For the past four years, Cannabis Business Times has published “The Best Cannabis Companies to Work For – Cultivation and Dispensary” programs, which recognize businesses that have created environments where employees feel they are valued, are recognized for work well done and have opportunities to grow. Best Companies Group, an independent research firm that specializes in identifying great places to work, manages and organizes the program, and determines the rankings.
The five cultivation companies and eight dispensary businesses highlighted in CBT's February 2023 issue ranked on this year’s lists primarily because of their teams. Scores from anonymous employee questionnaires for both cultivation companies and dispensaries about areas such as communication, pay and benefits and training and development comprise 75% of a company’s score. Employee feedback is the most important aspect of this program, as companies are ranked because staff members have indicated that their leaders support, inspire, motivate and engage them. More information on how Best Cannabis Companies are selected can be found here. Many more companies applied for the 2023 “Best Cannabis Companies to Work For” programs, but companies had to score at least 80% on employee satisfaction surveys and achieve a certain participation rate in order to be recognized here.
CBT editors had conversations with owners, CEOs, VPs of cultivation and directors of operations and more, who responded to questions such as, What kind of culture do you try to foster at your company? What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? And, why cannabis?
The articles presented below are in “as-told-to” style interviews, many entirely using quotes from leaders of the 2023 “Best Cannabis Companies to Work For.”
...these businesses recognize that their employees are integral in finding a viable path forward and achieving continued success.
Inside these pages, you’ll find honest and often heartfelt stories from cannabis business managers and executives not only about how they have supported and encouraged the employees around them to build trust and collaboration—and have fun—but you’ll also hear about what inspired them to join this industry and how they navigate challenging times.
CBT has published excerpts from these conversations, which you can find via links below, to discover more about cannabis business leaders’ working past, their inspirations for building and growing their businesses, and how they have structured and sustained successful teams.
Many of the stories here address how flexibility goes a long way in a cannabis business. As the industry faces challenges in the forms of price compression, procuring materials from the global supply chain and competing with the illicit market, these businesses recognize that their employees are integral in finding a viable path forward and achieving continued success.
—Patrick Williams, managing editor, and Michelle Simakis, editor-in-chief
