At a glance
Galaxy Labs is an independent Illinois craft-cannabis company founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife team Rick and Michelle Ringold. Based in Richton Park, it became the state's first independent social-equity craft grower to begin operations and built a flower-led catalog around controlled indoor cultivation and a slow post-harvest process.
Brand snapshot
Galaxy is both a consumer brand and a licensed craft-growing operation. Its positioning centers on small batches, cultivar expression and transparency rather than a national multi-state footprint. The company markets only within Illinois, where state law requires licensed cultivation, testing, distribution and retail.
Founders and ownership
Rick Ringold, a U.S. Army veteran and construction contractor, and Michelle Ringold, an accounting-firm operator, founded the company together. Galaxy reports that more than 96% of ownership is held by minorities and women, including overlapping Black, veteran, women and Hispanic ownership categories. Those percentages should not be added together because owners can appear in more than one category.
From license to first harvest
The company was founded in 2020, received a preconstruction permit in 2022 and obtained occupancy for its Richton Park facility in July 2023 after a capital-intensive build. Its first commercial harvest reached the market in early 2024. Illinois licensing records identify Galaxy Labs LLC and its Richton Park craft-grower premises.
Cultivation and curing
Galaxy describes a controlled-environment indoor facility using advanced racking and a 10-to-14-day dry with no flash drying, followed by curing in airtight containers and moisture-controlled processing. These are process claims, not a guarantee that every batch will have the same aroma, moisture or potency; the package label and test results remain the lot-level evidence.
Products and cultivars
The core line includes 3.5-gram and 7-gram flower, one-gram ground-flower pre-rolls, five half-gram pre-roll multipacks and 7-gram kief-infused shake. The strain roster has included Cap Junky, Permanent Marker, Gary Payton, Gelato 41, Apricot Chem, Blueberry Diesel, Guava Bars, Dante's Inferno, Supernova and other rotating genetics.
Community role
Galaxy located the grow in a community disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition and committed to hiring, workforce development and local participation. Its work with Olive-Harvey College's cannabis program has included curriculum input, presentations, donated equipment and hands-on learning. Cook County also listed Galaxy among 2024 Cannabis Development Grant recipients.
Retail footprint
Galaxy products are sold through licensed Illinois dispensaries and the brand maintains a product locator. The founders also opened a nearby Galaxy-branded dispensary in February 2024 after acquiring a retail license, but the retail operation later changed branding; consumers should use the current locator rather than rely on older coverage.
Recognition and media record
Galaxy's clearest documented milestone is operational: it was the first independent social-equity craft grower to go live in Illinois. Local government and Chicago-area press covered the approximately $12 million facility build, its ownership and the later retail opening. Individual product reviews exist, but no formal competition award is claimed without an award body and year.
Safety, scope and consumer checks. Purchase only sealed products from Illinois-licensed retailers. Confirm the cultivator, package date, cannabinoid and terpene panel, testing information and warning label on the actual package. Kief-infused shake and other enhanced products are not equivalent to plain flower, so consumers should compare formulation and serving guidance rather than shop by strain name alone.
This profile separates company-reported cultivation methods and ownership data from state licensing and independent reporting. Product rotations, retailer stock and ownership percentages can change. The official product locator and Illinois regulator are the authoritative current checks; health effects and therapeutic claims are intentionally outside scope.