TAHOE CANNABIS // #775TCM //
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BOND ROAD Those who have been in the cannabis industry for any length of time are likely familiar with the various Gorilla Glue strains. What many do not know is that the Gorilla Glue family of strains was developed right here in Nevada by Josey Whales and the late Lone Watty. While we have seen a handful of “knockoff” GG strains locally, Jonathan Krajnak of Bond Road Cannabis Company recently partnered with the original GG Strains team to cultivate the GG varieties and we had the chance to chat with Jonathan about his relationship with the team and what we can expect from them in the near future.
Tahoe Cannabis Magazine: Tell us how you got started in the cannabis industry?
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Jonathan Krajnak: I have had a few careers. I worked for a Bell telephone company until 2003. I was laid-off when they merged with another company. I met my wife, moved to Austria to be with her, and started my own company teaching business English to companies. After living over in Europe for about 4 years, I decided to get into the casino business. Spent a little over a decade working my way up the ranks in table games. After getting laid-off back in 2015, I decided that I was going to take a year off to really figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my working life. After doing a lot of research (and getting on my wife’s nerves), I found a job
with MJardin as a cultivation tech at Flora Vegas’s facility. It was an adjustment learning how to live on $12 an hour, but I didn’t care because I wanted in no matter what. I had also been a medical patient for a couple of years by that time as well.
TCM: How did you secure your position as General Manager of Bond Road Cannabis Company? JK: While working for MJardin, I met the guys who started the company. After a couple of conversations, they asked for my resume. I was actually hired in 2016. But, with some unforeseen delays, I didn’t start until August 2018. The wait seemed almost like an eternity. TCM: What sets your company and team apart? JK: We’re small. We only have a dozen or so on our staff. And, we’re all consumers. So, we know what it’s like to walk into a dispensary and pay $50 or $60 for an 8th, only to be disappointed. And, we’re all local. We’ve all worked in service jobs where you are just beat and sore at the end of the day. So, we all want to grow a bankable product
BY stephanie shehan
Joins Forces with GG Strains
that’s reliable. I know every company says that, but we have put in the wrench time to get there. I also spent 20 months with MMJ America as both a budtender and a manager. So, I’m a GM who has worked on both sides of the fence. I’ve helped thousands of people and have also learned what’s really important to them. My team and I put that knowledge into what we do everyday. TCM: Tell us about your relationship with the local GG Strains cultivators, Joesy Whales and the late Lone Watty, and about your new licensing deal/ partnership with GG Strains.
JK: I mentioned before that I was hired for my current position in June 2016. About 4 weeks after I was offered this amazing opportunity, I blew my knee out in the garden and had to have it surgically repaired. It was still somewhat early in the medical game back then. So, there weren’t all that many growers. One day, while looking at menus for good pain strains, I saw one place had GG5. I didn’t even know that there was anything else other than GG4. So, I went and picked
some up. Wasn’t bad, but didn’t have that glued feeling I was expecting. So, I went on Facebook and looked up GG Strains. I wrote them a message asking if it behaved much differently than GG4. And, I also inquired about the authenticity of it. Naturally, I never expected to hear back. But, Lone Watty, or Ross, got in touch with me and explained that no, it wasn’t real. And, he explained that no one had the actual genetics here in Nevada. So, he offered to meet me so he could give me some of the read deal. He was a caregiver and I was a patient. I was never so stuck in my life. It was a holy sh*t kind of experience. I explained to Ross that I had been hired to run a cultivation company, and that I thought locals deserved to have access to these genetics. Over the next several months, Ross and I spoke often. I also tried all of the strains. It took 3 years of being told “no” before I finally got a “yes”. Ross passed away last May, and I signed the deal just a few months later. So, needless to say, it’s bittersweet. But, I stayed in touch with Josey Whales and Cat (GG Strains General Manager). And, here we are today growing all 6 of their strains.
