Karson Humiston
Age: 23
Company: Gradujuana
Position: Founder and president
Karson Humiston launched one of the leading staffing agencies in cannabis while still attending classes at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Seeing her father’s active involvement in cannabis politics, Humiston sought to find her own niche in the industry by attending conferences and trade shows in her free time.
She regularly asked exhibitors what their biggest problems were, “and over and over again they said finding and keeping strong talent in this industry,” she says.
Humiston built her company, Gradujuana, to identify and place professionals within the cannabis industry. The agency works to match candidates and companies.
Gradujuana actively mines the industry for professionals, so when opportunity comes, Humiston is already there with the right person.
“We’re not big job board people,” she says. “Posting on Craigslist doesn’t work.”
In its first year, Gradujuana has helped companies fulfill their staffing needs in California, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Nevada.