Crist began his hospitality industry career in restaurant and hotel operations, culminating in two years with Restaurant Guy Savoy (1981-1983). He then joined Latham International in New York City as an organizational development consultant focused on hospitality industry clients including PepsiCo and Marriott. After several years with Latham, Crist went on to Cornell University where he completed both an MBA and a Ph.D. degree, and where he has taught hospitality management and business courses since 1990.

In 1995, he was invited to lead the Tourism Competitiveness & Sustainable Development project, based at INCAE in Costa Rica. Early successes led to the founding of La Paz Group, as destinations outside the region wanted assistance in focusing strategy on the principles of conservation. Crist allocates 10% of his time each year teaching for Cornell University’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and lecturing at other universities around the world. He is currently primarily focused on the expansion of Organikos through product distribution in the USA.