Episode 33 | Mark Carlson on Cannabis Packaging, Leadership & Building Brands in Minnesota

What role does packaging play in the future of cannabis?

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Steven Eigenmann sits down with Mark Carlson of The John Roberts Company to talk about the intersection of packaging, branding, entrepreneurship, and Minnesota cannabis culture.

After decades working in printing and packaging across markets like Colorado, California, Oregon, and Washington, Mark witnessed firsthand how cannabis evolved into a billion-dollar industry and how packaging became a major part of compliance, branding, and customer experience.

The conversation explores:

•  Cannabis packaging and compliant branding 
•  Minnesota’s growing hemp-derived THC beverage market 
•  Why packaging matters in a competitive cannabis industry 
•  Leadership lessons from athletics and business 
•  Mentorship, trust, and relationship-building 
•  Supporting small cannabis businesses 
•  The evolution of print and packaging technology 

Mark also reflects on his time at the University of Minnesota, learning from leaders like Tony Dungy and Mike Shanahan, and why trust remains the foundation of both business and leadership.

The Canna Connect Show highlights the builders, innovators, and community leaders helping shape Minnesota cannabis from the ground up.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Disclaimer
 00:45 Introducing Mark Carlson of The John Roberts Company
 01:00 Minnesota Cannabis Growth & Hemp Beverage Packaging
 02:55 Early Exposure to Cannabis Packaging Through Heidelberg
 04:20 Watching Cannabis Markets Grow Across the U.S.
 05:40 Why Packaging Matters in Cannabis Branding
 06:35 Supporting Cannabis Businesses Through Print & Packaging
 07:45 Joining The John Roberts Company After 34 Years
 09:25 Growing Up in Chicago & Winning a State Championship
 11:20 Leadership Lessons from Sports & Business
 12:00 Tony Dungy, Recruitment & the Big Ten
 14:25 Mike Shanahan & Coaching Leadership
 16:30 Athletics, Business & Life Lessons
 18:20 How Printing & Media Have Changed
 19:00 Leadership, Mentorship & Building Trust
 22:00 75 Years of The John Roberts Company
 23:00 Packaging for Minnesota Cannabis Brands
 24:00 Why Customer Service Still Wins
 25:00 Hemp Beverages Are Exploding in Minnesota
 25:30 The Future of Cannabis Packaging & Regulation

Transcript

Disclaimer

SPEAKER_00 0:01

The thoughts, views, and opinions expressed on the CannaConnect show belong solely to the individuals and do not reflect those of Canaconnect and its affiliates, sponsors, or partners. Cannect does not promote or facilitate any activity that violates state or federal regulations. Everything you hear here is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not legal advice. It is not financial guidance, and it's definitely not medical direction. Seriously, don't take our word for it. Even if someone on the mic sounds like they know what they're talking about, and they're probably crazy smart too. Regardless of how legit our guests may be, you should always do your own homework, consult with your attorney, and understand the risk you're taking before you do anything when it comes to cannabis. Our intention is to keep it real. If you've got a problem with anything we've said, take us to court.

Introducing Mark Carlson of The John Roberts Company

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Nice to be here. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

Let's get into it. Since

Minnesota Cannabis Growth & Hemp Beverage Packaging

SPEAKER_02 1:00

coming across John Roberts or the John Roberts Company at Legacy Cup Industry Night in 2023, has allowed for Luke likes to say ice cream. And we've we we have a really robust hemp beverage market here. But then also since fall of 2023, when we met your team members, the adult use industry has been slowly coming online month by month, quarter by quarter, right? Year by year. So not every state has all of the opportunity that Minnesota has. And Minnesota has been coming online and really seeing success with the cannabis industry at a time when a lot of the national cannabis industry, and if you think about the really large groups, the multi-state operators that if you look at that are publicly traded or traded on Canadian stock exchanges, pot stocks have not been doing well in the years that Minnesota's cannabis industry has been online. However, Minnesota's cannabis industry has been growing, and small business entrepreneurs uh have been able to, a lot of them have been able to figure it out and grow their companies and create, you know, I don't want to put numbers on them because not every company is a million-dollar company, but they they're out there.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

It it has really been exciting for us. Um we talk about meeting in 2023.

