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OLD FRIENDS

PayRio Founder Aubrey Amatelli definitely struck gold in one of her very first hires: Chase Nightingale. PayRio takes a lot of pride in the handpicked team that they have painstakingly built. The process hasn’t been easy, but the results have been fantastic!

Aubrey and Chase grew up in the same neighborhood in San Jose, CA. Aubrey actually babysat Chase in their younger years! After High School, he attended San Diego State University and got a Bachelor Degree in Marketing. But landing a job after college was proving to be difficult. As we all know, the economy has been rough lately, with hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs in 2022-2023.

When Aubrey launched PayRio, and almost simultaneously found out that a freshly graduated Chase was looking for work, it seemed almost kismet. She reached out, and Chase officially became PayRio’s first contracted employee.

He had no idea that the company had anything to do with Cannabis when he first heard about the position. Finding out that PayRio focused on servicing the Cannabis industry made him want to dive right in.

“I have such an appetite for entrepreneurship and start-ups. I’ve never wanted to work at an established company and just be a cog in the system. I want my work to be important. I want to be a part of something I actually care about, and can grow with. PayRio checked all my boxes.”

Chase has had a huge impact on PayRio, and the success of its customers. So who better to do our very first Team Member Highlight on?? I hopped onto a Google Meet with him, we sparked up some Cannabis, and our interview began!

A Youthful Perspective on Cannabis & E-Commerce

One of the first things I asked Chase was about his experience in the industry. (Or really, the lack thereof.)

Q: In an industry that places such emphasis on experience, legacy, etc… I’m sure it can be a bit intimidating coming into the Cannabis space as a college grad. How do you think you can use your youth as an advantage?

A: “The lack of experience has definitely been a little roadblock here and there. I’m newer to the workforce in general, and I’m working for a start-up. So it’s a double whammy… And the Cannabis industry is a whole different world on top of everything, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind of exciting opportunities and potential growth….

I think the benefits of being a young person in this industry is that you come in with new perspectives. I haven’t really been shaped by any of the past stigmas on the plant. It’s something I’ve grown up around, being a young person from the Bay Area. It’s in our culture here…

So I’m coming into the Cannabis industry and acting as a sponge. Taking my inexperience, turning that into an asset, and using it to learn from a lot of the established people in this space. Hopefully 5 years down the line, I’ll be someone that new people in this industry can come to for advice.”

Q: You’ve really been focusing in on e-commerce. How has that been going?

A: “I had some experience with e-commerce in college. Aubrey had expertise in e-commerce… So I figured ‘There’s a lot of synergies here, on top of it being something I’m passionate about…’ Aubrey spent a lot of time vetting out the best tech partners. We wanted to continue on with the high-risk sector, because that is where we saw the most opportunity to help.

We started with a lot of ancillary, non plant touching businesses, since we knew we couldn’t process THC payments online. As I continued to do that, I noticed other industries, and other ‘Health and Wellness’  businesses, like ones that offer alternative cannabinoids, also in desperate need of a compliant cannabis payment solution. I saw some companies having to take mail order cash payments, or they could only use crypto… The same process that gambling websites used. I just thought that was ridiculous.

We have now partnered with some of the biggest CBD and High Risk Processing banks in the United States, who have the ability to underwrite these businesses. That allows us to enable them to be compliant, scalable, and secure in their payment processing. With industry low pricing, I might add!”

WELCOMING AND GROWING

Q: What is something that has surprised you about working in the Cannabis Industry?

“Honestly just the overall vibe of the people that I interact with. I’ve had the pleasure of attending a bunch of Cannabis industry events, my first one being MJBizCon back in November. I was super nervous and uncomfortable beforehand… Something that really helped me loosen up was the vibe of the people around me. Everyone was very welcoming. Standing outside of the convention, watching everyone smoke, seeing these huge, billowing clouds everywhere. I had more meaningful conversations out there than I did on the conference floor. I met people there whom I still talk to today. “

Q: What has been your favorite part about working in Cannabis?

“The fact that I’m getting to be a part of such a growing community, and such a passionate community. It makes me want to be involved, and I wake up every single day like ‘Yes, we are helping all the companies we work with grow, and we are giving these high-risk companies platforms that they wouldn’t necessarily have access to.’ It offers them a bit of scalability, compliance, and security, which are pillars that every business has the right to. We are starting to see a change, and I’m just happy to be a part of that change.”

WRAPPING UP

I have tried to stick with my blogs overall theme and make these interviews last for 20 minutes… (See what I did there?) So as the clock inched closer to the end of my 20 minute interview with Chase, I asked him the same last question I had asked PayRios Founder, Aubrey Amatelli, when I did her Founder Feature piece:

Q: If you could choose 2-3 famous stoners to share a joint with, who would it be?

(I ask the important questions here at For:20 Minutes…)

A: The first one that came to my mind was Seth Rogan, just because I want to hear his laugh. His laugh makes me laugh… And then it would probably have to be Wiz Khalifa because he was one of the first Rappers that I remember that really represented Cannabis, and just was that image. I remember being younger believing that Khalifa Kush was probably the strongest weed ever.” He remembered with a giggle.

The Cannabis industry is constantly evolving. You have to be sharp, and have a lot of stamina to survive in this space. Cannabis payment solutions can be an especially tricky sector to make work. But Chase is making things look easy. He is dedicated to helping his customers not only survive in the Cannabis industry, but thrive.

If you run a cannabis dispensary, or a “high-risk” e-commerce company, and you need help navigating the hectic world that is payment solutions, give Chase Nightingale a call. He genuinely cares, and will help make the process much easier for you and your business.