State Assemblyman. Lobbyist. Newspaper publisher. Jet-setting friend to DJs like Steve Aoki. Scott Sibley has worn lots of different hats over the years, and most recently his career path pointed him toward cannabis. “When we found out [legal] marijuana was coming to Nevada, a lot of people shied away from it. I put in an application,” Sibley says. “I don’t have a background in marijuana; I couldn’t grow something if you told me specifically how to do it. So my partners and I sought out some people to partner with in the industry.”

Sibley’s crew found them in Denver: MMJ America, operators of four dispensaries and four cultivation facilities in Colorado’s capital and winners of 18 Cannabis Cups over the years. “We toured their facilities in Denver, and they really had it together,” Sibley says. “They know their stuff, which is exactly what we wanted.”

Under a joint-venture arrangement, Sibley’s group owns the Vegas dispensary and MMJ runs it (along with two cultivation facilities coming online soon) for a percentage of the profits. “They’re bringing in some new technology on the cultivation side to bring the costs down—less water, less power using some LED technology they came up with, cutting edge stuff. It’s been a great partnership for us.”