WOMEN IN WEED nwLEAF.COM
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ARIELLEIGH
Director of HR and Compliance at LESTER FARMS Lester Farms is a Tier-2 producer based in Raymond. When they began operations in 2016, they knew they needed someone organized to join their team. The founders brought on Ariel Leigh, who had recently graduated college in Seattle alongside her boyfriend Kyle, who is now President of Lester Farms. Originally a medical grow, the now-recreational Lester Farms is best known for their Canna-Tsu, a high CBD and award-winning cultivar, which is exclusively sold through Liberty Reach. Ariel and Kyle were fresh out of college, and when the opportunity was presented to move away from Seattle to join the team, they thought “we can stay here and continue to grind and grind, and not feel like we’re getting anywhere trying to climb the corporate ladder, or we can start something for ourselves.” Ariel is the Director of Human Resources and Compliance at Lester Farms, in the rural town of Raymond, Washington. Boy, was I surprised to see the Cannabis friendly signs along the road on the drive in to town! First the sign for ‘Tokeland’, and the next sign exclaimed “Raymond has gone to pot!” Ariel assured me that these signs were friendly and not in protest of the booming business. She explained that Raymond was one of the first cities to allow legal Cannabis businesses. Previously a logging town that has since seen unemployment on the rise, the locals were eager to have opportunities to start fresh. Ariel recalled her initial fears about moving to Raymond, “I was really scared because I didn’t know what it would be like living in a small town.” She wondered about the political climate of the town, and if she would be welcomed there. “That immediately changed when we moved down here, the whole town is so happy that the Cannabis industry is coming and bringing more life and families into the town.” She didn’t expect the town to be so supportive and neighborly, something she never experienced in Seattle, but she happily said that she has even
DEC. 2018
made friends in town. Joining the Cannabis industry wasn’t always so easy for Ariel, however: “when I first started I felt like an outsider a little bit. I didn’t know a lot [about Cannabis]. I didn’t smoke a lot, so I didn’t feel like I fit in.” Now that Ariel has been immersing herself into local groups and meetups, she has found that “there is so much more to the industry,” as far as consumption is concerned. “There are people who don’t even smoke, they just use topicals or eat edibles. There
are so many different people who contribute to the industry.” One of the most admirable things about Ariel is that she dove head first into this industry, despite her fears that her lack of technical Cannabis knowledge would hold her back. Although she had recently obtained her degree in Human Resources, the initial needs at Lester Farms were deeply rooted in agriculture. Four employees were working 7am to 8pm for the first five months, building out their facility, hand watering the plants, and learning the systems that would work best for them. Ariel’s list of responsibilities in the beginning included, but was not limited to, compliance, garden maintenance, OSHA, payroll, accounts payable, and the beastly BioTrack. Most of these responsibilities are full-time jobs when not combined, and it’s not easy to do it all! Ariel remembers giving up a “part of her soul” while “trying to figure out seed to sale.” Despite the challenges, Ariel says she “hasn’t looked back since,” stepping up to the plate to take on these multiple positions. “It was like a polar plunge learning everything about pot,” Ariel reminisced, as she recalls the days of trying to decipher what was wrong with the plants: “I was learning as I was going.” Eventually it got to a point where the team was working efficiently enough to hire some help, which allowed Ariel to step back from the grow aspect, and focus more on Human Resources as well as other executive duties. “I’m really thankful that we did what we did in the beginning, because I wouldn’t know anything about the plant. Learning all that about Cannabis actually helped me appreciate it so much more.” Like most of us experienced users, Ariel now knows exactly what she wants when she smokes.
STORY & PHOTOS by DANIELLE HALLE @SWEET.DEEZY