First ever County Cannabis Job Fair draws huge numbers

More than 300 people stopped by the Little Lake Grange Thursday during the first hour of the Cannabis Job Fair, according to Mendocino Cannabis Resource Center founder and organizer Karen Byars.

Hundreds of "trimmingrants" and young people dressed in business casual attire could be seen walking around the downtown area on their way to and from the event which, according to organizers, was the first ever in Mendocino County.

Scheduled for a four hour block, Byars said in addition to hosting 25 to 30 employers and exhibitors at the venue, job seekers and individuals seeking more information about all aspects of the emerging industry were invited to network and to speak with potential business partners or employers.

There was a festive atmosphere rarely seen in the typical job fair as young people dressed in a mix of business casual attire, with resumes on their persons, to more casually dressed attendees all mingled outside the Grange, playing guitar, networking with each other and generally taking in the atmosphere. Byars noted according to results of a survey she conducted, 75 percent of attendees registered for the event had local zip codes.

According to the organization's website, employee exhibitors included Flow Kana, Old Kai Logistics, the Mendocino Group, California Grow Services, the Mendocino County Growers Alliance, and Happy Day Farms among many others.

The event undoubtedly profited from a shift in the cannabis culture as local municipalities grapple with updating regional ordinances in the wake of continuing changes in County regulations concerning cultivation and manufacturing.

For example, in nearby Ukiah, according to a report on The Ukiah Daily Journal, the planning commission approved a permit Wednesday for the first cannabis dispensary to complete an application since the city decided to once again allow such business to operate within its borders, despite some commissioners' reservations over marijuana culture.

On the same day, the Willits City Council approved a medical marijuana ordinance addressing entitled medical cannabis activities relating to the cultivation, processing, distribution and dispensing of medical cannabis. Council members seemed resigned to accept the growing mainstream cannabis cultural paradigm, often commenting that the industry is not going away and that regulation is a way to control the black market aspects and safety issues which people express as concerns tied to the industry.

Jessica Bowlds said she travelled from Southern California with friends because a group of them were looking for work in the industry and looking for seasonal jobs at regional farms or wherever they could find them. She said she has also worked in Colorado and other states throughout the country.

"I had no idea there were going to be these many people here today, it's a little overwhelming, but also exciting," she said. "This area, the 'Emerald Triangle' seems alive and poised to offer a lot of different opportunities, from marketing to consulting, so I wanted to check it out and see if I could get in the ground floor, sort of speak of something new and potentially lucrative."

Inn keeper and former wine sales representative Michelle Bishop also attended the job fair and said she is interested in seeing where the industry is heading and how it can work together with the existing wine industry in the region.

"I think this is a well organized event." she said. "Everyone seems very open about what they are offering and about meeting different needs."

Bishop and her husband are innkeepers at Jug Handle creek Farm and Nature Center located in Caspar, situated on more than 35 acres just five minutes north of Mendocino. The center is a non- profit focusing on restoration and education projects focusing on water resources. Bishop said the wine industry in California is struggling and she would like to find a way to start educating people about new opportunities in the new economy.

Tara Sims, a sales representative for Ukiah-based California Grow Services offering trimming, seasonal labor and distribution, among other services, said she was also impressed by the sheer volume of applicants.

"We have been collecting many applications," she said displaying a folder with approximately 50-60 apps. "There's some really good people looking to learn about the industry and looking to get in on the ground floor," she said. Sims said she and her husband have been running their own processing operation and personal farms for six years.

Organizers deemed the job fair a success, often citing the larger than expected turnout. Anna Foster has been volunteer with KB Cannabusiness over the past two months organizing the event and helping people with filling out resumes specific to the industry.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the organization offered several resume workshops to job applicants.

"We ran out of name tags and registration forms," Foster said. "It was good to see everyone has different needs and those needs are being met. People are used to leaving out their cannabis related skills from their resumes, so it's a matter of teaching people how to blend their industry skills to the job they seek."

Foster added that generally, applicant should only include sills relevant to the position they seek. As an example, she cited retail jobs where skills learned in those types of positions can be transferred to cannabis industry jobs.

Dustin Gibbens, president of Family First Farms said the event had a much bigger turnout than he anticipated. In addition to offering jobs in heavy machinery operation, trimming, farming and as lab technicians, he said his Covelo based company, which currently has about 30 employees is looking to address some niche areas of the industry.

"I see a lot of cultivators that for whatever reason, aren't interested in getting permitted," he said. "They are looking for some stable employment. The immediate challenge is the rules are constantly changing. The County policies are always shifting. One challenge is finding guys with the right qualifications and backgrounds. They are not easy to find."

A young applicant dressed in business attire and carrying a small briefcase said his name was Alex, but did not want his last name identified. He said he is not a Mendocino County resent, being from out of state. He said he attended the job fair to network and to look for employment like many others, adding he was also surprised at the turnout.

"It was worth the trip up," he said. "There are a lots of opportunities here and I think it should be fruitful for the County."

Zack Johnson also volunteered to organize the event.

He said most people he came into contact with at the job fair said they came with a purpose to try and get into the business while it is still blossoming into more of a structured capitalist forms.

"The days of working under the table are over," he said.

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