DENVER – Vangst, the premier talent matching and recruiting resource for the cannabis industry, and 70 Million Jobs, the first national, for-profit employment platform helping the millions of Americans with criminal records find jobs, today announces their strategic partnership aimed at facilitating the employment of people with records in the rapidly expanding cannabis space.
In most states where adult-use has been legalized, a background check is required and employment excludes people with felonies from working in the plant touching side of the business. While California, for example, does not require a background check, many cannabis companies still perform one as part of their hiring practices and can reject candidates with felony convictions. These laws and hiring practices prevent applicants with felony records getting jobs in an industry that is now legal, but sent many to prison in the past.
“Like all employers, our clients seek capable, committed talent who can help them grow their businesses,” said Vangst CEO and Founder Karson Humiston. “70 Million Jobs has created a community of 11 million job seekers who happen to have records. Our goal is to help these candidates succeed in finding opportunities through direct job opportunities, networking forums and expungement programs wherever possible through Vangst’s network of industry partners and clients.”
Last September, Vangst launched its social equity hiring program aimed at helping thousands of people negatively impacted by the War on Drugs find jobs in the cannabis space. The initiative kicked off in San Francisco and featured a record expungement clinic – one of the legal paths people with records can take to gain employment without exception.
“We were immediately drawn to Karson and her company,” said Richard Bronson, 70 Million Jobs’ Founder and CEO. “They’ve built great technology and dominate their industry. Most people in the cannabis industry understand they owe a debt of gratitude to those who were in this business before it was decriminalized. Our hope is to partner with Vangst to get more of these candidates back into the industry, legally and gainfully.”
The two companies will engage in a fee-sharing arrangement, helping social-equity-committed clients draw from 70 Million Jobs’ rich pool of applicants to fulfill both temporary and permanent placements.
For more information contact: Renee Cotsis, [email protected]
About Vangst
Vangst is the premier talent resource for the cannabis industry. Built on a network of the industry’s best people and widest-ranging career opportunities, Vangst helps employers and employees succeed in cannabis. From temporary GIGS jobs to full-time career placement, Vangst is trusted by the best teams in cannabis to meet their unique staffing needs, and has successfully placed over 10,000 candidates to-date for hundreds of cannabis companies, large and small. The Vangst team’s industry expertise and passion for the plant uniquely qualify them to help companies connect with the best job-seeking talent on the market, no matter the role. At the end of the day, Vangst is about getting cannabis to work – with smarter technology, unmatched experience, and the industry’s best community of talent. Learn more at Vangst.com.
About 70 Million Jobs
Based in Los Angeles, CA, 70 Million Jobs is the first national, for-profit employment platform for people with criminal records. With more than 11 million jobseekers in its community, the company has worked with more than 150 employers, including Uber, Safeway and Berkshire Hathaway. A Y Combinator company, 70 Million Jobs operates a staffing business (70MillionStaffing.com) and a job board (70MillionJobs.com). Its founder, Richard Bronson, who previously was a partner in the infamous “Wolf of Wall Street” brokerage firm, himself served a federal prison sentence.
