Living Your mainelove

Living your mainelove: One-on-one with Canopy Portland's Ginny Hussey

• jeannie assimos • Season 1 • Episode 5

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mainelove CEO Jen Millard chats with the dynamic Ginny Hussey, General Manager of Canopy Portland Waterfront, about their sustainable and successful partnership.

The two share stories about leaving Maine and then returning to the place that has really captured their hearts.

Jen and Ginny both feel they are ambassadors for Maine through their work, so they share what it feels like to represent in the best ways possible, whether it's through mainelove water or a beautiful stay at Canopy Hotel in Portland, Maine. 




Jen Millard:

Welcome to Living Your maine love, the podcast that celebrates the people who are living with passion, purpose, and a whole lot of heart. Each month we'll sit down with people who are following what lights them up in Maine and beyond. Welcome to the mainelove Life podcast. Today I'm really happy to be here with Ginny, who is the general manager of the Canopy Hotel. And Ginny, why don't you introduce yourself and tell us uh a little bit about yourself?

Ginny Hussey:

Yes, thanks, Jen. So excited to be here with you. Talk about mainelove Water and everything, Maine. But yes, I'm the GM at the Canopy here in downtown Portland. Uh gosh, been here in Portland in hospitality for nearly 12 years now. Uh I'm a boomerang. So there we go. So we have that in common. I love that. Something about Maine, it always pulls you back. So no, I went to high school here in Maine. That's where I discovered my first love of hospitality and a job shadow in high school, and the rest is history. Went out to school in Colorado for college, lived out west for about five years, and then Maine pulled me back. And at that time, Portland was just booming in the hospitality industry from restaurants to hotels. And it was just really a magical timing, I feel like, for myself to just jump straight back into well, sometimes, you know, the timing is important, right?

Jen Millard:

And the moment in time today for water for us, we feel like we sit at a moment in time. Absolutely. And we were so excited that the Canopy Hotel, you were such an advocate in our early days, and we still consider you. Uh we have a group of customers that we call dog food customers, which is a software term, but um it's basically you make everyone use your own stuff and you figure out you eat your own dog food is the phrase. And so uh we love you know still having your your hotel as one of our initial accounts that we still own and we still, you know, know your chef and really feel like we've gotten some amazing consumer insights and feedback.

Ginny Hussey:

It's been so positive to have you all come on board at Canopy. I feel like since the property opened, I've been desiring a local water company to work with that is elevated to fit the atmosphere and the clientele of the property and also the sustainability efforts, too. So this was win-win-win across the board. And um, as I was telling you earlier, I've been lucky to uh be the uh gifter of samples of some of your flavored sparkling waters over the summer and have just been floored with all the positive feedback on people even mentioning, say, other flavored watered companies and just the difference that they can taste and the quality and all the questions that they have to ask. And that's amazing to hear in real time. Thank you so much for sharing it. It's been so fun um and really positive for the property overall.

Jen Millard:

And you've expanded out of not only just the canopy, but you have a contactless hotel as well, which uh we love, of course. And how have the guests been feeling about seeing it in uh the I guess they're small apartments, it looks like.

Ginny Hussey:

Yes, uh the Weldon um is our sister property. It's it's really a stones throw from the canopy, but as you said, all contactless arrival experience, full apartment style suite, uh room. So have a full kitchen. So we've been gifting the waters behind to some of our VIP guests. And again, the feedback has been tremendous, and people very interested in wanting to know where they can then find the water to purchase and bring home with them. Well, luckily it's in your store on the first level of the hotel at the Salton Cellar. Exactly. Come on down to Saltyard, grab the water. Saltyard. I'm sorry, Saltyard. But that's that's right. And it's a nice um just tie-in for the welding guests back to the canopy, but then just to find it throughout Portland now, too, is so great.

