about us
your cannabis business experts
We love the cannabis plant. We believe in science and value having meaningful data to analyze. We believe in the staying power of this industry and want to see continued growth in a professional, responsible manner. Far too often, the integration of a business’s strategy to their budgeting, operations, product mix, sales and other fundamental pillars of the business is lacking.
FireFlower is able to connect the dots of all aspects of canna-businesses from inception through execution as we’ve seen first-hand what does and doesn’t work across a wide variety of business and markets, from “mom & pop” shops to multinational, publicly traded companies. After years of working in various operational and corporate roles, FireFlower’s founders set out to become a bridge for cannabis companies looking to connect the operational know-how with the business acumen needed to succeed in this ever-changing industry.
We want to work with partners who view us truly as partners and not just consultants. While we can help get your business going or back on the tracks, our true value is in the ongoing optimization and analysis to keep that business moving forward.
experienced in over
30
markets
pounds of product produced:
275,000+
more than
100
facilities
got questions?
our team
Ben Franz
Ben is a multidisciplinary Plant Scientist (Botany and Horticulture) with a focus on commercial cannabis cultivation. Ben was previously the Senior Vice President of Cultivation at a multi-national cannabis cultivation operator. There, he oversaw hundreds of design/build projects, helped launch brands across various markets, while focusing on operational excellence. Ben’s work in plant nutrition has resulted in the creation of his own proprietary fertilizer blend, which increases plant performance, and reduces labor and consumable costs.
Ben earned a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Botany from Metropolitan State University, Denver, CO (2010), and has the coursework completed for a M.S. in Horticulture with a concentration in Floriculture from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
Brett Casso
With 5+ years focused on commercial cannabis projects and a background in engineering and commercial cannabis cultivation, Brett has the experience and unique skill set to navigate and execute projects both large and small. Brett has also developed relationships with an extensive network of design professionals, vendors, and contractors working in the cannabis space to provide solutions and streamline projects. Prior to joining FireFlower Brett led the design and construction department at a multi-national cannabis cultivation operator overseeing over 100 projects of various sizes and functionality in over 30 states/markets.
Brett graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an ABET Accredited Institution, with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering (2010) with a concentration in Ecology.
Paul Wilken
Paul has been involved in the legal cannabis space since 2013. He previously spent time in numerous roles within a multi-national cannabis operator, including senior positions in Human Resources, Marketing, Investor Relations, Business Development and Project Management. Prior to those positions, Paul was the General Manager and Director of Operations at American Adventure Expeditions, a large-scale whitewater rafting outfitter based in Buena Vista, CO.
Paul graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL with a B.A. in Business Administration (2003) with a concentration in Marketing.
Jessica Franz
Jessica is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Colorado. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Colorado. With over 15 years of accounting and financial experience, her background includes a wide range of functions comprising of tax, audit, cost accounting, financial analysis, executive functions, and consulting. Jessica owns and operates a fully online outsourced accounting, tax, payroll, and contract-CFO firm. Jessica joined the cannabis industry over a decade ago first working with medical-use cultivation and dispensaries and expanded her services to the legal adult-use cannabis industry a few years later. Jessica applies her strong foundation in tax regulatory knowledge and inventory costing to help cannabis businesses succeed.
