Curtis Gezotis (left) and Tom Keenan pictured outside the Cannabis Connection marijuana dispensary in Westfield in 2020. They are part of the group transferring ownership of the shop to a West Newbury limited liability company.
Reminder Publishing file photo
WESTFIELD — The ownership of Cannabis Connection, the city’s first recreational cannabis dispensary, is being transferred to a West Newbury limited liability company, according to the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
On July 9, the CCC approved the proposed change of ownership that was submitted in early April by its now-former owners, Thomas Keenan, Curtis Gezotis, Marc Lichwan, and Joseph Keenan, according to a letter sent to the city’s Community Development Department.
The ownership of Cannabis Connection will transfer to Westfield Connection LLC, which will “assume ownership and control of the license entity upon effectuation of the transaction,” according to the letter sent by Thomas Keenan to the city.
With the CCC’s approval, the ownership change can now proceed.
According to the CCC and Secretary of State William Galvin, the agent for Westfield Connection LLC is Ann Tohill of West Newbury, who doesn’t appear to have any prior experience in the cannabis industry.
She did not return a phone call asking for a comment as of press time.
The city’s community development director, Peter Miller, said the host agreement that Cannabis Connection signed with the city in 2018 will be transferred to Westfield Connection LLC and does not need to be renegotiated.
In the original agreement, Cannabis Connection was required to pay a community impact fee equal to 3% of the gross revenue annually.
The agreement was in effect for five years, ending in 2024, according to the agreement’s terms.
While the ownership of the dispensary can now change, the property and building at 40 Industrial Park Road remain owned by GLK LLC, according to the Hampden County Register of Deeds.
Cannabis Connection opened in 2020. A second store, Cannabis Connection of West Springfield, opened in 2024. As in Westfield, it was the city’s first dispensary.
When the CCC approved the ownership change, it reported that background checks were conducted on everyone financially involved with the business. It conducted an “organizational and financial inspection of the parties associated with the request.”
While the CCC has approved the ownership change, Westfield Connection LLC still has several steps it must take before being licensed, including providing the agency with written operations plans and undergoing a review by the agency of the business’s location.
