dividual prior to entering the room.The grow
room features four 1,000 watt light systems set
up in two separate rows, with inline air-cooled
reflectors featuring both six and eight inch
ducting for maximum cooling efficiency.The
reflector models were chosen for their particular footprints and light-dispersion design properties. A custom ventilation manifold was built
in-house and engineered to recycle heat from
the grow lights back into the building during
the winter—this kind of heat recycling saves
drastically on natural gas furnace costs, since
the bulbs produce heat for the building at the
same time they give off light for the plants.The
grow room provides exclusive varieties of
produce for a fine dining delicatessen in
the neighborhood and plants are grown
using a variety of substrates in systems
using products aimed to achieve healthy,
vitamin-rich vegetables, fruits and edible
flowers.The produce showcased at the
restaurant is completely organic, natural
or pesticide-free and is guaranteed to have
come directly from the garden to the
kitchen. For the most part only heirloom
crops are produced and delivered—depending on the season—but all seeds
used are certified organic.The on-site garden
is a great resource for consumer education
and allows newbies to understand hydroponic
concepts more easily.The warehouse and stock
area for the garden center comprises an additional 7,000 square feet, give or take. Directly
attached to the back of the retail space, the
warehouse makes it simple to efficiently operate all aspects of the business from one hub.
Lee McCall, Beau Speicher and Joe McCarthy make up the trio that operates Chlorophyll’s day-to-day, and as the store approaches
the beginning of its third year in business,
things are really taking off for the three part-
ners. Lee and Beau have a combined two+
decades of gardening experience between
them—not only hands-on with numerous varieties of plants, but also in retail and wholesale
at various hydroponic garden centers. Both Lee
and Beau got their start in this industry from
a much-respected individual: Charlie, the late
owner of TGS Inc. After years of managing
stores for one of the industry’s largest retailers, Lee moved on to take a position with
Hydrofarm, another pioneering company in
the grow biz. Meanwhile, Beau was managing a large-volume store in the Denver metro
area. Lee and Beau eventually reunited back
"The on-site garden is
a great resource for
consumer education
and allows newbies to
understand hydroponic
concepts more easily."
in Denver and started to talk &