Boulder Hemp is a collective of scientists, engineers, innovators, farmers and medical professionals.
We grow all of our hemp in Boulder County, Colorado – at an elevation of 4,995 feet above sea level, using strictly organic cultivation practices. All products are carefully crafted in small batches, using a science driven approach, and tested by multiple independent labs for purity and potency.
Leadership
Ryan Lynch, PhD., Co-Founder
Ryan began channeling his lifelong passion for horticulture and botany to assist with small scale grow facility development during the early emergence of legal Cannabis cultivation in Colorado. At the University of Colorado Boulder, he developed a series of PhD projects that focused on the analyses of DNA sequence information to understand biological diversity, function and evolution. While his research was initially directed towards soil-dwelling microorganisms, Ryan eventually brought his attention above ground by helping to bring Cannabis genome and plant science research to CU Boulder in Dr. Nolan Kane’s lab. Through the analysis of population-level Cannabis genome datasets, Ryan identified various potential heterotic populations from the fragmented global Cannabis germplasm resources currently available to breeders. This large-scale bioinformatics project set the stage for his long-term Cannabis breeding program, which was also initially launched at CU Boulder, where he performed initial test crosses and inbreeding of European and Asian hemp varieties in the first authorized campus Cannabis cultivation facility. Ryan went on to be awarded the first PhD based on Cannabis biology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Before co-founding Boulder Hemp, Ryan helped develop and sell Cannabis genome analysis tools and services with Medicinal Genomics, an early phase Cannabis biotechnology company. When he’s not tending to plant breeding and cultivation projects, Ryan enjoys year round exploration of the mountain wilderness that lies just upstream from the Boulder Hemp farms.
Jeremy Widmann, PhD., Co-Founder
Jeremy attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he obtained his PhD in biochemistry, focusing on RNA evolution and function. His work focused on large scale computational analyses, studying patterns in RNA sequences across all domains of life, giving insight into the origin of life from an RNA world. Interested in human health and genomics, Jeremy took a position at the molecular diagnostic startup, ArcherDx. As Asst. Director of NGS Assay Design, he developed the software suite used to design Archer’s human cancer diagnostic tests. Jeremy’s experience with Cannabis includes over a decade of cultivation, implementation of an extraction facility in a commercial Cannabis grow, and most recently as Co-Founder of Boulder Hemp. Combining his passion for Cannabis, evolution and human health, Jeremy hopes to aid in development of Cannabis-based personalized medicine. When he’s not in one of our cultivation facilities or in the lab formulating new products, you’ll find Jeremy on the track racing his motorcycles or up in the mountains hiking and fishing.
Kathleen Widmann, RN, Managing Partner and Director of Production
Kathleen raised a family in Steamboat Springs, then headed to San Diego, and eventually pursued a nursing career. She practiced as a Registered Nurse for many years at one of the largest hospitals in San Diego. The time finally came for Kathleen to move back home, and joined the team at Boulder Hemp in 2017. Kathleen is committed to the research, science and the mission of bringing CBD to all. She brings with her a heart for the health and wellness of all people, her years of nursing experience, and an organized mind. When Kathleen is not in the shop assuring smooth production of our CBD products and shipping to our customers, she enjoys the outdoors, travel and hiking.
Jeff Leistad, Director of Sales
Jeff Leistad is an Iowa native who graduated with honors in Finance from the University of Iowa. Jeff is passionate about hemp medicine, healing and people. He’s amiable and makes others feel comfortable talking with him and sharing their feelings and ideas. He heartily supports and furthers the profound message of hemp medicine for healing by relationship building in the community. With his exceptional people skills and solid background in the financial world of banking, Jeff is an integral part of the team at Boulder Hemp. Jeff enthusiastically resources, integrates, and reports on the newest in medical hemp research to business owners, holistic practitioners, and medical experts in the community.
Employment Opportunities
Boulder Hemp is growing in more ways than ways than one. We are currently hiring cultivation, laboratory and operations specialists. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining our team.