Jen Millard:

Well, we kind of sit consider our come out of the summer, you know, we're a small but mighty team. We sit at over 300 locations in Maine today. We're really thrilled in a company that's over just barely over a year old. We actually produced our first can of water in November of last year. And so to sit here in October with uh 300 stores in Maine, including Hannaford, is an incredible feeling. But the work's really just beginning.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely.

Jen Millard:

So uh we'll quickly move to New Hampshire and Mass. Um, and you know, I think hospitality as a segment has a real opportunity to make an impact on single-use plastic and educating guests on eliminating single-use plastic. How have you at Canopy or corporately, how have you been thinking about what that feels like to a guest? How you take credit for things, you know, credits and merits. Um, how have you navigated that?

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely. I think it's something that is becoming more and more important to our customers and uh Canopy as a brand does have a lot of sustainability practices. We have no single-use plastics in our guest rooms, we have um water ice dispensers in the hallway. So the brand as a whole is already doing a fair amount. Um, but this type of uh next step, I feel like is what we've been needing to take. And I think the reception from the guests, I guests really value that. They enjoy seeing businesses uh really, hey, work with local uh businesses in their region or in their area. So that's a win-win to me to work with a main company. Having Maine water available for our guests helps to just tell the continued story of Maine to those who are coming in and staying with us. So um it's been really positive so far. And I I can't wait to continue to implement this throughout the hotel and make sure everyone is uh knowing of truly the whole mission as well as how great the water tastes.

Jen Millard:

I think it's a little bit about, you know, obviously we want to be known for the best quality. Maine has the best quality water. We have plenty to share. Um, and you know, we lead act active lifestyles. So uh the images that you see on our social media are authentic. Those are people, you know, hiking, cycling, sailing. Um, and I think people come to Maine with an expectation of active relaxing.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely.

Jen Millard:

And that's kind of how a term we coined internally of how do you describe what we would like to feel like?

Ginny Hussey:

Yep.

Jen Millard:

And, you know, nobody comes to Maine. Um, there are some, of course, that want to sit on a chair and enjoy the beautiful beaches and all that. But I think people come to Maine with sort of a mission of activity, whether they're going to Acadia, whether they're driving to Bar Harbor, whether they go to an island, you know, and so what we've tried to appear as uh the authentic expression of what that is to not only Mainers, but to people that visit.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely. And I think there's so much within the community here in Maine with local businesses like yours that really work to do so much more than provide a product, but to help support other industries at the same time, which I think is something so I feel like very unique to Maine and Bitcoin. Totally that are here and start here.

Jen Millard:

And honestly, for us, um like I said, I didn't have water in a can less than a year ago. The hardest chemistry was actually uh the flat water. Of course, carbonation pushes against the can. So it feels stiff with the percentage of carb that you put in it. But flat water is just squishy because there's nothing pushing out against the can. And so it needs to be dosed with nitrogen to kind of keep it formed, keep it formed. The brewery we were working with to develop the flat water, the chemist could not get the nitrogen dosing correctly. So he calls one of the chemists at the other brewer. That chemist comes over. By the time I'm there and we're doing a tasting or whatever, a third chemist has come in because they couldn't all figure it out. And then they're like, oh, this is it. And so I always say, you know, I've started businesses in New Mexico and California, and now here in Maine. And there's some reasons why Maine is difficult to start a business. We can leave that for another day. Um at the same time, uh, I don't think I would nearly be where we are today without sort of the collaborative love of the brewing industry. And really, we're aiming to diversify the revenue for brewers. That's our goal is to keep people working, producing something else besides alcohol. And Maine has the most brewers per capita. So lots of opportunity here to diversify revenue, I think is the best approach. We're not a savior for the beer industry, but we are an arsenal tool that um any brewer that can meet a food grade standard, a good manufacturing principle standard, um, and meet a food safety requirement of the FDA because water is food, beer is regulated by the ATF, they are not worried about your health. Um, but some light sanitation upgrades primarily at the brewers, yeah, and then that enables us to use their water.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

So it's all from the same source. It's really a distributed manufacturing thesis. So we don't own any uh machinery.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

We want to enable brewers to keep people working and the the seasonality of Maine, I think you would have a great perspective because typically a brewer will lay off people in the fall and then try to find them again in May. Right. And so the three brewer partners that we've used to date, you know, one of them actually added six employees last year to run water. And so I see our thesis working.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

But I'd be curious to your thoughts on uh the collaborative community and how you uh kind of see that through the main lens.

