PORTAGE, MI -- It will take $8 million to $10 million to start up a medical marijuana business spanning two counties, according to estimates from a Portage couple that has plans progressing in both locations.

James Brayton, 47, and Kimm Owsiany, 35, said they are are planning to invest their own money to establish two separate grow operations.

The couple is part of a wave of newly proposed businesses Kalamazoo County that would operate under Michigan's current medical marijuana laws. Countywide, 33 such businesses have been conditionally approved by local government bodies this year, with even more growth expected in the industry if voters approval a recreational marijuana proposal on the ballot in November.

One of the grow operations proposed by Brayton and Owsiany would be built on seven acres at 4525 Quality Court in Portage, where they would like to grow up to 15,000 plants and plan to employ more than 50 people. The size of that property leaves room for future expansion, Owsiany said.

Their second, 23,000-square-foot cultivation center is already being built in Calhoun County, where they recently broke ground. There they plan to grow another 10,000 plants.

Brayton, an oral surgeon with a practice in Kalamazoo, said part of why he is going into medical marijuana is because he's seen how opioid medications can affect people.

"We definitely believe in medical marijuana and what it can do for patients," Brayton said. "We've seen that. We've had family members and friends helped."

"I think that if you look at the places where it's been 10 years now implemented, you know, and I think it's found its place. I think it's proved to be a useful thing to have."

The multimillion-dollar investment should get the business up and running, but doesn't account for things like operating costs and labor, Owsiany said.

The couple expects the new venture -- Green Eden -- to be profitable, but they don't know how much they will sell.

There's money to be made, she said, but it's not a get-rich scheme. It's something they feel passionate about, to help provide patients the help they need, she said.

They believe the industry will generate positive things like tax revenue, job creation, and the medical benefits for people, he said. The business will need a variety of employees from bud trimmers to master growers.

"I'm excited for the Michigan economy. I think it's going to be great," Brayton said.

Sitting behind their home on Austin Lake, which is also where Brayton grew up, the pair said they would like to open a provisioning center somewhere in Portage and maybe another in Kalamazoo, too, in the future.

They waved as Brayton's parents, who also live on the lake, went by on a pontoon boat. Brayton and Owsiany sat in patio furniture at their outdoor fire pit and patio on the September afternoon.

They were apprehensive to tell their children and their parents about the business venture, but family members have been supportive, she said.

They hear questions about marijuana daily and most opinions are positive, she said, though some people seem to think there is a stigma attached to the substance.

"We found our biggest hurdles, I think, where you're talking about the stigma, has been in the professional, where you need accountants, lawyers," she said.

Owsiany, who said she also works in the medical field, called some of the issues with marijuana "gray areas" that remain as people become familiar with the legality and as laws change, and as it becomes more accepted.

"We're both professionals," she said. "We both have children. We both coach sports. We are very involved in our community and I guess for us what we're looking to change that stigma. So it's not, you know, Cheech and Chong hanging on the corner."

They help patients, Owsiany said, who sometimes face criticism or other barriers because of negative attitudes that exist.

They've both tried marijuana, they said, but when it comes to using it regularly, "neither of us do," she said.

"I'm not a frequent user, but yes in the past I've tried it," Brayton said. "I think most people have. I don't see any negative."

Portage City Manager Larry Shaffer said he sees benefits of a business like Green Eden in the community.

"The utilization of land for development that will produce both tax base and jobs on property that has been vacant for a while represents an economic development opportunity," Shaffer said.

He's confident that the industry will be highly regulated and audited.

"I'm not bothered by the size at all as long as it meets all the zoning prerogatives," Shaffer said.

He sees the industry as a way to help to diversify the city's economic base.

"There's very little to be concerned about and a lot to be excited about," he said.

The city will process the business' building permits just like it would with another business, Shaffer said.

Businesses like Green Eden could have a head start at getting into recreational marijuana, which could be approved by Michigan voters in November. The couple says they are not focused on that aspect, though Shaffer noted how it would dramatically expand the market for marijuana.

"I think that's why it's so important to have a (place) like Green Eden, a quality corporate partner, to get established as quickly as possible, it establishes us as a place to do business in this part of the world," Shaffer said.

He said the same thing about Lake Effect, a marijuana dispensary that has operated for years in Portage. It's another corporate partner that Shaffer believes can help the city.

"We're looking for the power these clusters will bring to our corporate, entrepreneurial base, so we think it's all good," he said. "Kalamazoo is quite the center for small craft breweries and it's great for the city and region. Maybe there's a similar type of profile for this type of industry."

The couple has thought about what recreational marijuana would mean for the business, she said.

"I think in order to be in the business for this, you have to be okay with both sides of it because it is inevitable that it will become recreational," she said.

But Brayton said he doesn't know if the state's ready for recreational pot yet. He plans to vote no for the ballot initiative being brought to voters in November.

"I think you need to establish the medical part of it first and make sure its a good system and from what we've seen, the state is working hard at that," he said. "I would like to see it delayed, honestly."

They don't completely agree on the issue, though Brayton said he sees it coming eventually.

Owsiany added, "We're at the forefront of that."

The couple, who have five children ages 10 to 18, coach Portage Rocket football together. They are dedicated to Portage, they said, and believe their business will be good for the community.

"We're excited for it," he said, emphasizing that they plan to do everything required to operate, and professionally. "We'd like to be the example."

The state's Medical Marihuana Licensing Board granted Green Eden prequalification status in April.

They had to submit business plans, security plans, record keeping plans, and more, with their state application, Brayton said. Buildings are required to have security fencing with barb wire, multiple cameras, and a way to track employee and plant movements, Brayton said, and many people with reservations are less concerned when they hear about the requirements.

Applicants are eligible for a license from the state after getting approval from a local municipality and having a location secured.

The state has made it challenging to get into the industry and want it very regulated, she said.

The bright sun reflecting shining from behind the clouds on the lake at their Portage home interrupted the interview a few times. The couple turned their back to the sun to take a break, but kept talking about the issues they've been studying for more than a year.

"It'll probably be the last time in our lifetime, it may be the last time ever for something like this," Brayton said.

They're hoping to break ground in Portage before the end of the year, Owsiany said. They could be open by April or May, but it might take longer.