Bench Plug Benny on Building Smarter Cannabis Operations

When Benjamin Matsuda sits down to talk about cannabis cultivation, the conversation moves quickly from grow lights and rolling benches to business strategy, manufacturing, community, and the future of the plant.

Known throughout the industry as Bench Plug Benny, Benjamin joined the Canna Connect Show at CannaCon to share what he has learned as a second-generation grower and a member of the GrowPros Solutions team.

The nickname started simply. Benny was selling benches and helping operators get connected with everything they needed to build their grows. Before long, his friends started calling him Bench Plug Benny, and the name stuck.

But as the conversation makes clear, Benny is plugging operators into much more than benches.

Building From the Ground Up

GrowPros began in lighting and racking, but the company has continued expanding as cultivators asked for more complete solutions.

Today, the team works across facility design, mechanical systems, electrical planning, plumbing, architecture, HVAC, construction, lighting, benches, and equipment sourcing.

That wider approach is important because a cultivation facility is not a collection of separate products. Every system affects the others.

Lighting changes the environmental load. HVAC affects vapor pressure deficit. Irrigation influences plant health. Facility design affects labor, workflow, and long-term operating expenses.

Benny’s message is simple: successful cultivation starts long before the first plant enters the building.

Why Vertical Integration Matters

One of the biggest themes of the conversation is vertical integration.

For cultivators, vertical integration can mean managing genetics, cultivation, processing, manufacturing, distribution, and retail within the same organization.

For an ancillary company like GrowPros, it means having greater control over design, manufacturing, construction, pricing, quality, and delivery.

Each additional handoff can cost an operator time, money, or margin. Bringing more capabilities together can help a business move faster and respond when something changes.

Benny also points to the role of trusted communities. Operators who have reliable people around them may be able to manage labor, sourcing, and production more efficiently than businesses that must outsource every step.

Vertical integration is not automatically the right answer for every company. It requires capital, organization, and strong leadership. But when the pieces work together, it can create a more resilient operation.

Finding Ways to Lower Startup Costs

For Minnesota cultivators, equipment costs can become one of the largest obstacles between receiving a license and becoming operational.

Lighting alone can represent a significant part of a facility’s startup budget.

During the interview, Benny explains how qualifying operators may be able to use utility lighting rebates to reduce those costs. Working with organizations such as the Center for Energy and Environment, operators can move through pre-approval, inspection, installation, and rebate assignment.

In some cases, Benny says GrowPros can provide the equipment while waiting for the rebate payment, reducing or eliminating the amount the operator must pay upfront for lighting.

The exact opportunity depends on the project, location, utility territory, facility, and equipment. The larger lesson is that cannabis entrepreneurs should not assume the number on an initial equipment quote is their only option.

Programs, partnerships, and creative financing can make a major difference.

Technology Still Needs a Human Touch

Benny grew up around experienced cultivators who learned to read plants without dashboards, remote controls, or connected sensors.

He compares that experience to driving a car without headlights. An experienced driver may know the road well enough to avoid crashing, but that does not mean the conditions are ideal.

Sensors give cultivators more visibility. They can track temperature, humidity, irrigation, vapor pressure deficit, lighting intensity, and other conditions in real time.

But Benny also warns against relying on technology without checking the plants.

A sensor can drift. A reading can be inaccurate. An operator can look at a controller, assume everything is fine, and miss what is happening inside the room.

The best cultivation teams combine information with observation. They use technology to see more clearly, but they still walk the room, lift the pots, check the canopy, and listen to what the plants are showing them.

Listening Creates Better Equipment

The same philosophy applies to manufacturing.

Benny shares how feedback from cultivators has led GrowPros to make changes to its equipment, including waterproof data connections and fuses inside under-canopy lighting power cords.

Because GrowPros controls more of its manufacturing process, Benny says the team can hear a concern from a customer and begin working on a design change quickly.

That willingness to listen matters in a young industry. Cultivators are still learning what works, manufacturers are still improving their products, and every new facility creates another opportunity to build something better.

Innovation does not always begin in a laboratory. Sometimes it begins when an operator points to a cord, connection, or fixture and asks why it was designed that way.

A Message for Minnesota License Holders

Near the end of the conversation, Benny offers a direct message to Minnesota cannabis license holders: do not give up.

After years of waiting, shifting timelines, and changing expectations, some operators are understandably exhausted. Benny encourages license holders to keep working toward a viable location and operational plan, even if the first version of the plan needs to change.

A smaller facility, an outdoor plot, or a phased build may not look like the original dream. It can still create a path forward.

The license represents an opportunity that may become increasingly valuable as Minnesota’s market develops.

Keep making progress. Keep asking questions. Keep building relationships. Most importantly, keep looking for the version of the plan that can work.

Looking Beyond Minnesota

Benny also takes a wider view of the cannabis industry.

He believes the cultivation knowledge, genetics, brands, and culture developed in the United States could eventually influence global expectations for cannabis quality.

California already carries an international reputation. As legal markets expand, American-grown cannabis may become associated with specific regions, techniques, and standards in the same way other agricultural products are connected to the places where they are produced.

That future is still taking shape. The people building facilities, improving products, protecting genetics, and sharing knowledge today are helping define what it may become.

Watch the Full Conversation

From cultivation technology and facility construction to licensing, rebates, manufacturing, and the future of American cannabis, the Bench Plug Benny interview covers a lot of ground.

It is also a reminder that progress in cannabis rarely happens alone. It happens when growers, manufacturers, advocates, educators, and entrepreneurs share what they know and build stronger solutions together.

The full Bench Plug Benny interview premieres Wednesday, August 5, on the Canna Connect YouTube channel.

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