Ginny Hussey:

Definitely. Well, I think just that example that you shared, and I feel like our timing and partnering up at Canopy, because we work with many local breweries, and just hearing some of the feedback and the struggles throughout the past maybe year, year to two years, and it seemed like the timing of launching mainelove just and the partnership for us at Canopy, I was like, wow, this is a win-win in so many ways because I feel at a property level we do look to be one within the community and giving back in ways that can really showcase all of the amazing businesses and artisans that are here throughout the state and in here in Portland specifically. Um, so I I loved that the company touches so many different areas. Um, and for us, especially at Canopy, the brand is all about being within the community, within the local neighborhood, showcasing the best of what there is to do in the area. And there's no better way to do that than to partner up with local businesses and really showcase to folks who are either here locally or traveling in all of the uh the amazing offerings that Maine has. Um, and that's uh for us, or for me specifically, when you come to a hotel, yes, you have a comfortable night stay, you have good food and beverage, but there's so much more I feel like we are responsible for sharing with you while you're staying with us. And um, this is one way to do it, but we we do it in multitude of different ways with activations and events and um our retail wall and those sorts of things throughout the property. So I think community is just such a big part of Maine and part of hospitality in Maine, too.

Jen Millard:

And you know, our you know, water has driven community since the origin of time. I often use a slide that shows a lion next to an antelope at a watering hole. Like, this is not new news, people. And so um that that sort of gave me the inspiration to move into uh the Hearts of Pine as the sponsor. Yeah, and that was originally a pilot. Um they didn't have any players, Jinny, and I didn't have water in a can. And we're like, okay, let's make this work somehow.

Ginny Hussey:

It doesn't get more maine than that.

Jen Millard:

No, I love them. Um and we've really experienced, you know, their coming up in the market.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely.

Jen Millard:

Um, and really learning as part of that process how to be a great partner, yeah, how to how to incorporate water into their community, whether that be with fans, but even at their practice facilities. And then we try really hard. We're also a sponsor for the Portland Flames, the Special Olympics team.

Ginny Hussey:

Amazing.

Jen Millard:

And uh so we power the Special Olympics for the Portland uh fire department who runs the Flames.

Ginny Hussey:

Wow.

Jen Millard:

And so we uh we really feel like uh, you know, we give a lot of water away, you know, um, you know, 5K races for kids, uh project graduation for an alternative to alcohol. And all these things are great values that we want to support.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

And I do think that uh provide a comfort in a community, even if I'm holding the can.

Ginny Hussey:

Right.

Jen Millard:

And we have a lot of sober users who write to me uh all the time saying how comfortable they feel just holding a beverage and not feeling like they're out of sorts.

Ginny Hussey:

I love that. And and what you mentioned about the partnership with Hearts of Pine and kind of the the coming up in the community that you're doing and experiencing at the same time. I feel like that is community and like business growth in Maine in a nutshell. Like you're figuring it out together, you're collaborating, you're maybe you're having missteps along the way, but everyone is so genuinely passionate about seeing one another succeed that it just makes the process so fun to be a part of the.

