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As the New York cannabis market shifts from launch to scale, one of its fastest‑growing operators is not in New York City but in Gloversville, a former glove‑making powerhouse now reinventing itself around cannabis manufacturing.
At the center of that transition is Veterans Holdings, a New York State–licensed cannabis manufacturer founded by service‑disabled Army veteran Jason Ambrosino. The company produces pre‑rolls, beverages, and a range of manufactured products, and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 for its rapid three‑year revenue growth.
From its 60,000‑square‑foot facility in Gloversville, Veterans Holdings supplies hundreds of licensed dispensaries across New York. The plant has become a key node in the state’s evolving cannabis supply chain, employing roughly 70 people with plans to grow as the market matures.
Why Gloversville Works as a Cannabis Manufacturing Platform
Gloversville made sense for Veterans Holdings on both practical and personal levels. For more than a century, the city produced gloves that were sold around the world, and that legacy still shapes the local workforce. People are accustomed to running production lines, following procedures, and taking pride in manufacturing.
When Ambrosino’s team was deciding where to build, they were looking for a place where cannabis operations could actually scale. Upstate New York offered exactly that: available industrial space, existing infrastructure, and a workforce with a manufacturing mindset that could translate into a regulated cannabis environment.
Many of the industrial buildings around Gloversville sat underutilized for decades after the glove industry declined. Cannabis manufacturing provided an opportunity to bring production back into those spaces, turning idle square footage into a modern processing facility and creating real economic activity again.
A Multi-Format, Extraction-Driven Production Stack
New York’s cannabis market is still early in its development, but demand patterns are becoming clearer. At first, flower and pre‑rolls dominated because retailers needed fast, straightforward inventory. As the supply chain has matured, consumers and retailers have gravitated toward more manufactured categories: concentrates, vapes, infused products, and beverages.
Veterans Holdings has built its production strategy around that multi‑category demand. The Gloversville facility includes one of the largest solventless hash labs in the state alongside a large‑scale butane extraction operation capable of processing significant biomass volumes daily.
That combination gives the company flexibility to produce:
- Premium solventless products aimed at quality‑focused consumers.
- High‑volume extracts used in vapes, infused products, and other manufactured SKUs.
- A mix of house and partner products that can be adjusted as category trends shift.
From an operational standpoint, the facility is designed as a flexible platform: infrastructure that can handle multiple product types efficiently rather than a single‑purpose lab.
Operational Discipline and Veteran Values
Ambrosino’s experience in the Army strongly influences how Veterans Holdings runs its operations. In the military, systems and discipline are non‑negotiable; complex missions depend on clear procedures, defined responsibilities, and a culture of accountability.
Cannabis manufacturing operates under heavy regulatory oversight, so that mindset translates directly. The company emphasizes standard operating procedures, documentation, and quality control at every step. Every batch and every movement through the supply chain is tracked, supporting both compliance and continuous improvement.
Those values show up in hiring and culture as well. Veterans bring operational discipline, leadership skills, and comfort with structured environments, and Veterans Holdings has been able to tap into that talent pool across its organization.
Workforce Development and Regional Impact
Inside the Gloversville facility, cannabis looks less like a retail product and more like a modern manufacturing ecosystem. Extraction technicians operate sophisticated equipment, packaging teams produce finished goods at scale, logistics staff move product across the state, and compliance professionals ensure each batch meets New York regulations.
Many employees come from surrounding communities in Fulton County and the Mohawk Valley. These are technical jobs that allow people to build careers in a high‑growth industry without leaving the region. To support that, the company invests heavily in training, since cannabis manufacturing blends elements of food production, pharmaceutical processes, and chemical handling, all of which require disciplined procedures and skilled operators.
For Gloversville, that means new jobs, new skills, and a renewed industrial identity anchored in a regulated, technology‑driven sector.
Building Knowledge Infrastructure: The Museum of Cannabis
Ambrosino’s long‑term vision in Gloversville extends beyond production. Adjacent to the manufacturing facility, he is developing a Museum of Cannabis and Education Center designed to close the knowledge gap around the plant and the industry.
Cannabis is evolving quickly, but there is still widespread misunderstanding about the plant itself, the history of prohibition, and the science behind modern products. The goal of the museum is to provide a place where people can learn about history while also seeing how a regulated cannabis supply chain operates today.
The center is intended for multiple audiences: residents, policymakers, industry professionals, and visitors interested in the cultural story of cannabis. In many ways, it complements the manufacturing operation: the facility demonstrates how products are made, while the museum tells the broader story of the plant and the industry’s transition into the legal, regulated economy.
Taken together, the Gloversville facility and the planned museum illustrate how a legacy manufacturing town can become a critical part of New York’s cannabis infrastructure, leveraging existing industrial strengths while building the next generation of cannabis manufacturing and education.