Early Exposure to Cannabis Packaging Through Heidelberg

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Um I I I have believed in the cannabis world for a long time. And it has to do with a previous um experience, life that I've had. Um when I was prior to the John Roberts Company, I worked for Heidelberg. I'm gonna say. And Heidelberg is the world's largest manufacturer of printing presses. Right. So I had a I had a long career there, 34 years, and uh I was uh started in sales. I met the folks at the John Roberts Company when I was a young salesperson and uh got to be uh good friends with the owners.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Because the John Roberts Company utilized in some areas of the operation Heidelberg printing presses.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yes. We've been through, you've toured uh with your team, the John Roberts Company, and and so that they were a great client of Heidelberg's and still are to this day. And um, so it was many years uh developing a relationship with with everybody at the John Roberts Company, but but the ownership. Okay. And um my career started in sales, I got into sales management, and then uh my territory continued to evolve. Okay, and it became basically

Watching Cannabis Markets Grow Across the U.S.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

everything west of the Mississippi River. Okay. So I was exposed to what was happening in Colorado in the early launch of the cannabis industry, and then saw it happen in Oregon, saw it happen in Washington, saw California regulate it. Um so I saw the packaging element of it in those early adapting states.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Right. It's required. Compliance, compliant packaging is required in this industry.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Absolutely, and and it will it became a billion-dollar industry rapidly. Wow. And then when Minnesota started to embrace it, I wanted to be on that leading edge of the packaging providers for for our state.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Now, when you were seeing this out west, was this through the lens of Heidelberg?

SPEAKER_01 5:15

This was through the lens of Heidelberg. I I was selling Heidelberg printing presses to packaging companies that were developing cannabis as as their customers.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

And specializing in serving the cannabis industry. Yes. I see. Yes, I see. Yeah, Oregon, California, Washington State, I mean that whole that that whole edge of the West. And then Inwards, Colorado,

Why Packaging Matters in Cannabis Branding

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Montana's been online. Um yeah, and and I I like you sharing that. And and what stands out to you, whether it's the colors or the creativity, um, in your exposure with having conversations with cannabis industry entrepreneurs, like what stands out to you beyond just other customers that you serve?

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Well, uh the the creativeness, I I guess I would say um uh that there's very little limitations. Um, and and now it's it's a competitive environment, and packaging, I believe, plays a key role in in having being able to present your brand and being able to differentiate your brand.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

And um uh how can you how can John Roberts right now serve cannabis entrepreneurs and and the products that they made?

SPEAKER_01 6:33

Well, number one, we

Supporting Cannabis Businesses Through Print & Packaging

SPEAKER_01 6:35

have we have a very open mind to doing business with with the cannabis entrepreneurs, and we we um are unique. I really believe we're very unique in that in the print industry over the last decade or two, people have have kind of found a niche and kind of a specialization in what they they provide. At John Roberts, we really offer so much, it's really A to Z, all under one roof, yeah, which is unique. Um, the John Roberts Company is a family-owned business. Great, it is now led by the granddaughter of the founder. She is our CEO and president and my boss. Sure. And um, that's what got me to the John Roberts Company. They approached me about coming on board and um So you've known them for generations. Generations, really. I I I've known my boss since she was a little girl. And um so they asked they asked me to uh leave a career

Joining The John Roberts Company After 34 Years

SPEAKER_01 7:45

of 34 years and come head up the sales when she was being elevated to being the president. Okay, so um it it was intriguing to me. I I I would not have left uh a successful career to go to work for just anybody, yeah. Um, but I knew them like family. Right. And um uh I believed in the culture at the John Roberts Company, and I had I've had an opportunity to get into about every printing company from here to Hawaii, and and what John Roberts offered was very interesting. Okay, it it also got me out of hotel rooms and airports, um, and I was able to sleep in my own bed, which most of the time my family was okay with.