Jen Millard:

We've really enjoyed, you know, I can't think of a single event. We were the water at the Backcove Music Festival the first time in Portland. We must have done 5,000 temporary tattoos. Um but just the family experience of that show and the vibe of that show. So really we spent the summer kind of leaning into community in places that we wanted to explore, and then thinking about how do we use those outside of Maine. Because obviously, this is water for two of five Mainers. Um, interestingly, some people uh don't think that's a selling point. I think we should be so proud that we have some of the cleanest water in the nation, which is why it says Maine on the can. That's right. Um and really uh sort of built for people from away.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

Um, I love that Mainers love it. I love that Mainers understand how we make it, the economics of how we make it are really important to me that the money for the water stays in Maine. And so uh, you know, we pay the brewer to put our recipe in the can and can it. The brewer pays Portland Water District their mill rate for the usage of the water. And in fact, it takes less water to make water than it does to make beer, interestingly. Um, and then they pay PWD so that they can keep their infrastructure working. And so I really want Maine uh residents to understand that we sit in a place of abundance and we take it for granted. So when I first started the company, I was like, Jen, if you want water, just go get some out of the faucet. This is the actual point, people. Um I've lived in Texas, I've lived in New Mexico, I lived in California. No one drinks tap water there. Right. And if I showed you a picture of my tap water from Austin, you would gag because it's lightly brown. They say it's okay to drink, but I really don't feel comfortable drinking it. And, you know, we are sit at a time with states such as Florida that have incredible water scarcity or California with scarcity. So we sit up here in Maine with all this incredible water that makes incredible beer and incredible beverages. We have enough to share. And so going back to our moment in time, the world is sort of in chaos. It has been a beautiful experience of community to be in Maine with love and harmony. While the world is chaotic around us, we can shine a light here on what we love, which is the state and the people it contains.

Ginny Hussey:

Right. And I think that's the best part I feel about my job at the property and welcoming visitors from away, from all over the country, all over the world, and that there's something here in Maine that resonates with so many who visit, and what a way to gift Maine back to people throughout the country than buy water. And I've had so much fun introducing the brand to people throughout this summer that I feel like it's it's just at the beginning of of how it can expand further through throughout, because there is something I think within people who first visit Maine that's not their only visit. Then they come back and they tell their friends and or they then uh purchase a summer home or whatever it might be. Fall in love with Maine. With Maine.

Jen Millard:

And then all my friends who live in Texas and hot places are like, can we come to Maine and stay with you?

Ginny Hussey:

Of course. Of course. Of course. Yeah, there's just something so special about uh visiting the state. And then once you visit and you're able to explore all the good that people do here to just promote Maine in a real purposeful way. I think that really resonates with with folks who come in and stay at the hotel or our in our restaurants or our breweries. There's there's just something that can really grab your attention, make you want to return.

Jen Millard:

And let's switch a little bit and talk about uh, you know, we are a Gen Z focused brand, but you have guests of all sizes, shapes, and colors, right? Um, and ages. Uh what would your what has been your experience with sort of the younger, and I say Gen Z, sort of like mid-20s, first job, early in career in college? You know, that sort of sect.

Ginny Hussey:

Yes, I mean we we certainly appealed to uh that demographic at Canopy, uh, both from an overnight stay capacity, but also our food and drink outlets, Saltyard, Luna. They definitely attract those, uh, that demographic. I think of Luna in particular because we have a green wall, which we're like, okay, that's our Instagram wall. Uh, we've been very lucky to have a very viral latte in our outlet saltyard. So that generation is definitely, they are they are influencers like in so many ways. And I think though, to your point earlier about that generation, maybe not being as interested in alcohol and being more wellness driven.

Jen Millard:

It's more like longevity, right? Wellness and longevity. And I think we're at this moment of time where you know, my children are in their mid twenties.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

I would say, you know, one drinks and one doesn't. Yep. The one that doesn't, none of his roommates drink either. And they're very serious. Yeah. Like, I'm going to work tomorrow, mom. Why would you think I'm having a beer watching football? Right. Like, why so serious? Um Behavior of when I was 25. Um, but I think it's uh it's a very serious generation. Uh it's not lighthearted, and I think that's probably from the world around them. But um they're really focused on work, wellness, their own health, their life balance, and they don't see alcohol fitting in that arrangement.

