Chris Ball, Founder, CEO, Ball Family Farms
Chris Ball is the Founder of Ball Family Farms, Inc., the first vertically integrated, minority-owned, Social Equity commercial cannabis facility in Los Angeles. Mr. Ball is an accomplished entrepreneur and innovative cultivator. The Southern California native began selling cannabis as a teen to put himself through college where he played Division 1 football. After a short stint as a member of the first iteration of R&B boy band, Immature, the UC Berkeley-educated athlete entered the National Football League (NFL). After his final season with the San Francisco 49’ers, Mr. Ball landed a contract with the Canadian Football League.
While in Canada, Mr. Ball was introduced to cannabis cultivation. With no prior knowledge of the craft, he began his self-taught botany education. Primed for the burgeoning legal market by his past informal experience, back in Los Angeles, Mr. Ball acquired a 5,000 square foot cultivation warehouse – with only 14 lights in one small room. For the next three years, he burned through plants as he attempted to master his cultivation skills. Recognizing he needed additional training, Mr. Ball began working with OG cultivator, “Mr. Miyagi,” who brought logistical expertise that quickly transformed the little 14-light room into a full-fledged 60-light grow facility.
Leveraging these new processes and his own keen talents for sales, Mr. Ball cultivated ultra-premium cannabis strains so popular they sold out within days of a harvest. In 2016, Los Angeles adopted commercial cannabis regulations and announced their Social Equity Program (SEP). The SEP was designed to acknowledge and repair the harm caused by the War on Drugs and the over-policing in low income and minority communities. Discovering he qualified as a Tier 1 Social Equity Applicant, Mr. Ball saw this as the perfect opportunity to transition and expand his business.
https://www.ballfamilyfarms.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ballfamilyfarmsla
https://www.instagram.com/ballfamilyfarms/
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