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.”