Ginny Hussey:

No, not at all. And I think there's there's interest in like what's what's topical, what's trending, what's what's like out there that's buzzworthy, and and I feel like local companies uh like yours, it speaks to that generation in so many levels because it's kind of oh, this is what the cool kids are drinking. And and it's very in-your-face marketing, like what you see is what you get.

Jen Millard:

There's no spin here. This is water purely from Maine. It could not be any stronger, yeah, you know, in your face. And then the first thing I notice when uh young people pick up the can is they read the ingredients. Number one thing I see every time is they turn the can over and they're looking for whatever they're looking for. Right. So, you know, we're really proud to work hard to use the best ingredients uh with limited uh items, so no stabilizer, for example, no foreign colors, no food dyes. It's really water and can. Exactly. And so it it it sort of fits. And so if you ask, you know, an N of a hundred Gen Z, they'll say 67% of them will say they want a seltzer water.

Ginny Hussey:

Yes, I believe that. And I think there's there's other sparkling water brands, obviously, that are out there, but to what you just noted on the no additives, no sugar, I have been amazed by the number of people who have asked me that prior to giving them my little taste or a canopy, and to be able to say that yes, it's just water, like you mentioned, is so positive. And that really, I was surprised by how many people were really asking those questions and wanting to make sure that that was what they were going to be receiving from the sample.

Jen Millard:

So it's great. The sugar, I think we we sit at a moment in beverages where sugar is sort of being sugar and caffeine, actually, yeah, are probably uh being revisited. Yeah. Um there's all kinds of stories of people pounding Celsius and pounding other things, and you know, kind of, you know, it's a lot of caffeine. Yep. Um, so we do see a little teeter-totter around, uh little, maybe we've we jumped the shark a little on the caffeine, we're coming back over here. And it's interesting. They'll uh they'll tell you exactly what they want.

Ginny Hussey:

Yep. Gen Z generation does have what they want, what they don't want, what they're here for. Yeah, more intentional. Very intentional generation, I think. Yeah, in a in a honestly uh a refreshing way, I think.

Jen Millard:

Yeah, I see uh, you know, I have an early in career salesperson obviously at mainelove, and um, you know, he'd rather go on a hike or play squash with a business client than go to lunch or go to dinner. And I see that trend pretty much across that generation. They'd like to do something and doesn't really involve sitting or drinking. They'd rather go on a hike or do a class or play squash or um I just find that uh shift uh you know so interesting. When I was that age, I was trying to go out with my boss or trying to get invited after work. Um those things don't happen really anymore.

Ginny Hussey:

No, you're so right. They really don't. But the activities or the other ways to be involved and network are yeah, they look different now. They're more, they're more fun. And those examples, I'm like, those are, I don't know, so so main to me. Like I want to go for a hike or I want to go down to the water, whatever it might be.

Jen Millard:

Well, I do think we sit at this moment um of nostalgia, right? Nostalgia of Maine never gets old. Everyone loves nostalgia of Maine, and everyone thinks of a fuzzy winter wonderland, right? With a flannel jacket and uh a nice cozy fire. Um, but I think we are at a an a little bit of a time in place where I think people are trying to take a pause around why being more intentional with their time, with their lifestyle, with what they're drinking and eating. And I think uh, you know, we sort of fit right into this moment uh in a way that really feels beautiful as a founder. Absolutely. That water is food. Right. And to get people to think that water is food. Uh because food doesn't grow without water and bodies don't work without water. So you know, how do we how do we get the best water to the to the people that need better water? That's our next mission as we move out of Maine.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah, that's exciting. I am I'm excited for you because I feel like that the abundance that you share. I mean, honestly, that's a lot of education for myself and just recognizing how lucky we are here in Maine to have the water source that we have.

Jen Millard:

And oh, it's incredible. And and I hear that from people all the time. Like we had no idea that Sabago Lake was one of the purest lakes in America, you know. We had no idea that we have so much water, we have a hundred gallons per person in the world, you know. So we do see some of our mission as educating around that because we have to protect it in order to retain it. And that's why we have a tree on the can, because ultimately it's really not the water, it's the trees that surround the water that make the water the cleanest. So it's like you're walking on a water treatment plant around Sabago Lake. Right. And so our give back here is to SabagoCleanwater.org, which works with the land trusts around Sabago Lake to preserve forest. Because if we don't preserve the forest, mainers will be forced with building an incredibly expensive you know, water treatment plant.

