Alex Hearding
Risk management and quality systems specialist with 12-state cannabis experience. Built the OPS framework used to reduce insurance premiums and formalize operational compliance from cultivation through retail.
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Greenway Magazine
Risk management strategy for cannabis operators through Red Wolf Risk's OPS framework
Read articleCannabis Business Times
Building compliant and effective safety programs in cannabis cultivation facilities
Read articleRecognition
Professional Cannabis Risk Manager, NCRMA, 2022
Associate Safety Professional, Board of Certified Safety Professionals, 2017
Lockheed Martin Best Project Award, Penn State Learning Factory, 2020
Selected operating experience
Designed and launched the Operational Preparedness System (OPS), assessing over 400 processes and controls across cultivation, manufacturing, and retail operations. OPS produces documented risk profiles that give underwriters a defensible basis for lowering premiums. Conducts GMP/QMS gap assessments and compliance consulting for operators seeking to strengthen safety and product quality against FDA cGMP, ISO 9001, OSHA, HACCP, and EPA standards. Built strategic partnerships with insurers and compliance professionals to expand services beyond assessment into claims advocacy and vendor risk monitoring.
First person to hold this role at the organization. Built the educational curriculum and certification programs from the ground up, including the Professional Cannabis Risk Manager (PCRM) designation. Directed SaaS development for the Cannabis Risk Prevention Platform (CRP2) and the NCRM Academy learning management system. Hosted the Chronic Risk podcast and represented the association through public speaking, published articles, and industry webinars.
Led consulting and education engagements focused on improving cannabis market profitability and sustainability. Used proprietary performance toolsets combined with industry expertise to identify, prioritize, and reduce operational inefficiencies alongside client teams. Developed customized improvement syllabi to address vulnerabilities, strengthen operations, and connect operators with NCRM Academy courses matched to their needs.
Provided facility and workflow design, risk assessments, hazard identification, and worker safety training for cannabis businesses across multiple states. Wrote license applications in five states. Managed product inventory cleanup, compliance auditing, and safety program development for operators at various stages of maturity.
Collaborated on design and workflow for an 8,000 sq-ft state-of-the-art greenhouse facility. Created and directed the compliance and safety programs. Developed cultivation SOPs, implemented Worker Protection Standards and Integrated Pest Management protocols. Served as licensed pesticide applicator and METRC administrator. Managed harvest and trim teams alongside cultivation responsibilities including watering, cloning, transplanting, and pruning.
Designed a cannabis cultivation facility and developed SOPs for operations. Completed the state and county license application process, secured Planning and Zoning and Conditional Use Permit approval, and received one of Leadville, Colorado's first retail (recreational) marijuana cultivation licenses.
Background
Alex Hearding builds the risk management and quality infrastructure that most cannabis operations know they need but have never formalized. As Founder and President of Red Wolf Risk LLC, he works at the intersection of operational compliance, worker safety, and insurance advocacy, helping operators move from reactive to documented and defensible.
His proprietary OPS (Operational Preparedness System) framework assesses over 400 processes and controls across cultivation, manufacturing, and retail environments, producing the kind of documented risk profile that gives underwriters a reason to lower premiums. One client saved 40% on insurance costs in the first year, roughly $180,000, through the controls and documentation his program put in place.
Before founding Red Wolf Risk, Alex served as the first Chief Risk Management Officer for the National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA), where he built the organization's educational curriculum and certification programs. He holds Colorado's first-generation cultivation experience, having secured one of the state's earliest recreational licenses and managed a licensed greenhouse before shifting his full focus to risk management from inside the industry.
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