‘Scratching the Surface’

After Calvin Johnson Jr. and Rob Sims each spent nine years playing in the NFL, their business pursuits upon retirement led them to the cannabis industry. The former Detroit Lions teammates launched Primitiv—a nod to cannabis’s long history as a healing plant throughout time—from scratch in Michigan’s rapidly maturing market in 2021 with a focus on wellness and the plant’s therapeutic properties.

Cannabis Business Times caught up with Johnson and Sims to discuss their journey thus far and their aspirations.

What is the biggest challenge in either launching or maintaining a cultivation operation?

Rob Sims: The knowledge. There’s a big learning curve for us in all phases of the business. Coming right out of football, we have [a] little bit of business experience, but getting the cannabis [experience], it was even that much worse because it’s brand new. … So it was continually going back to the drawing board and figuring out, “OK, we hit an end here. What’s next?” A lot of trial and error.

Calvin Johnson: It started with just selecting the right talent for who’s going to head our cultivation department [and] getting those right people in place. We had a little trial and error, but we ended up leaning on a recruiting source specifically for the cannabis industry. They helped us vet folks out, we did our interviews and were able to nail one down, and we found a good teammate.

What’s a business-related issue that keeps you up at night?

CJ: Something happening, like a tragic situation with the building or the structure would be something that keeps me up at night. Maybe like, for instance, somebody driving through your building.

RS: It happened. Truck in the middle of the dispensary. Hilarious. [This was] six months ago.

CJ: It was middle of the day. We don’t know if the man was under the influence because there was no sobriety [test] taken for a person [who] drove [through] a building, for some reason. But in general, just things that will shut down the operations.

What about running your business helps you sleep at night?

CJ: Knowing that we have—and are still building—a tried and tested team.

RS: The thing that really keeps me going is we did build a business that could do $20 million in revenue. We did that with our team. You start to realize we made it through the pandemic, and you were essential during that time; you kept the lights on, you kept people working. And when you see all that and you look back at the road, you’re like, “Oh, we’re just scratching the surface. We’re really just growing up now.”

What advice would you offer to new or existing cultivators who really want to make it in this industry?

CJ: Have some money. Have a line of credit somewhere.

RS: You got to know what you’re doing. It’s not for the faint of heart. This business will try you. It’s not instant gratification, but you got to have faith that you can get that done. It’s no half-stepping; if you’re going to commit to this, you better go all the way.

CJ: You can’t have any other jobs. Your focus has got to be there.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for style, length and clarity. To read CBT’s full feature story on Primitiv, visit bit.ly/primitiv-cbt.

Zach Mentz is senior editor for Cannabis Business Times.