A human channel of job seekers lined up outside of a business in Sacramento Saturday for the chance to network and find employment in cannabis.
The Cannabis Job Fair had some people waiting as long as two hours to enter the Hacker Lab in midtown get in.
We’re here to spot talent that could be with us as we grow for the future as well,” said Marj Hebert of Connected Sacramento.
With cannabis now legal for recreational use in California, employers like Paul Amaro of Northstar Holistic need help in a hurry.
“So Jan. 1 we had about 30 members on staff,” Amaro said. “Now we’re about to double that so it’s growing for sure.”
Hebert is recruiting new people for various jobs including cultivation and distribution.
“We have over 130 [employees] and we expect to have 300 by year’s end or maybe the middle of next year,” Hebert said. “We have a lot of revenue flowing into Stockton, into Sacramento. It is a boon for the state.”
People who know how to count money are also high in demand.
“I’m looking for financial people as well as senior accountants, financial analysts because now we have to figure out telling the story,” Hebert said.
Telling the story about how marijuana is becoming a multi-billion dollar industry is something that job seeker Veronica Velenz is hoping to do. She said she wants to be a brand ambassador, a position that requires a lot of outreach through social media.
“You’re pretty much on Instagram,” Valenz explained. “You just go on and you talk about different products. You do different groups and different companies a shout out and you let them know what you’re all about and what that product is like,” Valenz said.
Knowing about different varieties of cannabis is important, and that’s something James Dearborn has been studying for since college.
“I went to ARC (American River College) to learn horticultural,” Dearborn said. “So besides cannabis I grow everything, other stuff too.”
But it’s cannabis that’s capturing center stage at the Sacramento Job Fair.
“We’re looking for production techs, kitchen techs, a whole bunch of sales people, and really excited about the turnout we’re seeing today,” said Landon Lang of Infusion Factory.
Organizers were surprised by the overwhelming response to Saturday’s event. Plans to utilize a much bigger facility the next time they hold a cannabis job fair is being considered.