Ginny Hussey:

Right.

Jen Millard:

Um and we don't we all know that Mainers are so frugal that that would be a challenging effort to build. So the better effort here is to help uh landowners, you know, help land trusts purchase land from landowners for public access, for hiking, etc. And to conserve the forest for water quality.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah, it's amazing. Just everything, all the components of the company that what you're doing here in Maine. And I can't help but go back to the community side of it. And it's almost like the the purpose woven within the company is to continue to grow community and grow it even outside of Maine, which I feel like is so just true to Maine and who had thought about it like that, actually. But you're right. It's like extending community outside of the state and in such a genuine way, which I think is just goes back to why I feel so many people resonate with Maine, because there is something truly unique and genuine and heartfelt, and we want to give that sense of community to people outside of the state, and what a way to do it.

Jen Millard:

We're hopeful. We are. We have big plans. Think bigger. Big plans. I love it. Well, what's something about our water that I could answer for you? Well, I was going to ask you actually, what's the next flavors or what's what's still to come in, you know, the the world of water for you. Well, we're focused on our expansion outside of Maine. So really hustling up New Hampshire, Boston, Massachusetts before the holidays start. So that's a bit of a that's a bit of a hustle for us. So we'll be really focused on uh on that expansion. And then we'll do a quick run to Florida starting in January. So we're licensed in Florida. It's a good seasonality shift for Maine. We have, of course, felt, you know, it's colder weather, it's not warm, people drink less water. So um the balance for snowbirds makes uh great sense for us. And there's been some breweries that have just deployed the same strategy. So I feel like there's a path uh that it pre-exists. Um and uh then come back up and do DC uh after we finish in Florida. That's so great. So but in development, um we're thinking about a fizzy lemonade. So uh we'll see uh where we end up on. We just uh we have a flavorist who helps us develop uh new new flavors. And so we're working on uh that would probably be the next one. And we might even do like a limited run for the Heart's Pine or you know, a way to try it, maybe for your hotel, even right. Definitely. You know, is this is it resonate with people? We spend a lot of time actually. You know, I was a retail uh executive for, you know, 20 years, and then I was a software founder and always in spaces around consumer consumer intention. Yeah, whether it's your credit card uh ledger of where you spend your money or what you were choosing in a sack store. You know, I also have great customer empathy.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

And I think we show that in how we show up. And I always say we want all I read all feedback, good or bad, every week. Every note that gets sent to a DM, every note that gets sent to our company, I am probably answering it. Um you and me both, Jen. Yeah, right. So um I feel accessible. I want to be accessible. Um, I want people to love what we do and ask questions.

Ginny Hussey:

That's so great. And I I think I resonate so much with that when you have such passion for what you're doing and you want the experience of the customer to be at that level that you you feel you are providing or can provide. And should it come up short, what what can you do to correct that or make a friend or turn it around? And I feel like that's uh why I fell in love with hospitality, is is just that there is that potential for relationship building and um creating that like customer for a life. And sure, there are things along the way that you have to face, but no one at Sears ever called me because they love their lawnmower, right?

Jen Millard:

If I got to call at Sears with somebody who is calling for something terrible, something that happened to something, right? So I think I learned early in my career of how to be empathetic to those situations. And to your point, how do you win a friend? Exactly. How do you make someone's life better today? Yep, you know, and eventually kind of comes back to you.

Ginny Hussey:

I agree. I know. I am that person who gets all the reviews on my phone and looks at all of them and makes sure that, hey, if any are, you know, not at that five out of five, like what are we doing just to try to connect and figure out where we went wrong? And so interesting.

