For Hunter+Esquire, executive recruiting is a family affair.

Since 2017, husband and wife team Bryan and Jessica Passman have been leaders in cannabis industry executive recruitment and human capital advisory. Their search firm, Hunter + Esquire, expanded its offerings in 2020 to psychedelics medicine businesses in need of such expertise.

"We were the first executive search firm that focused exclusively on the cannabis plant," said Bryan. "We're now recognized as a trusted go-to firm for businesses seeking to hire experienced professionals into their cannabis, hemp or psychedelics organizations."

A few ingredients to Hunter + Esquire's success are their incredible knowledge of the regulatory and political landscape, industry trends, and human capital needs that are required to run a successful company in these nascent industries. Bryan and Jessica also credit their size as an advantage, as it allows them to take more time to understand their clients' needs, now and in the future.

"We're a boutique operation, and that's a superpower for us," said Jessica. "We aren't beholden to any type of big burdensome hierarchy or process. By staying small, we are able to be more thoughtful and strategic in our placements because we can make the very worthwhile time investment that allows us to become experts on our clients’ organizations, which then allows us to partner with them more effectively."

Another strategic advantage is their dedication to the plant itself. Whereas some recruiters see cannabis as a quick opportunity, Hunter + Esquire sees the bigger picture. Their relationship with the plant runs deep and they are passionate believers in the futures of those who have been a part of building the legal industry in recent years.

Jessica and Bryan Passman have been leaders in executive recruitment for the cannabis industry since 2017.

Hunter + Esquire believes that the industry has only just begun to take off, and that the possibilities are endless for how the plant can be incorporated into medicine, food, cosmetics, and more. And because they have significant prior talent acquisition experience and advisement in the life sciences, medical technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food and beverage and consumer packaged goods, Hunter + Esquire is perfectly positioned to help companies succeed.

"Eventually, well-known major consumer package goods (CPG) companies are going to enter this space. Whether it's hemp, cannabis, CBD or something else, it's almost inevitable that corporations like Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and others are going to enter the space. We stand ready to assist them in building out the teams that will create and run their hemp and cannabis business units.”

While that is not likely to be a near-term need, the future of cannabis and hemp is coming pretty fast. Big corporations are going to need a partner who knows the landscape and the players. And when that happens, Hunter + Esquire will be there to partner.