Our Team

Rich Cardinal

VP of Cannabis Operations

The Man with the Plan

As Founding Partner and Managing Director of Next Big Crop, Rich Cardinal puts his passions for problem-solving and plant cultivation to good use for each and every client.

“My goal is to help everyone succeed through the inevitable growing pains that come with all components of cannabis, such as lowering production costs and leveraging state-of-the-art systems.” Rich says. “My take is that even if something seems status quo and people have been doing it for five years, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best way to do it, so I love to take a step back and work with the team to brainstorm top ways to tackle it, and then collectively come up with the most creative approach for reaching the best possible outcome. It’s so rewarding to pop back into an operation that we were instrumental in launching and see everything working smoothly.”

Christian Phelps

Director of Business Development

The Efficiency Expert

Christian learned early on in his career that taking risks can sometimes lead to big payoffs, but the key is maintaining balance and striving for the greatest efficiency possible. “Understanding business dynamics is at the heart of what I’m trying to do,” Christian says. “My goal is always to squeeze as much juice out of whatever piece of fruit we’ve got, and just generally address our efficiency wherever possible, so that we can be the best versions of ourselves individually and as a company.”

Christian grew up in Upstate New York and moved to Colorado after graduating from Syracuse University. “My passion for the outdoors is what brought me here, and the relationships I have built since moving to Denver are keeping me from going anywhere else,” he says.

He started in business development, holding positions at a Staples subsidiary, Quill.com, before becoming a licensed Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, where he managed private assets for two years. In 2017, General Cannabis brought him aboard to assist the Finance Department with internal financial reporting, investor relations, SEC reporting, capital raises and IT infrastructure. Next Big Crop scored Christian in 2019 when he joined the team as the Director of Business Development, which will involve many of the skills he offered at General Cannabis, along with building out financial models for clients, centralizing the delivery of contracts and scopes of work, and more sales. “This is really interesting, because I love evaluating deals and increasing profit margins,” Christian says.

Christian approaches his personal life the same way, looking for places where he can increase his fun margin, too. He loves to cook and drink craft beer, and being outdoors is big on his priority list. He also enjoys hiking, biking, skiing and golf; and spends as much time with his fiancée and pup, Marley, as he can.

Jarret Ricci

Cultivation Consultant

"Let him in, He's with the Band"

Very little in Jarret Ricci’s past predicted his future results as a top-tier cultivation expert, but he thinks the intriguing disparity of his experiences has been instrumental in his success. “The work of running a cultivation is not usually what people expect,” Jarret says. “There’s so much thinking involved. You need to have a clear plan or a well-thought-out philosophy of why you’re doing this, and you need to be able to look as far down the road as possible to account for anything and everything.”

The Philadelphia native earned his first Bachelor of Science degree, in History, from Ohio’s Wittenberg University. While studying at Wittenberg, he spent a year in Thailand teaching English at local schools. After graduating, Jarret moved to L.A. for a brief time; he had planned on moving back to Philly, but on the trip back home he stopped in Denver and never left. Jarret earned a second BS in Education from Denver’s Metro State University and began teaching social studies.

But after teaching, a chance introduction to growing cannabis led him to spending four years working for Way to Grow, designing grow rooms, writing nutrient recipes, creating integrated pest management programs, and managing several large accounts.

Since Jarret joined Next Big Crop in January 2017 as a Cultivation Consultant, he has been in an integral support role for each of Next Big Crop’s clients, working directly with them to create the cultivation of their dreams. “It’s like building a race car,” he explains. “Everything has a function; nothing is extra or there just to be shiny. Each element needs to be performance-based and there for a reason, and then once you get going, you need to try to look as far down the road as possible.”

Considering the analogy, it’s no shocker that Jarret works on race cars in his off hours, along with racing them and riding dirt bikes, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. “I have this 1971 TVR that’s one of only 273 made, and I’ve had it since I was 17. I will never sell it; I built it with my Dad,” Jarret says. “I’m putting a new racing motor in it, and then I’m going to try and scare myself. It’ll be interesting, for sure, to see how it goes.”

Ross Brier

Marketing Manager

The Graphics Genius

Ross Brier takes the title of Graphics Genius very seriously, especially as he’s applied his creative and inventive talents toward helping to craft the visual narratives of the evolving cannabis industry over the past several years. “I’m driven by the opportunity to help shape an industry and the passion to share the hard work of a team whose goals are to share their knowledge and create world-class facilities for this new market,” he says, and as NBC’s Marketing Manager, he has embraced this challenge head-on.

His roles include presenting and enhancing the company’s identity and credibility through all channels — including online, advertising and social media — as well as coordinating trade shows and speaking engagements. He also assists the sales team and other team members in telling the company’s story and sharing the team’s passion for the industry.

Though the industry is still in its early days, Ross spent many years developing an expertise in graphic design and marketing to help put the company’s best face forward. After getting his bachelor of arts degree in graphic design at Keene State College in New Hampshire, Ross went on to fulfill various design and art direction roles for such companies as Bentgate Mountaineering and Golden Bike Shop, where he coordinated print ads for major magazines, and also designed and implemented email marketing campaigns; coordinated video production and photography efforts; and organized and executed special events. He also spent several years producing marketing collateral with in-house design teams for such top companies as Prudential Retirement, Travelers Insurance Group and Cycling Sports Group.

For Ross, these foundational skills and the cannabis industry have blended seamlessly. “I like the challenge of telling a story that hasn’t been told yet,” he explains. “Helping to create the tale of the cannabis industry drives me to push my skills and show the world what this industry can do.”

When he takes a break from the fast-paced hustle of the industry, Ross pursues camping, mountain biking, snowboarding and rock climbing, as well as spending quality time bonding with family and friends.

Rich Cardinal

Christian Phelps

Jarret Ricci

Ross Brier

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