SPEAKER_02 8:35

But um so even though you were serving the western hemisphere or the western side of the nation, you had you've always been based here, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 8:45

I've I've managed to have my entire career here in the Twin Cities. So um uh I I was fortunate to have a wife that caught everything and essentially raised our family while I went out and and made a living. And um and and as I explained, it just started to get larger, the geography.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

So I was traveling territory didn't start to be the whole western half of the country.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

It was it was a nice little seven-state region here in the Midwest. Yeah. Then we took on the mountain states and then the West Coast.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Great. And and let's

Growing Up in Chicago & Winning a State Championship

SPEAKER_02 9:25

let's go back, you know, we've touched on family, we've touched on Minnesota. Um, let's give folks a little bit more background on who Mark Carlson is and and uh all the way from prior to the University of Minnesota, where did you grow up?

SPEAKER_01 9:38

So uh I grew up in the Chicago area, okay in a suburb just north of Chicago called Deerfield. Okay. And um uh I I was an athlete. I I played football, hockey, and baseball. And uh I was blessed uh to um uh play for some people that really developed my life. Um we had a head coach who who was uh a father figure and a real mentor to me. I was very fortunate. Um in my three years of RCD football, we were 34 and three. Wow. And my senior year, we won the state championship in Illinois. Congratulations. Yeah, and um that was that was a great team experience.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

What did that feel like that night as it ended, you know, as a senior?

SPEAKER_01 10:33

We were 13 and oh, and and uh uh we it was the second year of the uh Illinois High School Association playoffs, and um it was just a culmination of everybody bonding together, sacrificing together, working for one goal, and and accomplishing that goal was was really special. Um it's something that we'll have we have our whole life, and I'm getting ready to go back to a high school reunion um this next summer, and the team will all be together again, and yeah um it it's a very special thing.

SPEAKER_02 11:15

Wow, and and you worked really hard to get to that place.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

Well, I I learned

Leadership Lessons from Sports & Business

SPEAKER_01 11:20

I grew up a lot, and and you learn what you have to do to be successful, and and I was fortunate to have a mentor like first my father and and then then our coach, Coach Adams. And um we learned about leadership, yeah, learned about uh sacrifice and and what it took to bring everybody together. I was the quarterback, so so as quarterbacks get too much uh attention and too much blame when things don't go well, shared, but um goes both ways. By virtue of winning the state championship, um

Tony Dungy, Recruitment & the Big Ten

SPEAKER_01 12:00

I was recognized as the player of the year in Illinois and recruited by 75 plus schools. Wow. And um it was lots of letters in the mail back then, lots lots of letters in the mail, and and still are today, but um Minnesota, I wanted to play in the Big Ten because uh my father was a big part of my life and a huge supporter, and I wanted him to experience that and be able to go to the games regionally, yeah. So um the University of Minnesota uh was recruiting me, and at the time uh their quarterback was Tony Dungey. Oh, wow. And Tony was a big influence on my life. He was a senior when I was a freshman. Wow. We were roommates when I was a freshman, really, and um to this day still good friends. Uh but he became a mentor of mine. And um for those folks that don't know Tony, he's he's an amazing human being. And um he was the first uh African-American head football coach to win a Super Bowl. Yes, he's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He coached the Buccaneers, he did, yep, and then the Colts and won the Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears. Um, that's right. When he was with the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Wow. So um that was he was a big influence on me to come to the Twin Cities and play for the University of Minnesota. Wow. Um you were his understudy at the campus. I I I I was, and uh, he influenced me uh quite a bit. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

But one thing I didn't know about you is you you were also a catcher.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

I played baseball. I played two sports at the U. And um uh the U was uh had a great baseball program, okay, a big winning program. Um there was a legendary coach there by the name uh Chief Siebert. I played for him for three years.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

And I know Siebert as uh the name that the field is named after, right?