Jen Millard:

So I'm so I'm so happy that you do that because I meet a lot of other founders that don't do that. And I'm like, you're really disconnected.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah, I feel like that is in my role now where I'm not as directly in the operation, I don't have as much face time with our guests. I crave that. I do too. Yeah. I love I feel like I look for ways to uh kind of snake myself back into those interactions and reviews is one way. Uh as I mentioned, giving samples out of Prosecco and water in the lobby. I love those opportunities to learn and to connect and to realize what what we can shift in our operation or in our business or with my team to make things that much better. I your guests are your gosh, like your lifeline to your business. Literally. I just I put all my all my effort into into making sure that that experience is really, really positive for everyone.

Jen Millard:

I try to, my whole team, you know, we're really, really close to people like your organization and a few others, and coffee shops and pizza shops, and we probably do 20 doors, you know, kind of close to heart. And you know, sometimes I'll go and sit there for an hour and just why are people buying it?

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

Like, why did you buy that? Or why did you buy something else? Right. Oh, I didn't I've never tasted that is usually the first answer I get.

Ginny Hussey:

Right.

Jen Millard:

So I'm at a ice cream shop, they have whatever else they have besides Maine Love.

Ginny Hussey:

Yep.

Jen Millard:

Um, but people love our artwork and love our can art. And so that has been um probably the when I say what made you choose, because you don't know what what it's going, they say the packaging, the design, it looks authentic to Maine, it looks authentic to what we are.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely.

Jen Millard:

And that's the best compliment you could get.

Ginny Hussey:

That is a great compliment. Well, and I I think in some ways I can relate back to when we opened Canopy. And at the time, Canopy was still a fairly new brand within Hilton. Hasn't been around. And so I would get many guests uh with questions about canopy in in general, also asking, oh, how long has the hotel been here? All of these different questions. And so you are like at the at the onset of your business, really trying to gather all of that feedback and really figure out how can I, yeah, market myself in the best way to get that customer in. And I think of what we do, similar to yourselves, is is that community aspect and just navigating with the right people to just promote what it what we're all about. And that's for me, Canopy is so much more than a hotel.

Jen Millard:

We are trying to Well, you have the best location in Portland.

Ginny Hussey:

We do have a good location.

Jen Millard:

Your Luna Bar is incredible, and the food that I've had at your establishment is incredible, and I think you know, it's uh we feel proud to be at your property and at the Waldron and in the store, and uh really just enjoyed working with you and the team. It's been a pleasure.

Ginny Hussey:

Oh, it's been so much fun, and I think that's it. We're we love working with our partners and promoting everything that everyone is doing. I think that's what makes the hotel so special to Portland, is that we're really there as a place to showcase the best of Maine. That's how I've always thought about canopy, is that's our responsibility. We're ambassadors of our city, of our state, and how to really promote that to people who are traveling in and staying with us.

Jen Millard:

I like that ambassador uh positioning. I like that. And we might we might consider that as we move out of state, as every can is an ambassador for Maine.

Ginny Hussey:

Yes, right. There's so many the different pieces of what it is that you all do too, that just relates back to oh what it is to be part of the community uh here in Maine.

Jen Millard:

So very early, you know, is really opportunistic with the equipment and what we have in Maine. And there's a and that's why we're in a 16-ounce vessel, because this is the standard vessel. But um, you know, I've never made a product, I've never made a consumer beverage before. I've done one other water brand, but um never been the owner of or the originator, I would say. And so uh those early days of color theory on aluminum and figuring out how to, you know, manage all and the chemists and the testing. I mean, we have really learned an incredible amount to stand up a company in a short period of time. We don't know everything. Uh we don't claim to know everything, but I feel like it with the right team and the right mission that we can really make a difference one can at a time.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely. I know I can so relate to that at Canopy too. Just opening up a new property. My goodness, all the things that you try, you learn from, you move forward with, or you pivot back on and you pivot to a different direction. And I feel like we're still doing that. We're still ever evolving and trying to to be the best that we can be for our guests and for uh my team. I think that that is such an important piece of success overall is the people you work with.

