smoke, but it's been really good because he's able to show me a different side of Chicago. You know, dealing with GLC and Kronja, you know, you see our side of Chicago, but at a higher form. GLC is a part of a lot of different cultural centers and things like that, you know, inside of the hood. But Mr. Belushi, the magnificent Mao, all that up north money, so being able to bring them both together has been beautiful. Mr. Belushi has been a great addition to the team.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

That's what's up. If you had any advice for somebody who wanted to get into this space, and from the perspective that you got into it, when it comes to growing and coming to being on the cultivation side, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Man, hard work pays off. At the end of the day, hard work pays off in being a great listener. You know, you have to be a great listener, you know. So I was just the guy that came into work every day and just listened and did my job and came in on time. It's the smaller, tangible things. I come from a southern family. I had older parents, and I come from a southern family where hard work and paying attention and listening is gonna take you a long way, man. Um and just be willing to just be willing to do something different, bro. You know what I mean? Just be willing, just be willing to do something different, bro.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

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