Karim Webb's company has helped nearly a dozen applicants advance past an initial step in the licensing process, prompting questions about fairness from some rival entrepreneurs.
As a businessman, Karim Webb won acclaim for opening a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in a stretch of South Los Angeles that other investors had avoided, bringing new jobs to the area.by Black Enterprise magazine, tapped to serve on charitable boards, and praised effusively by L.A. leaders. When he was chosen as a city airport commissioner, Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson declared “there is no more stand-up citizen of our city.
Webb, for his part, said he’s upset that applicants who partnered with his company didn’t do even better, saying that there were 32 worthy candidates his company helped apply in this round of licensing. The more of their applicants who succeed, company officials said, the more people they can ultimately assist getting a foothold in cannabis and — eventually — other industries.
“They’re trying to get people who would never have the opportunity to own and operate a business ready” to do so, said 4thMVMT applicant Chris Bryant, who currently worksWallace Knott III, left, and Christopher Bryant are applicants who have been trained and financed through the company 4thMVMT. A Times review of business filings identified five linked to Kyle Suffolk, managing partner with Vantage Green Partners and a former MedMen employee. Suffolk said the applicants were not affiliated with MedMen and “we submitted our applications manually like everyone else.”
4thMVMT representatives said they submitted applications from South L.A., but also trained temp workers to swiftly type up applications, compressed files so that they would upload more quickly, and plugged into ethernet instead of relying on Wi-Fi. Webb grew up in Rowland Heights as the son of McDonald’s franchise owners, attended Morehouse College and eventually launched Buffalo Wild Wings franchises. He has been a prominent player in philanthropic causes, including the California Community Foundation and the social services group Brotherhood Crusade.
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