Cannabis Conference Keynote Announced

Chris Ball, CEO of Ball Family Farms, knows the hardships of the cannabis industry. From his experience of the painful repercussions of the failed war on drugs to his transition from a legacy cultivator to a bootstrapped social equity founder in the newly legal landscape in California, Chris knows the challenges of succeeding in cannabis. Even today, as new economic pressures hammer away at legal cannabis businesses, Chris knows that this is not an easy place to work—but he knows it’s a worthwhile endeavor. He shows up every day at Ball Family Farms with that conviction. With his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for the cannabis plant, Chris knows the value of building something for the long term in this industry.

RELATED: Mom Made Them Do It: Chris and Charles Ball’s mom settled a brotherly argument. Now, the Ball family is on a mission to create the highest quality cannabis while providing opportunities for other social equity applicants through its LA-based Ball Family Farms.

In this candid Keynote Address, Chris will share:

• how cannabis entered his life and embedded itself in his future,
• details about his incarceration for selling cannabis at a young age and its impact on his life,
• his transition and journey into to the legal market as the first Social Equity licensee in Los Angeles,
• the steep learning curve he faced as a CEO of a startup cultivation operation in the world’s largest cannabis market (California … as some say, if you can survive in L.A., you can survive anywhere!),
• how he built a team while balancing family dynamics and professional relationships as the business grew rapidly,
• his evolution as CEO as he worked to manage revenue and profit, costs and spending decisions,
• his experiences and innovations in cannabis genetics, cultivation and the value of a brand,
• lessons he has learned from the market downturn and how to adapt, and
• his predictions for and insights into the cannabis industry’s future.