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Uh right, right Chief passed away my junior year, and and uh so I had a new coach my senior year, but um

Mike Shanahan & Coaching Leadership

SPEAKER_01 14:26

on the football side of things, we had a coaching change after my junior year. You did. And um the new coaching staff came in, and my quarterback coach was a young, up-and-coming coach by the name of Mike Shanahan. Wow. Who went on to much bigger and better things, but um he also was a big influence in my life.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

Hey everybody, Steven with Canada Connect. Taking a quick minute to shout out today's sponsor, CEE, that is the Center for Energy and Environment. If you're not familiar with CEE, they're your one-stop shop for all lighting rebates. If you are in Excel Energy Territory and you're a micro business, CEE is somebody that you need to talk to. Give Brad a call, give Tony a call, go online, one-stop shop, LED lighting rebates. They'll help take care of up to 60% of the costs associated with your grow and your build out with the lighting. Uh, really nice people, great people to work with, huge sponsors of Canaconnect, and uh give them a shout. That's CEE, Center for Energy and Environment. They talk about coaching trees, especially in college football, because there's so many coaches involved. How would you describe in your experience the the trunk, the branches, and how you've watched even Coach Dungy, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Yeah, I I mean it's it it's really amazing. Uh it it you feel old at times because you know they they launched their professional coaching career and then hired a lot of understudies that have gone on to be head coaches. And uh heck, Mike Shanahan's son, Kyle, is is now running running knocking it dead for the 49ers.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

So um and you more and more I'm noticing um sons of of coaches, uh Wade Phillips' son, for example. Um

Athletics, Business & Life Lessons

SPEAKER_02 16:31

there's a certain, I mean, the amount of time that these coaches spend on their craft at their job, trying to find that uh that differentiator, right? It's it's it comes down to a game of inches, is that is what they say.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

There there's so much to be learned um from athletics, coaching, playing as as it relates to life, as it relates to business. Okay. And and really that's I was fortunate to go out and play one year professional football and um realized it wasn't a great future for a six-foot-tall, uh slow quarterback. So eventually um I I wanted to say that uh, you know, I married my high school sweetheart after after um college. Wow. And we immediately had a family, so I had to go find a career path other than uh a professional football.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

Yeah, not everyone's uh you did make it to the league, not everyone makes it to the it well, it wasn't the league, it was uh a different league.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Sure. It was the Chicago fire, which got us back to Chicago for a year. Cool. And um, and then my dad was uh in printing, and and he was a big influence in my life. So I gravitated toward printing and got into the printing equipment side of things.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

What was hot as you entered that industry from a career center?

SPEAKER_01 18:05

So much has changed. I know, Stephen. I don't know why you imagine that so it was a lot more analog, um, a lot more manual um things.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

So things but from a magazine perspective, how would they build a magazine then versus

How Printing & Media Have Changed

SPEAKER_02 18:20

how you're building magazines?

SPEAKER_01 18:21

Similarly, but um magazines were a lot thicker then than they are today. So advertisement and you know, just the internet has changed everything. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

Um access to the information is just completely different.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

I uh so I guess I launched a business career and and got into the sales side of things. Okay. Uh went to work for Heidelberg, had a great mentor at Heidelberg. Wow. Um, so I I've really been blessed with some first class people that I've been able to

Leadership, Mentorship & Building Trust

SPEAKER_01 19:00

develop and share my life with. And and I've taken bits and pieces from everybody. Yeah. And and I think that there's really some common denominators in leadership.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

And and that is uh, you know, you've got to have the trust of the people, you've got to have empathy, you've got to inspire, you've got to think big. Yeah. Um, and and i if if your folks succeed, you succeed. If clients succeed, you succeed. So it really it it takes everybody to to uh pull together and communicate.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Yeah, that's great. Because a rising tide lifts all boats.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Yeah, absolutely. So so had a had a long career in with Heidelberg selling printing equipment, which was wonderful, got a chance to meet so many wonderful people. Um how have you passed along and mentored those uh younger than you in a sense, those beyond I I I I look at it that uh I I want to pass along everything that I can that I've learned over the years through the blessings that I've had with meeting people. Yeah um, but it work hand in hand with salespeople, inspire try to inspire them to go out and be successful. And by taking care of the clients, you're going to be successful. You've got to earn trust, you've got to be there, you've got to be consistent, uh reliable. Yes. Um trust is number one. Trust is number one. If you don't have trust, you've got nothing. And um so that brings me to the John Roberts Company. Um, I headed up the sales.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

Yeah. When did you start with the John Roberts?

