Our Cannabis Grow Consultants

Derek Watts
Master Gardener

Derek Watts was born and raised in Northern California’s famed wine country in 1982. He relocated to Northern California’s famed cannabis country in the year 2000. While working on his bachelor’s degree in history and politics he became involved in the medical cannabis industry where he’s remained ever since.

While Derek cut his teeth in retail and inventory management for a variety of local dispensaries, overseeing cannabis grow productions has always been his strong suit. An indoor and mixed light specialist, Derek has worked with every medium and a broad variety of production technology and is widely respected amongst his peers in the region. Derek has spent tens of thousands of hours focused on the marijuana plant and has a skill set that has led to consistently top-shelf flowers that pass the most rigorous lab screenings for pesticides and contaminants.  

Aside from his passion for the cleanest highest quality cannabis in the world, Derek enjoys aviation, camping and fly-fishing in the spring through fall, and is a winter sports enthusiast during the cold months.

Nate Loughran
Head grower

Nate Loughran is a Sonoma County native and has been successfully growing and cultivating marijuana plants since the late 90s. His wealth of knowledge and experience comes from 20 years of working in a wide variety of cannabis grow environments. Whether it’s indoors, outdoors, or light-assisted deprivation greenhouses, Nate has seen it all. Couple that with his extensive knowledge of growing methods (soil, hydroponic, aeroponic, NFT, and stadium style, to name a few), Nate is someone that quickly becomes indispensable to any cannabis operation.

He is continuously researching and cultivating his skills to maximize the cannabis plant’s genetic potential. A born leader, who takes pride in his work ethic, Nate’s approach is cerebral and scientific. His confidence lies in his ability to oversee and manage any project regardless of size, pressure, or financial implications..

Aside from his work in the greenhouse or outdoor grow, Nate enjoys spending time with his family and friends, traveling, reading, and staying physically and mentally fit.

JASON SOTO
Operations and Licensing

Jason has worked in the cannabis industry for two decades as a cultivator, regulator, operating officer, research and development assistant, and a consultant with a primary focus on creating environmentally sustainable cannabis businesses compliant with local and state regulations. Jason works with cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail dispensing facilities to train staff on best management practices associated with their license, including hazard communication, occupational safety and health, quality assurance, environmental resource protection, and regulatory compliance. In addition, he serves as the operations and compliance manager for several cannabis-related projects that provide products and services in the States of Oregon and California.

Jason has consulted for medical and recreational cannabis and hemp companies throughout the US, Canada, Columbia, and Macedonia providing important intellectual property, facility design and development services, along with regulatory compliance guidance with application to international cannabis and hemp laws. With his extensive cannabis background and science-based education, Jason brings to the consultancy the ability to integrate professional services like environmental audits, occupational health and safety trainings and benchmarking, and best management practices as applied to cannabis operations.

Jason has both a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Water Quality and Hazardous Waste from Humboldt State University, and a Master’s of Science in Environmental Policy and Management with an emphasis in Health and Safety from the University of Denver, and is currently OSHA 30-hr and METRC certified in California and Oregon.