Cannabis Business Times is pleased to announce that its eighth annual “Best Cannabis Companies to Work For” program, which identifies and recognizes the best employers in the industry, is now accepting entries. The program is open to all cannabis businesses, including plant-touching operators and ancillary companies based in the U.S. or Canada, with at least 10 employees.
“We launched the 'Best Cannabis Companies to Work For' program in 2020 to celebrate companies that have created great places to work in the cannabis industry,” said Noelle Skodzinski, Cannabis Business Times’ founder and editorial director. “We wanted to recognize those companies that truly value people and their contributions and go out of their way to create workplace cultures that demonstrate that value.”
The research-based program – conducted in partnership with independent research firm Workforce Research Group – ranks employers based on input from company leadership (20% of each company’s overall score) and on employee feedback (80% of each company’s overall score) through an anonymous employee survey.
Not only does the program help jobseekers find great places to work, but it also helps ranking “Best Companies” gain a leg up in attracting great employees, Skodzinski said. Another benefit is that the annual program helps others learn what great companies do to create supportive, engaging work environments.
And, engaging employees is no easy task. Just one in every five employees (20%) worldwide is engaged in their job, according to Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace 2026” report. And low engagement is not only seen in low morale and company culture, but in the bottom line. “Employees who are not engaged or actively disengaged lead to less profitable organizations,” the report stated. Low engagement also results in higher turnover rates, which is costly to businesses.
So, companies with high employee engagement truly stand out and gain significant advantages beyond boosting morale and the bottom line. Highly engaged employees achieve greater productivity and profitability, and higher customer loyalty/engagement, among other things, per Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey. They also achieve less employee theft and fewer quality defects, according to the survey.
Ranking as a “Best Cannabis Company to Work For” also “communicates something important” to the cannabis industry at large and potential clients and customers, said Clarke Lyons, vice president of brand marketing and growth at Paragon Payroll, which ranked as a “Best Cannabis Company to Work For” in 2025 and 2026. (Ranking companies are featured by Cannabis Business Times and can display the program logo on their websites and in their email signatures, in recruiting and marketing materials, and even on product packaging.)
The feature image from Paragon Payroll's profile in Cannabis Business Times' feature story on the "Best Cannabis Companies to Work For - 2026," showing the 'Women Leaders' at Paragon Payroll in Chicago during one of the company's leadership conference hosted by the company's CEOs. This is Paragon's second consecutive year ranking as a "Best Cannabis Company to Work For."Photo courtesy of Paragon Payroll
"Being recognized as a ‘Best Company’ is about far more than receiving an award. It's a reflection of a belief that has always guided us: When you genuinely invest in your people, they naturally invest in the people they serve,” Lyons said.
Paragon Payroll's booth, displaying the "Best Cannabis Companies to Work For 2026" logo, at a recent MJ Unpacked show.Photo courtesy of Paragon Payroll
Lyons added, “That's why we're proud to display the ‘Best Company’ logo throughout our events, partnerships, community initiatives, and customer communications. For us, it's more than a badge of recognition; it's a symbol of who we are at our core. … Long before we speak about our services, that emblem communicates something important: that we believe business succeeds when people flourish.”
Displaying the ‘Best Companies’ logo on various industry- and client-facing initiatives, such as prominently displaying it in Paragon’s trade show booths, “serves as a visible reminder that our greatest strength is our people, and that by taking care of them, we're better equipped to take care of everyone else. We're honored to share that message, and we're committed to living up to it every day," Lyons said.
Holden Farahani, CEO of Summit Made – which ranked as a ‘Best Company’ in 2024, 2025 and 2026 – said, “Being named one of Cannabis Business Times’ ‘Best Cannabis Companies to Work For’ multiple years in a row means a lot to us because it reflects the culture our team has built together."
The feature image from Summit's profile in Cannabis Business Times' feature story on the "Best Cannabis Companies to Work For - 2026," showing one of Summit's 4/20 cookouts. Summit ranked #10 on the overall list and ranked #2 in the "Cultivation" category in 2026.Photo courtesy Summit
He added, “In cannabis, the work is demanding, and consistency only happens when people feel respected, supported, and proud of what they are doing. We use the recognition on our website because it tells customers, partners, and future employees something important about Summit Made: the quality of the product starts with the quality of the team behind it.”
Summit Made's website showcases its awards, including the logos from three consecutive years ranking as a "Best Cannabis Company to Work For."
In addition to gaining the opportunity to be recognized for being great places to work, all companies that enter, whether they rank as a ‘Best Company’ or not, have the ability to purchase from the Workforce Research Group an Employee Feedback Data Dashboard, which provides aggregated employee feedback and benchmarks to help the companies identify ways to improve their work environments and better engage employees.
In addition to gaining the opportunity to be recognized for being great places to work, all companies that enter, whether they rank as a ‘Best Company’ or not, have the ability to purchase from the Workforce Research Group an Employee Feedback Data Dashboard, which provides aggregated employee feedback and benchmarks to help the companies identify ways to improve their work environments and better engage employees.
Cannabis businesses can get more information about the program and enter to be a Best Cannabis Company here.
View ranking companies from 2026’s Best Cannabis Companies to Work For program here.