Jen Millard:

The people who you work with are the most important thing to me. And you know, my goal is you know, I want to be a best place to work, Ginny. And I want to create jobs for Mainers so that young people don't leave Maine.

Ginny Hussey:

Exactly. I I know I feel responsibility for that too, and it's exciting to get that next generation in and part of the workforce here in Maine because it can be so plentiful. There are so many opportunities right here in Maine and wanting to be that place that people look at to want to work for, work with. I I feel so lucky to have a great team of people who are uh competitive in our results and driven towards that like greatness that we want to. Is bias to action.

Jen Millard:

I love that. I love that. We could talk about it or we could just do it, Ginny. I just do it. It's a very main uh task, I'd say skill, right? And we're very practical. And so we could stand around and talk about plastic for the next 10 years, or we could do something about it. So just kind of decided we should do something about it in a very main way of we'll just do it. We'll just do it. We'll just do it. And so we've done it. I feel like that is how so many of us work. Like you have an idea, let's just do it, let's get it done, let's figure it out. And I try to, you know, share with my, you know, let's not be afraid to fail either. We, you know, we haven't done everything perfect.

Ginny Hussey:

Yeah.

Jen Millard:

Um, you know, there's a few stub toes and a few, you know, blackened fingernails around the oh yeah around the house, you know. But I'd say in general, you know, the faster you fail, the better. Yeah. And then the ability to have the resilience to just keep moving forward.

Ginny Hussey:

Yep. Resilience is one of our company values. So I can yeah, very much tie that into so much of what we do and the risks that we take. And how much I value my team too when when they do maybe jump outside of the bounds and try something new and have success, or maybe they fail to be there as the leader to say, hey, that's okay. We can learn from this, we can pivot around it, let's try something differently. Uh no harm, no foul. We're learning as we grow.

Jen Millard:

Don't be afraid to make another decision, right? Don't let your paralysis around the air, you know, take away your action to correct the error. I mean, that's as easy as it gets. Everyone makes mistakes, things don't work out.

Ginny Hussey:

Right.

Jen Millard:

Uh, you know, I was a software founder before I did this, so we operate a little like a software house. Yeah. So that's the only way I know how to do it, Ginny. So we do uh, you know, sort of intense sprints. We'll do like a very intense two-week sprint, and then you gotta kind of give everybody a little breathing room, and then you know, you gear back up for the next sprint. And we're gearing up right now for a big expression outside of Maine, and yeah, we wouldn't be there if it wasn't for you.

Ginny Hussey:

Oh no. Well, I'm so uh happy to be a part of it, and it's been so positive to see just how uh just to see where you all are throughout Maine. I'm like, uh have you cloned yourself, Jen? You must be in three places. But I am very proud to be a three hundred or so location.

Jen Millard:

Three hundred and almost forty locations. It's amazing. It's amazing. So much to be proud of. So I actually don't know if there's more doors in Maine. That's why it's time you know, there's only a million residents in Maine. Right. Yep. And so when I say it's built for a way, I mean it's built for away because really the volumes will come outside the state. We have tap water here that's out outrageously good. We should drink that first. But when you're at an event, when you're at an expression where you'd want to water, we hope you choose aluminum because it's better for you.

Ginny Hussey:

Absolutely. And it's just so positive, I think, for us at Canopy, since we do see travelers from away, for this to be just an opportunity for us to educate, to present them with this offering, to tell them that, hey, if it's not in your state yet, don't worry, it's coming. And I think that's exciting for me too to hear just how much you all are growing and expanding so that people can take that home with them or find that at home. Um, as well as our goal.

Jen Millard:

Make it make the best water accessible. I love that. Well, Ginny, thank you so much for joining today. And thank you. We love your hotel so much and your people and your team, and look forward to doing this again soon.

Ginny Hussey:

Thank you, Jen. Congrats on everything. Awesome to work with you. You too.