Before starting Top Hat Cannabis and Top Hat Concentrates in Juneau, Alaska, John Nemeth was working on a revitalization project to restore Detroit to its former glory. Coming from a family of Michigan entrepreneurs, Nemeth took pride in knowing he was not only restoring the city he called home, but that he was also bringing people back to the buildings his grandfather’s construction company built so many years ago. It was a humbling endeavor for the young entrepreneur.
“I’ve known wealth. I’ve known poverty. I’m glad to have experienced all sides of the spectrum of being an entrepreneur,” he says.
When the time came for Nemeth to travel his own entrepreneurial path, he took with him the lessons he learned in Detroit and built Top Hat Cannabis to be the sustainable, environmentally friendly and equality-focused cannabis company that it is today.
“Our process has a very low impact on the environment,” Nemeth says. “We’re able to use glacier water to hydrate our cannabis plants and hydro-powered electricity to run our cultivation facility. … We make all of our nutrients and teas for our operations in-house. Our soil is regenerated from the original supply we received when we began over two years ago.”
Nemeth promotes diversity within the company as Top Hat Cannabis is one of few producers in Alaska with a female head grower. Nemeth also represents the industry on several city infrastructure committees and as a member of the Alaska Marijuana Industry Administration.
“I have a sincere passion about helping the power of cannabis be known,” he says. “Seeing how this plant helps people heal has been a humbling and extremely rewarding experience. It makes me excited for the future of this industry.”