Progress 2023: Heritage Genetics looking to put down roots

By Phil Cobb | February 3, 2023 |

PAXSON HAWS/THE FORUM
These tins of Heritage Genetics CBD salve are made locally in Graham.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — When Travis Felton was injured in a car accident in Colorado in 2012, he was introduced to the world and benefits of medical cannabidiol (CBD) to help manage his pain and the subsequent side effects from pharmaceutical medications.

He stayed on the consumer side of the industry until his mother experienced a complication during a surgical procedure related to medication given to her in 2018. He moved his mother to a new doctor with a different treatment plan that removed her from all but one pharmaceutical and included CBD products. Felton saw his mother return as close to normal as possible — gaining more energy, able to move around better and even having her hair color return.

Around the same time, Felton learned his family still owned a large portion of farmland in Graham, which the state recognized as a Century Farm in 2018.

“We didn’t know we owned (the land),” Felton, CEO of Heritage Genetics, said. “We had the opportunity to come back to them. So, what do you do? We had the opportunity, we had the revenue and we had the inclination to come home.”

That’s when Felton decided to venture into the world of growing and creating CBD products himself.

“Having watched many friends and people who are involved in the highest levels of business … in different states and even different countries, shifting their focus onto being on a mission to make a difference for people who may have Crohn’s disease or people with tumors, skin conditions, melanoma … and they just are gone after a concentrated treatment of this kind of material done properly.”

Now, Felton has registered as a manufacturer and a dispensary with the State of Missouri and is USDA-licensed, FDA-regulated and FSIS inspected. He described his business as a compounded pharmacy and holistic health store as he provides consumers with products directly from his dispensary storefronts in Maryville and Mound City, online website and through treating patients with Continuum Family Care.

Felton mentioned several patrons with persistent issues he was able to help with his products.

He sells 27 CBD products, including gummies, topicals and extracts that are able to be used and taken anywhere in the United States and even includes a K-9 unit product, according to Felton. He also runs a smokehouse where they smoke meat for other companies and produces beef jerky as well, including a version with CBD — which Felton said is great for farmers who experience muscle and joint pain.

His products contain none or very little THC, the compound in cannabis that provides the psychoactive elements, as he says it’s an unnecessary element when treating pain, medical conditions and treatments or mental health diagnoses such as anxiety.

Heritage Genetics has a board of directors and 16 local families are involved in the success of the business. Families involved in what Felton called the ownership group receive a portion of the profits made and are then able to go out and spend it in the region to continue bolstering it. Many of those involved joined the team after speaking with Felton and learning of the six core values for the business.

“I just came over to sell him some labels and now here I am,” Matt Gaarder, owner of Rapid Elite, said about how he became deeply involved in Heritage Genetics. Gaarder learned of the six values — integrity, service, know thy self, ownership, proximity and team — and Felton’s plans to expand the company and how he wanted to provide more to the area.

“We believe that everyone owns this,” Felton said. “This is Maryville’s heritage. It’s what it’s all about. We’re part of Maryville’s heritage, all those families are part of Maryville’s heritage. … We want to represent something that is Maryville’s heritage which is a willingness to serve and to take ownership of whatever we bring to the table.”

And being able to bring more to the area for Maryville is exactly what Felton is doing with the new storefront located at 420 N. Main St., which used to be home to Benelli’s Pizzeria and years ago was a skating rink. Felton also owns the building next door, formerly Encryption: Escape Experience and a cell phone repair store.

With the purchase of the buildings, Felton will be renovating for structural integrity, opening up the basement portion of the building and fixing up the remainder of the area for a variety of endeavors. The basement portion will house a future yoga studio. A section upstairs has the potential to be office space for an intervention organization that helps children adjust to daily struggles. The building will also serve as a testing and label production location for Heritage Genetics and be opened up to house other new businesses in the area.

Felton said he and others are also working with the city to potentially purchase or help renovate a portion of the parking lot across the street to turn it into a park.

“We’re very passionate about what we do in the community,” Felton said.

PAXSON HAWS/THE FORUM
Travis Felton stands in his shop Heritage Genetics, which sells medical cannabidol (CBD) products. The business is located at 420 N. Main St.