SPEAKER_01 20:53

In 2018. Okay. So um it was a it was a big transition for me to I would go sell a printing press, we'd put it in, and I would go find the next person to sell the printing. Yeah, I never followed through to see exactly what was being produced on a day-to-day basis. Right.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

And you're only gonna sell them a couple printing presses in there.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

We have a Heidelberg press that's 20 years old right now.

SPEAKER_02 21:21

So so and the industry has changed quite a bit, but um I just I I just bring that up because it's a much larger purchase.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

It it's uh capital equipment, it's um Heidelberg is a German company, the craftsmanship is second to none, lasts forever, yeah, but the technology has evolved to make it faster, better, more consistent. Um, and that's that's what's replacing those older machines. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

But as you were sort of as you were getting to in a sense, like now you now you have more repeat customers because they're

75 Years of The John Roberts Company

SPEAKER_02 22:00

They're working with John Roberts on a continual basis.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

So the John Roberts company is 75 years old this year. Yes, congratulations. And uh third generation, and and we have grown uh over the years by uh exceeding customers' expectations and and and building on our customer relationships and customer base. We have customers today that we had when we started in 1951. But we're blessed here in the Twin Cities to have a bunch of Fortune 100 companies that that we've grown with and supported. Yeah. Um and you're in Coon Rapids. We are just north of downtown, 12 miles, right off the 610 and East River Road. Um right on the way to the Anoka dispensary.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Yeah, yeah. The first municipally owned dispensary in Minnesota, yeah.

Packaging for Minnesota Cannabis Brands

SPEAKER_01 23:00

They're doing a great job up there. We're we're producing a high-end premium box for the 420 launched up theirs. Nice. Um, so yeah, we've gotten to know those folks. And um, so the John Roberts Company, we we really under one roof, do A to Z. We have 220 employees. Wow. Um, you have your own post office? We have our uh postal clerk in that clears mail right out of our um facility, but at our core, we're a commercial printer. Okay. So um in the big scheme of things, we're a small to medium-sized business.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

And and we're taking um the customer service element and the team selling element to the packaging side of our business. So we're able to respond quickly to projects, turn things

Why Customer Service Still Wins

SPEAKER_01 24:00

quickly. You don't have to get in line and wait months for a product. Okay. Um, right. And and we're vested in our customer success. And as this cannabis industry grows, we know it'll be small, yeah, and and and infrequent at times. Yeah, but as it grows, we we hope to be a great resource for them.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

Yeah, it will be small until it's not. Right. But I appreciate John Roberts and the John Roberts Company for getting in early and showing up and supporting the industry in in a multitude of ways. And it ultimately lends itself to opportunities like the one you're talking about around 420 with Anoka. Um, because whether it's you sitting in this chair or or somebody up from my team, it's about showing up.

SPEAKER_01 24:50

It it is, and um uh I had a peek behind the curtain of what was going on in other states and wanted to be really on the forefront of it here

Hemp Beverages Are Exploding in Minnesota

SPEAKER_01 25:00

in Minnesota. Yes, and it's really been uh rewarding to to see people now really launching and um selling, getting off the ground. You mentioned the the uh THC hemp beverage side of our business. It is just exploded, it is so big. Wow, and um there's real demand for these types of products out there. Th there are, and obviously, we've the federal government's

The Future of Cannabis Packaging & Regulation

SPEAKER_01 25:30

got to you know pull the regulations together so this can continue to thrive. Right.

SPEAKER_02 25:37

Um I actually think you know, we haven't talked in a couple months about this particular thing, but I could see the federal government taking a sledgehammer to all hemp and cannabis, knocking it out, descheduling marijuana as a whole, and then you're able to get around or not even have to worry about getting around producing alcohol and THC products in the same building because as it stands come November, it will not be possible to create uh a marijuana product and an alcoholic product like a beer in the same in the same room. So you we have to get rid of marijuana. That's the problem, is that it's interesting, it's scheduled. Yeah, if it were no longer scheduled and it was just capped around five or ten inside of traditional stores and ten or more at dispensaries, then we're limiting the sales aspect, but not the production and the manufacturing, not the taxation, not the issues that stop it from happening in the first place. We've shown in Minnesota that there's an appetite for this product, whether gummies or beverages, in traditional retail outlets. Right. But come November, if nothing changes, it gets really unclear.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

