Legacy Cannabis Business and Accounting: A Conversation with Ball Family Farms

NACAT Pros is proud to welcome CEO Chris Ball and CFO Charles Ball of Ball Family Farms as guest speakers on Tuesday, February 7th at 10 AM PT.

Ball Family Farms, the first Social Equity licensed vertically integrated cannabis facility in Los Angeles, has been a pioneering force in the cannabis industry since its incorporation in 2018. Operating across roughly 40,000 sq. ft. of indoor cultivation space, their story reflects the true nature of navigating the legacy cannabis business and accounting challenges in a post-legalization world.

The journey of Chris and Charles Ball is one that aspiring cannabis operators—particularly those from legacy backgrounds—need to hear. This discussion will dive into the practical and financial hurdles of transitioning from the legacy cannabis market to a compliant, regulated business model, offering insight from those who have experienced the transformation firsthand.

This conversation offers valuable lessons in legacy cannabis business and accounting, showing how operators can move from the underground market to compliant success, and how understanding accounting and financial frameworks can make or break the transition.

Key Topics to Be Covered:

• From Legacy to Legal: Gain a firsthand understanding of how a former felon built a respected cannabis brand through resilience, vision, and smart accounting practices.

• Cost of Cultivation: Discover the real financial and operational barriers to launching and sustaining a cultivation facility in California.

• Beyond State Lines: Learn how building a strong brand identity helps cannabis businesses grow across markets—and how accounting and compliance fuel that scalability.

• Social Equity in Action: See how Ball Family Farms made the most of Los Angeles’ Social Equity program, offering a blueprint for other legacy operators.

• The Future of Cannabis: Get a sneak peek at where Ball Family Farms sees the cannabis industry heading, from financial sustainability to regulatory shifts.

Whether you’re an industry veteran or new to the space, this session is a must-attend for those interested in the intersection of legacy cannabis business and accounting.

Who Should Attend:

• Cannabis entrepreneurs transitioning from legacy markets

• Social Equity license holders

• Accountants and financial advisors in the cannabis space

• Cannabis brand builders and cultivation operators

• Industry professionals looking for real-world success stories in compliance and scale

If you’re ready to deepen your understanding of legacy cannabis business and accounting and learn directly from those who’ve made the leap, don’t miss this event.

Learn what it really takes to succeed in the modern cannabis landscape—with a solid foundation in legacy cannabis business and accounting.

Chris Ball and Charles Ball

Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Ball Family Farms (BFF)

Chris Ball, CEO

Chris Ball is the founder of Ball Family Farms, the first Social Equity licensed vertically integrated 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 junior college, where he played football. He later went on to play at UC Berkeley on a scholarship, a brief stint in the NFL, and eventually entered the Canadian Football League. 

While in Canada, Ball discovered the cultivation side of cannabis. He began his self-taught botany education with no prior knowledge of the craft. Primed for the burgeoning legal market by legacy experience, Ball acquired a 5,000-square-foot cultivation warehouse in Los Angeles –with only 14 lights in a tiny room. He burned through plants for the next three years as he attempted to master his cultivation skills. 

In 2016, Los Angeles adopted commercial cannabis regulations and announced its Social Equity Program (SEP). A licensing program developed to acknowledge and repair the harm caused by the War on Drugs and the over-policing of low-income, minority communities. Learning he qualified as a Tier One Social Equity applicant, Ball saw this as the perfect opportunity to transition and grow his business. 

Ball Family Farms (BFF) incorporated in 2018 and launched its first commercial strain, Daniel LaRusso. The balanced hybrid instantly became a favorite strain in licensed cannabis retail. And in 2021, BFF doubled its facility size to 40,000 square feet and dropped its second collection of strains; quickly followed by a third. 

While Ball’s initial goal was to create unmatched premium cannabis products, BFF also aims to promote equal pay, diversity and inclusion, and women’s empowerment in the workplace. As a tribute to the company’s activism and commitment to excellence, the company embraces its motto and tagline, “Cultivating the Culture…from the Ground UP!”

 

Charles Ball, CFO 

Charles Ball is the Chief Financial Officer of Ball Family Farms (BFF) and younger brother to Chris Ball. Charles has nearly a decade of corporate experience and focuses on the daily business operations and development strategy for BFF. 

Growing up, Charles had a baseball talent. His skills allowed him to attend Cal Poly Pomona on a full scholarship, where he earned a Psychology Degree with an emphasis in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Determined to graduate, Charles supported himself through a commission-based retail job, all while maintaining a full course load and the demanding schedule of a student-athlete. 

Charles attributes his unflappable work ethic to this time in his life, working from 5 am to 10 pm daily. It taught him that “to be great; one must have the discipline to put in the extra work while everyone else is busy being normal.” This drive opened the door to an invaluable position, straight out of college, with a government-contracted agency. They allowed him to hyper-focus on his passion, understanding how to influence a business from its employee base to its owners. During his tenure, he gained essential experience in production and compliance, client relations and acquisitions, Human Resources, quality assurance, and employee retention and satisfaction. 

Mastering the inner workings of employee relations was extremely useful. Still, Charles needed more of a challenge, so he transitioned back into the production world and became a Missouri Department of Higher Education manager. It was here that Charles found himself in a position to expand his management skillset. Scarce resources pushed him to acquire skills and take on new roles to ensure a high success rate. Creating effective production and management strategies for departments to work in unison propelled Charles and his team to be top performers. 

These experiences and his demand for excellence and accountability in all endeavors are what Charles now brings to Ball Family Farms as CFO.