Lauren Gibbs
Founder, Dreamer, Hemp Advocate
Here at Root for Hemp, hemp is always the main character. However, my passion for hemp is personal. My path to this moment informs our mission everyday, so allow me to tell you my story. As always, the past is a prologue.
On the eve of legalization, I moved to Colorado for the iconic outdoor lifestyle and legal cannabis culture. I stepped into the burgeoning legal cannabis space in 2014 as a Founding Member of Women Grow. I co-produced the documentary film Mary Janes: The Women of Weed. When Annie Nelson, Willie Nelson’s wife, invited me to join the brain trust behind the legendary brand Willie's Reserve, I was ALL IN. In a teenage-dream-come-true moment, I was profiled in High Times Series “Good People Smoke Marijuana.” Legal states proved the power of the cannabis consumer, and I was here for it.
Rising with the boom of social media, there was a lot about that time that was so exciting. But other times it was oh so disappointing, with shadow banning and even deleting of accounts of advocacy initiatives and budding businesses.
Legal cannabis businesses and tokers alike still suffer from the lingering stigma and harms of prohibition of the past and today into the metaverse and beyond. Trails had been blazed, but unprecedented friction remained presenting enormous risks for the growth of the industry and normalization of the plant. We could have done it better.
The Farm Bill passed in 2018 legalizing hemp nationally. Let’s be clear: hemp and cannabis are basically the same plant, but the government has categorized varieties as hemp when they contain less than 0.3% THC. Hemp had been banned along with more potent psychoactive varieties during prohibition, in part because they are so hard to distinguish. A lot about this doesn't make sense. If the plant is good enough for medicine, why don't we embrace hemp’s versatility elsewhere? Choosing hemp today is not just a private choice, it is a public statement in support of the whole plant.
Today’s confusing legal landscape left me with so many questions and frustrations...
When building from the ground up, there was a huge opportunity to make it better. The cannabis industry ended up being another boys club. I was burnt out and needed a break from the cannabis space. I stepped back and smoked a joint about it for 4 more years.
I am currently a Realtor serving my community in a different way. I love empowering the person right in front of me to change their lives and discover the freedoms that come with owning a home. As an activist and resource in local sustainability efforts, many folks ask my advice on how to do good on their own patch of this Earth.
Sitting at the intersection of home and hemp, I found my new cause. I dreamt of hemp having its moment. Frustration turned to disappointment and gave me time to reflect deeply on how the market for hemp products just wasn't there. If only someone could sell everything hemp for a home.
My professional career was forged in the fire that is DC, on Capitol Hill, and I’ve always been driven by a cause-based mentality. In the early 2000s, I joined the team behind Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and found myself immersed in other legendary forces in progressive politics. I understand deeply that although change may be authorized by those seats of power, it is driven by The People and passionate advocates, like me.
Hemp is the headliner of a progressive plant-based future that is shaping up to be a great show. I am not here to just sell hemp products. I am here to inspire you with a vision for this future. I am here to put hemp in The People’s hands for household and lifestyle needs. I am here to educate and empower you to become an everyday advocate for the plant. I’ve always been here to be a force for change. I am in my hemp era.
Will you join me?
......
Stacy Lissandrello
Co-founder, CEO, Operations Queen
Stacy Lissandrello joined the Root for Hemp as our financial backer and Co-Founder shortly after the idea was dreamt up by Lauren Gibbs. Stacy is a true believer in the possibilities of hemp, and her mission is to scale our business sustainably while treating the Earth and people right.
Stacy brings a wealth of experience in supply chain operations, finance, and scaling. Over nearly 7 years, she held many roles at Amazon, including Director of Delivery Operations for Amazon Logistics where she led the Pacific Northwest Delivery when Amazon was scaling its delivery service.
Stacy previously co-founded Mochila Fulfillment, a warehousing and fulfillment service specializing in direct to consumer e-commerce brands. Stacy served as Vice President of Fulfillment Center Operations, a jack-of-all-trades role where she led operations of fulfillment centers, contributed to the development of proprietary software, all while the business scaled from an empty warehouse to a bicoastal fulfillment network. For 5 years, Stacy never sat down - trekking up to 50,000 steps per day during peak season. At any given time Stacy could be found doing any job in the warehouse, including driving a forklift. She was obsessed with creating the best possible experience for their clients’ customers by getting the right packages to the right people, on time, every time.
Most recently Stacy was Director of Global Customer Support at Coinbase, a crypto currency trading platform. In this role, she led a global team of customer support associates through a strategic scale down when the market was down, then rapid scale up when the crypto market was up again. Stacy’s experience with this cutting edge industry has contributed to her enthusiasm for the bright future of hemp.
Stacy has an MBA from the University of Washington and an undergraduate degree in Math and Economics from Colby College.
Stacy is now the CEO and Operations Queen at Root for Hemp, another jack-of-all-trades role. Stacy is based in Hailey, Idaho, where she manages the Root for Hemp order fulfillment center. In her free time you can find her playing in the mountains with her husband and dogs.
