Cannabis Pros Share the People and Groups Who Helped Them Get Started

question:

Who gave you the biggest helping hand in getting your career going?

• Pineapple Express CEO Shawn Credle (pictured, left) is a U.S. Marine Corps vet, a cannabis cowboy and a great boss. — Josh Eisenberg, Pineapple Express, Los Angeles, CA
• The team at Fluresh has been my biggest boost. The people and staff here love to train and teach. — Kevin Cleary, Fluresh, Grand Rapids, MI
• The military. The U.S. Air Force. — Robert Shumate, Curio Wellness, Cockeysville, MD
• Our CEO Dr. Chanda Macias is a wonderful person and has a huge base of knowledge to share. She’s been integral in my ongoing education on the nuances of medical marijuana. — Michael Smith, Advanced Biomedics, Lafayette, LA
• My parents and the University of Toronto Law School! — Paul Rosen, 1933 Industries, Las Vegas, NV
• A Pennsylvania-based, cannabis-focused attorney gave us excellent advice in getting this company started and how to thrive. — Teresa Kearney, Panacea Payroll, Pottstown, PA
• The City and County of San Francisco’s Social Equity Program gave us the crucial boost we needed and the whole team at Sunset Connect continues to be the biggest reason for our success. — Ali Jamalian, Sunset Connect, San Francisco, CA
• Shwifty Hemp Co. COO Chris Simmons took a chance on me in sales and I quickly came into my own in a logistics role. I cannot thank him enough for the opportunity. — Philip Papendick, Shwifty Hemp Co., Tallahassee, FL
• COVID. I know that sounds weird, but COVID completely shut down the business I was managing a few years ago. Afterwards, I was faced with plenty of management opportunities, but decided to make a field change into cannabis. I started out as a cultivation tech at another company and a couple months later, I interviewed and landed a compliance specialist position within that same company. Since then, I’ve just been racking up experience and learning more and getting out to network within the Massachusetts cannabis community wherever I can. — Katie Harevich, Good Feels, Medway, MA
• Ben Nadolny with Bud’s Goods & Provisions in Massachusetts and formerly with Fox Hollow Flora in Oregon is who I would name. — Jamie Campbell, Greenco Cannabis, Wilmington, DE
• The team at Green St. [a 70,000-sq. ft., nine-story building in Los Angeles, CA that is exclusively home to cannabis tenants] has been amazing and inclusive in developing the community in LA. — Craig Isaac, Banc of California, Los Angeles, CA