Dan Sutton Age: 29 Company: Tantalus Labs Position: Managing director The managing director of Tantalus Labs, a licensed marijuana producer in British Columbia, has already spent several years designing and building the company’s 120,000-square-foot greenhouse — affectionately nicknamed the “SunLab.” “The medical study of cannabis relies on a pharmaceutical level of quality assurance,” says Sutton, the managing director of Tantalus Labs in Vancouver, British Columbia. “To give doctors and researchers the foundation of quantified study, we need to first grow cannabis at scale with consistency. We are going to be meticulous with our test cycles, and tweak until we get it right. We aren’t concerned about being the biggest or the fastest.” Tantalus is putting the finishing touches on one of the most impressive cultivation facilities in the world. The greenhouse will combine energy-efficiency with superior environmental controls. “Our design optimizes environmental factors like airflow, soil health and automated nutrient input,” Sutton says. “I believe indoor growers acting solely in self-interest will realize quickly that they must move to sun-grown or perish.” Using substantially less electricity than a traditional indoor facility benefits both Tantulus’ bottom line and the environment. “It helps that we are a bunch of B.C. ski bums who love to play in the forested mountains of our backyard,” Sutton says.
Dan Sutton
While full-scale legalization of cannabis could be a major boon for businesses operating under Canada’s medical program, Dan Sutton isn’t in a rush.