Most descriptions of cannabis production focus on equipment, lighting systems, or automated controls. Yet according to founder Rick Thornton, the defining factor inside his cultivation facility, Grow Op, is something far less mechanical: people. He explains that the environment was intentionally built to function like a family-run operation, one where empowerment, accountability, and shared responsibility form the foundation of daily work.
From his perspective, the belief is simple: when people feel valued and supported, their work reflects it. He notes that roughly 80% of his focus is on developing his team, while only 20% is on tools or technology. This philosophy has shaped the culture that now drives the facility's operations, from training to problem-solving to the way decisions move through the organization. According to him, "If the people are happy, the product will be good, and profits will follow."
Thornton notes that the business itself centers on large-scale hydroponic cultivation, taking plants from seedling to full maturity in a clean, highly controlled environment. He explains a process that begins with mother plants used for cuttings and follows a rotating schedule built around a typical 100-day growth cycle: about 10 days to root, 15 days in vegetative growth, and 60–70 days in flower before cutting, drying, and processing. "Nearly every stage is automated with timers and environmental controls that keep humidity, temperature, and irrigation consistent," he says.
Read more at International Business Times
