MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts.
Profiles of these leaders will be published through the rest of February. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Wes Richie (Courtesy photo)Courtesy photo
Wes Ritchie
Age: 38
Community: Lives in Boston, works in the Merrimack Valley.
What he does: Wes Ritchie is the co-CEO of Tree House Craft Cannabis — a cannabis company with recreational marijuana dispensaries in Dracut and Pepperell. Ritchie created the business with his co-CEO, Ture Turnbull, in 2019, and they now operate a cannabis farm which grows their Yellow Brick Road-brand cannabis.
“In addition to being LGBTQ owned and operated, we’ve built a business with 47 employees where over 50% of the employees identify as women or non-binary and over 50% identify as LGBTQ,” Ritchie wrote to MassLive.
When he’s not at work, Ritchie enjoys gardening and spending time with his boyfriend, according to Tree House’s website. His favorite vacation spot is Provincetown, where he is often found doing karaoke and singing Spice Girls and Britney Spears hits.
Before entering the business world, Ritchie earned a B.A. from UMass Amherst and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School, according to Tree House’s website. He also spent over a decade working in state and local government, most recently as former State Sen. Barbara L’Italien’s chief of staff.
Ritchie’s first political job was as an organizer with MassEquality in 2004 during the fight for equal marriage rights, he said. He also worked as a political consultant and led several winning campaigns, including that of former Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer — the first Black woman to be elected mayor in Massachusetts.
“Through this work for some amazing local leaders, I was able to work on progressive policy issues I really care about,” Ritchie wrote.
Along the way, he made some amazing friends — including his future business partner, Ritchie said. Ritchie and Turnbull were both working as staffers for Massachusetts state legislators when they met 16 years ago.
In 2019, the pair decided they were ready for something new. Feeling that the blossoming cannabis industry was an exciting opportunity, they started Tree House Craft Cannabis together, Ritchie said.
Getting the business to where it is now was “a huge challenge,” as there’s so many rules and regulations surrounding cannabis, he said. But thanks to the help of personal and business friendships, Ritchie feels they’ve accomplished a lot.
“I think that we’ve been successful building this business because of our relationships, the trust we have between each other, and the support from friends and family,” he wrote. “ … Investing in creating a great team to help run this business has been a big part of our success so far — we have amazing people that help us in the industry every single day.”
In his words: “I’m basically a recovering political person and a recovering attorney who is very proud to have built a business in this new cannabis market!”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
