"Advanced LED lighting solutions allowed us to achieve high quality at low production costs"

Norman K is one of the largest cannabis wholesalers in Maine. “We have also expanded into Michigan,” says Cliff Miller of Norman K. “There, we are developing one of the most technologically advanced cultivation centers, equipped with the most cutting-edge solutions by Priva, Logiqs, and advanced LED lighting and monitoring by TSRgrow.” Cliff and Norman K have been expanding on their successful concept in Maine. Yet, before they got to that point, they had to go through some hurdles.

The best of both worlds
“Generally speaking, one of the biggest challenges of large-scale cannabis cultivation is, indeed, the ability to scale,” says Cliff. “It's easy to control a small area with just a dozen or so plants, but transitioning from that small-scale to an industrial size-scale cultivation is a beast of its own.” The experience Cliff and Norman K gained was very much inspired by the ways Dutch growers operate their greenhouses. “We knew that the Dutch approach was the right one in terms of efficiency and cost of production,” he continues. “That’s why they didn’t go for an indoor facility, but rather for a hybrid greenhouse.”

“We combined the best of both worlds,” says Cliff. “You need to look at this as an environmental science project. We have identified what we need in terms of environmental conditions, and we have been following that from the get-go. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. We wanted to go for quality and low production costs. And one of the ways through which we achieved that was thanks to TSRgrow advanced LED lighting solutions featuring their remote power servers.”

A history of mutual trust
The history of the collaboration between Norman K and TSRgrow is one of mutual trust. “When we selected TSRgrow for the first time, LED technology was still much of a novelty,” Cliff continues. “Initially, it was kind of a gamble for us to go with LEDs as it was still a very new tech for horticulture. Back then, TSRgrow was a young company. We were impressed by their team, and the figures of their LED solutions compared to an average HPS light were just amazing. So, we decided to take our chances and light our entire cultivation facility with TSRgrow advanced LED lights.” Norman K’s leap of faith paid off greatly. “From an energy perspective, what we pull from the electric meter is very little compared to others in this space,” Cliff remarks. “From a cultivation standpoint, TSRgrow advanced LED lights are dimmable to such an extent that it allows us to perfectly control the plant growth ensuring that each plant expresses its full genetic potential.” And given the great results Norman K achieved in Maine with this strategy, they decided to expand on that in the state of Michigan.

“The whole hybrid greenhouse in Michigan is going to be installed with TSRgrow advanced LED lighting solutions,” he says. “They were phenomenal during the design phase. They helped our COO Garrett Durham, outline his vision perfectly, while giving us a wonderful layout of the lighting system, which made life easier for our electric team. But other than the benefits for the cultivation, the real benefit of TSRgrow advanced LED lights is that the ROI is tangible, taking into account environmental sustainability.” TSRgrow’s advanced LED lighting systems remote power servers remove all ballast heat from the grow rooms and provide full monitoring and control capability of the power and lighting for unparalleled control and operating cost reductions.

Sustainability is a value 
TSRgrow advanced LED lights have indeed allowed Norman K to take their sustainability a step further in Michigan. “In Michigan, we also recycle and reuse CO2,” Cliff says. “This not only reduces the energy draw, but it also immensely reduces our carbon footprint. This was possible thanks to TSRgrow, as well as the groups they partner with, such as Priva and Logiqs; when they are brought together, you can be sure to have an energy-efficient facility.”

All the great attention to the smallest detail is an approach that Cliff would like to see throughout the cannabis industry. “I come from a compliance and finance background,” he says. “Everything in that space has really defined and tenured rules and regulations. I would like to see everybody understand and apply the best pharma practices mentality so the entire industry can put out really high-quality cannabis. This is exactly the vision of Norman K since its inception: producing quality cannabis to help people affordably.” TSRgrow has helped make that vision a reality not only in Maine, but coming soon in Michigan.