We’re a retained executive search firm that partners with cannabis and hemp companies looking to elevate their executive teams.
For the past 2 years we’ve helped industry-leading legal cannabis organizations fill their executive teams with passionate and experienced leaders.
That journey started with our sister company, The GIGG®. Over time we’ve evolved into Hunter + Esquire, which helps us continue to serve our cannabis clients’ executive hiring needs.
Hunter + Esquire is not a staffing agency. We’re a boutique firm that offers flexibility, tailored attention, and a passionate pursuit of excellence.
We believe in the “inch wide / mile deep” philosophy and offer our clients a tailored, white-glove recruitment service rooted in a deep expertise and world-class network.
To support our clients’ additional recruiting demands we partner with our sister company, The GIGG® which acquires talent for more general staffing needs.
Supporting the dynamic nature of the cannabis industry with laser focus.
At Hunter + Esquire, our approach to finding and securing top talent at the highest levels is based in decades of relevant experience in competitive industries such as BioTech, CPG, Technology, and more.
Now we focus our efforts exclusively on partnering with cannabis companies because we’re passionate about elevating the legitimacy and professionalization of the industry.
Our philosophy is that you cannot thrive at the highest levels in this industry by dabbling in it.
Which is why we’ve immersed ourselves completely in the dynamic and competitive playing fields of the cannabis and hemp industries.
Besides, how often in your career do you get the chance to help shape a whole new industry? Especially one that makes the world a better place.
We take our role in developing the cannabis industry seriously, and have dedicated our practice solely to supporting companies in the cannabis space.
A Deep Network Advantage and Bold Guarantee
In our minds, we view each client as a partner. When you connect with us, your network increases exponentially.
In an industry where many are in it just to make a buck, we are obsessed with excellence and quality.
We know you’re busy growing your company, so our job is to maximize your time, not waste it.
That means introducing you to the right people after we’ve put them through our rigorous vetting process and done the heavy lifting for you.
When you partner with us, you get “all of the juice” so to speak. You’ll work directly with our senior team, instead of getting handed down to a recruiter who’s just a cog in the wheel.
We put in the hard work because we love what we do. We’re passionate about pioneering professionalization in this industry.
We believe greatness is a achieved by deliberate attention, and long-term, relationship-focused dedication.
With a world-class network and a creative problem-solving approach, we’re confident we can help you fill any position with a strong, long-term fit.
That’s why we offer a bold guarantee, round-the-clock service, and a customized, white-glove treatment.
With a proven track record of success, our clients love working with us because we’re transparent, communicative, and most importantly, we deliver long-term results.
Unique Solutions for Unique Industry Challenges
Since many executive positions in the cannabis industry are newly-created roles, many companies struggle to find top talent because they lack a previous reference point.
It can also be difficult to creatively design a desirable compensation package and candidate experience which attracts best-in-class talent from a more established industry.
Of course, culture fit is also extremely important, and in this industry where almost every company is in the start-up phase, the company culture is often still being defined.
We help cannabis companies break through these unique challenges by offering a consultative approach to executive recruiting.
Since we’ve successfully recruited in other highly regulated industries, we’re uniquely qualified to help our clients understand and articulate the desired role accountabilities, candidate profiles, and experience they are looking to hire.
Then by leveraging our strong, expansive network, we’re able to put the right candidates through a rigorous vetting process – delivering top-talent that aligns perfectly with the desired profile, culture, compensation package, and long-term strategic plan.
Meet our Executive Team
I’m Bryan Passman, a husband, trailblazer and CEO of Hunter + Esquire. My partner Jessica supports Hunter + Esquire as our COO and General Counsel.
Together we launched Hunter + Esquire as a boutique service to serve the unmet need we saw for cannabis companies seeking to elevate their executive teams.
Jessica and I are great partners in life and in business. With Jessica’s background as an attorney and entrepreneur, and my background and extensive network in retained executive search, we deliver unique talent to fit our clients’ very specific needs.
Our client-first approach helps us deliver a customized, white-glove treatment to both our clients and the candidate.
Our vast and genuine networks support our relationship-focused approach, which we pair with a deep knowledge of both the cannabis space and the entire recruitment process.
You can learn more about our backgrounds and experience here.
Our Process
When you work with Hunter + Esquire, you won’t be handed down the chain to someone you haven’t vetted. You’ll have our senior team working closely with you from beginning to end.
When we work with new clients, we customize the process for our partner’s preference. However, we prefer to begin each new project with an in-depth Intake Call and communicate regularly through weekly status meetings.
For us, transparent, honest and consistent communication with our partners is a non-negotiable.
Our goal is to keep you updated, but not inundated, so we use tools such as shared documents to ensure you’re always up to date, but at your convenience.
With any search, we go deep into our large personal and professional networks which span across all applicable industries.
This involves a dive deep into our database of applicants, past-candidates, job postings, network referrals, directory listings, and established networks such as LinkedIn.
During our search, we also represent our partners to the executive candidate marketplace – providing direct brand exposure as your ambassadors to attract top-talent, and raving fans.
Rising Together Toward a Better Future
When you partner with Hunter + Esquire, you’ll partner with creative thinkers, trailblazers, and passionate industry advocates…
… but we’re also dedicated and experienced professionals committed to elevating and legitimizing the cannabis industry.
Instead of treating executive recruitment transactionally, we’re dedicated to continuous improvement and a relationship-focused approach.
Our field is a blank canvas and we approach every day as a challenge. We’re not afraid to take a step back and approach an old problem in new ways – creatively solving problems that no one has solved before.
They say the rising tide lifts all ships, and at Hunter + Esquire, we believe this industry can only succeed if we all work together to move toward a professionalized future.
Our commitment to you is to help you elevate your brand, your business, and our industry so we can all rise together.
If you’d like to partner with an executive search agency that goes beyond recruitment, and offers you a personalized, tailored approach then click here to contact us.