I'm optimistic things will get taken care of before then. We've got some great leaders in this state.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

In the the microbreweries that, you know, have transitioned to these products.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

Um yeah, our politicians are fighting for for sensible regulation at the Capitol.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

And we do a good job in Minnesota regulating. I think the other states have got a Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Our neighbors, our neighbors to the east, yes, have a different thing going on. They sure do.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

But uh it's exciting being a part of a evolving industry. Yes. And it's gonna be exciting to see where this goes.

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Absolutely. Um, if folks are interested in learning more about John Roberts and the John Roberts Company, where can you where can they find more information?

SPEAKER_01 27:50

Well, online, of course. Um uh we we are in social media uh a lot, and we're on LinkedIn. Our website is www.johnroberts.com. Um people can reach out to me, um, Mark Carlson.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

We'll put your email in the okay in the interview there.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

And and so I head up the packaging division right now, and we've got dedicated salespeople and customer service people for that. Yes. Um, we have inside operations packaging people that help us navigate packaging versus commercial print. Um, the family's been just great about investing in people and machines. So we're a legitimate packaging offering.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

You guys are well equipped. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

We and it's a never-ending battle. You always gotta, there's always new technology you gotta keep up with.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

You know, the last thing I want to touch on with you is family. And, you know, as I'm a new dad starting a family, um, I wanted to ask if there's any advice or lessons learned along the way. You you're a father of four, uh, grandfather of six. What can you share with me uh to help guide the next 34 years of life for me?

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Oh my gosh. Yeah, um my wife and I uh have been together since high school. Um, we have four adult children, two boys, two girls. We're so fortunate that everyone has seemed to move back to the twin cities. That's great. What's really great about it is that my grandkids are all within, you know, uh 10 miles. So uh we see them all the time.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Um, I have what does that feel like when you get to see your grandkids?

SPEAKER_01 29:43

It it it's it's amazing to see how fast they're growing. And and uh I I had a boss, a mentor, it said, if you want to see your family, make it fun. We put a pool in our backyard, and they're there all the time in the summer months, and um, and it's just so much fun. Uh see them all grow up and become little people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Um that's great advice. Yeah. Make it fun.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

Make it fun.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Yeah, and as much as possible, that's what we're attempting to do at Canada Connect. You know, we have lots of initiatives. We have events, we have media, we have products, education. But ultimately, when we're hosting an event, we do as much as we can to make it fun. To like you, like your kids and your grandkids, so that multiple types of folks come out to our events and feel accepted, they feel invited, and that it it has a low barrier to entry, right? We try to incentivize folks to enjoy Canaconnect and the events that we put on.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

Stephen, I think you guys and your group do a great job. I've been at your events in Brainerd. I've I was at Earl Giles after the Lucky Leaf uh convention.

SPEAKER_02 31:01

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Um, and you do have a a uh an eclectic group, and many it was just so much fun to interact with people at different phases of this journey.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Yes. Um yeah, the Brainerd one stands out. I appreciate John Roberts' support there. That was a great. I mean, despite the weather, you can never you can hope for the best, right?

SPEAKER_01 31:25

It's Minnesota, you know. It's Minnesota.

SPEAKER_02 31:29

Yeah. Make sure to subscribe to the John Roberts Company, follow them on both pages. Uh reach out to Mark Carlson on LinkedIn. He'll get you connected with his team. Uh, we highly recommend the John Roberts Company. They're a very professional, high-level organization. But in the grand scheme of things, they're a small to medium-sized business. And that's something that I've been reflecting on and realizing as we work with groups larger than ourselves. We're still not necessarily working with large companies. You know, maybe we're starting to with with Comcast business, for example. But Dad, that's an that's a vertical of the Comcast umbrella. Um, working with John Roberts is a family-owned business. They've been around for 75 years, and uh, we look forward to continuing to work with you.

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Steven, we look forward to being part of this whole venture and look forward to working with you and your team. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Thanks for coming in, Mark. Thank you.