Gridiron to Ganja: How Lessons Learned on the Field Shaped the Highsman Strategy

02/10/22 • 38 min

When Ricky Williams retired from the NFL in 2004, the headlines were overwhelmingly negative: “Famous football player gives up everything for pot.” But instead of becoming a story of downfall, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner went on to study herbology and create his opportunity in the cannabis industry – after returning to terrorize NFL defenses for six more seasons. In this episode of Seed to CEO, Ricky and CEO Eric Hammond share insights on how they’re building a community with their Highsman brand. Ricky and Eric talk about:

How they tap the intersection of sports and cannabis.
How sentiment in professional sports is changing.
Why building a strong team with varied skill sets is critical.
How to pitch your story without pitching.

Who are Ricky Williams and Eric Hammond?

In the sports world, Ricky Williams is perhaps best known as a bruising running back who tore through NFL defenses for a dozen years. But in the cannabis industry, he’s known as the longtime advocate who put his professional sports career on the line for the plant. Ricky has founded an herbal medicine company and a software business, and today he’s busy running his newest cannabis venture, Highsman, which he founded with Eric Hammond, a brand specialist. Eric cut his teeth on cannabis while at Greenlane Holdings, a cannabis distribution and supply company. Before cannabis, Eric specialized in business development in the audio industry as well as having founded his own scrap-metal recycling company.

How they tap the intersection of sports and cannabis.
How sentiment in professional sports is changing.
Why building a strong team with varied skill sets is critical.
How to pitch your story without pitching.

Who are Ricky Williams and Eric Hammond?

Previous Episode

Equity Equalizer: How the MCBA is Shaking up National Cannabis Policy

Amber Littlejohn cut her teeth helping craft policy for an industry built around “a regulated herbal product that the government doesn’t like” with the American Herbal Products Association. But when she began consulting for the Minority Cannabis Business Association in 2019, she found herself in love with a new challenge. In this episode of Seed to CEO, Amber talks about how she’s helped evolve the organization around its core mission of helping entrepreneurs access and thrive in cannabis markets across the U.S. She shares:

How systemic problems for everyone impede equity.
Why partnerships – even some that might seem strange to outsiders – are critical to achieving success in cannabis policy.
How the association is working to change the trajectory of the industry.
Where she sees successes and failures in U.S. cannabis business.

Who is Amber Littlejohn?

As an attorney and advocate for emerging and embattled industries, Amber has developed and implemented creative strategies for industry, associations, nonprofits and other stakeholder groups. As senior policy adviser at the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), she helped develop and implement the group’s federal policy program. Through her advocacy work, she has developed creative strategies to expand and stabilize emerging markets by engaging and supporting underrepresented business interests and communities. Amber became “employee No. 1” at the MCBA when she took on the mantle of executive director in 2020.

Next Episode

Legacy Cannabis Lows & Highs: How an Oregon Operator Overcame a Roller Coaster of Regulations

An eviction notice on 4/20. That’s how Jesce Horton’s first foray into state-licensed cannabis cultivation ended in 2017. Part of it had to do with a one-in-a-million regulatory quirk that forced him to shut down a successful grow, and part of it was not being “passionate” about a not-so-successful retail arm. But Jesce remained confident in his process and product while never losing his love for the craft, so he tried again. The result is Lowd, Horton’s “dream company” that “embodies the art of urban craft cultivation.”

In this episode of Seed to CEO, Jesce shares:

How his education and experience in industrial engineering helped elevate his operations.
The importance of authenticity in creating loyalty and differentiating your brand in saturated markets.
Lessons he learned from his first foray into the regulated cannabis market.
How to raise capital for a second company after your first one fails.

Who is Jesce Horton?

Jesce Horton, CEO at Portland, Oregon-based Lowd, is a professional engineer specializing in automation and energy management. He started his cannabis cultivation journey growing medical marijuana in his basement for two elderly cancer patients. Jesce is the co-founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association and a former chair and current member of the board of directors at the Resource Innovation Institute. He also sits on the Oregon Cannabis Association’s board and is an advisory board member for MJBizDaily. Jesce and his wife, Jeannette Ward Horton, founded the nonprofit organization Nu Project, which supports Black and brown cannabis entrepreneurs.