from seed
to sale

Kristi Hensley on the joys and challenges of the cannabis industry.

By Rebekah Hall Scott
Photography By Ebony Blevins

.Kristi Hensley, director of operations, in a grow room at River Valley Relief Cultivation

As the director of operations for River Valley Relief Cultivation in Fort Smith, Kristi Hensley deals in the daily logistics of processing, packaging and delivering cannabis products. First hired to run the new company’s packaging department in 2021, Hensley has grown with River Valley Relief since its inception. She sat down with the Arkansas Cannabis Times to share lessons and experiences from the helm of production at the smallest cultivation facility in the state.

What were you doing before you came to River Valley Relief, and why did you make the transition?

I worked previously at a bottling facility here in Fort Smith for 16 years. I was at a point in my career there where I was not going anywhere. It was right around the time that River Valley Relief had just announced it was going to start hiring, that they were going to open up a facility, and it was literally right down the road from where I worked. So I jumped on the opportunity. I’m a person that likes to learn, and I like to grow. With their mission and what they were trying to do, I wanted to be a part of it. Soon I was promoted to inventory manager, and my strengths as a leader were recognized pretty quickly by Ryan Kenaga [president of River Valley Relief], which led me to being the director of operations now. 

What are your responsibilities as the director of operations?

We are a baby company, so I have been involved with everything from the very beginning. In my role as inventory manager, I was the sole person that was responsible for the daily transactions in BioTrack. It’s the seed-to-sale system that the state uses for tracking our inventory. That system not being user friendly led us to work on developing a better system, which I have been involved with from the beginning. 

Right now, I have a team of eight managers that run the show for me. So I delegate what we need to do and they get it done. I’ll do a morning walk-through, checking the room conditions. I’m usually one of the first ones here, so I like to go in before everybody else and see where the crew left it the night before. Just checking in with everybody every morning and making sure that they’ve got all that they need. 

I’m responsible for lots of logistics, including deliveries. I work with my vault manager Aaron Merrill, he’s like my right hand, I couldn’t do it without him. We schedule all of the deliveries in the state — with one van, by the way. It took some work, but we’ve figured it out. I’ve learned so much from this team. Most of them have cannabis production knowledge, so I’m learning every day, which I love. They have taught me so much more than I have taught them, I’m sure, but it’s rewarding. Every day is just rewarding.

What is it like working so closely with River Valley Relief president Ryan Kenaga? What have you learned from his leadership?

Ryan and I have developed a brother-sister relationship. I’m here for him and he’s here to help me and guide me and mold me. We’re close in age, and we’ve kind of been through the same things growing up. He’s really patient with me. He gets down on my level where I can understand the business part of it. The production side, that’s my wheelhouse, I’ve got you all day. But when it comes to the business, and the sales, and the financial side of stuff, he’s really been patient in taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes and how to be successful. And I’m grateful for that. He took a chance on me without a college degree. He said, ‘You’ve got 16 years experience in manufacturing — that’s a doctorate as far as I’m concerned.’ And that’s something that’s just always stuck with me. We’ve got a good bond. I trust him, he trusts me. 

What are some of the challenges of working in the cannabis industry?

It is ever evolving. What is happening this year might change next year. I’ve found that it feels like we’re starting over every year, with new laws or processes. Since we are a baby company, we are looking to improve and evolve ourselves. We’re always having to take a step back and look at what we’re doing and see how we can make it better.

What do you love about working in this industry? What joy do you find from it that is different from your previous experience?

I have got to say, it’s the feedback that I see from patients. Knowing that what we’re doing is helping somebody. It matters. Everybody has their cannabis journey, and when I see that we’re a part of someone’s journey, I know that I’m doing it for the right reasons. I’m a patient myself, and I use our products. I rely heavily on one in particular that we make which, if I didn’t have it for my day to day, I would be miserable. It is really gratifying to know that we are making a good impact out there.

In this issue of Arkansas Cannabis Times, we’re highlighting women in the cannabis industry in Arkansas. What has your experience been as a woman in a leadership role in this industry? Have you faced any pushback because of your gender?

I wouldn’t say pushback, more so as not being heard. I had to find my voice. I leaned on Annie Iselin [senior director of operations for Bold Cultivation] as a mentor in this industry, on how to navigate this boys club. Talking with her, she helped me find that voice inside me that can command a building full of young employees and keep them in line. To be recognized as someone who has something to say. I’ve always been a person who, my actions will show that, but sometimes you’ve got to have that voice, too. I’m building confidence that I didn’t have before. 

There’s not enough of us, but I’m a woman’s woman. I love women. We’re all here to support each other, and every woman I’ve met in the industry has been nothing but open and has shared things that have helped them along the way. I’ve seen that there is a sisterhood.

What are you excited about for River Valley Relief in the coming year?

With dialing things in, we’re finding ourselves with more flower. More flower means we have potential to make more products. There’s one in particular in the kitchen coming out that I’m very excited about, it’s going to be very yummy and it’s going to take the state by storm. River Valley Relief’s just got big things coming this year, and I can’t wait to get started.

Keep the good vibes rolling. Read more from the latest Arkansas Cannabis Times.