From Barrels to Buds: Calgary Banker Abandons Crude for Pot
- Calgary dealmaker Mottahed starting marijuana grower, retailer
- Former Raymond James banker sees bleak future for oil patch
Sonny Mottahed.
Photographer: Chris Bolin/Bloomberg
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In the boardroom at his former merchant bank office in Calgary, Sonny Mottahed is taking down a black-and-white photo of the wooden derricks over Spindletop, the historic crude find that started the Texas oil boom.
In its place, he’s hanging a photo of the “HOLLYWOOD” sign vandalized to read “Hollyweed,” a playful riff on the Los Angeles landmark that he hopes heralds the start of a new boom in Canada: legal marijuana.