We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Greg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Greg, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Growing up I realized 2 things early on, I am an eternal optimist and that a smile in someone’s direction can go a long way toward making their day better. As I got older that also evolved into only wanting to focus on creating a positive atmosphere around the people I cared about. Given that, it’s no surprise that the ice cream world made so much sense to me. The face to face interaction with so many customers gave me the chance to engage with all different kinds of people. From a customer service standpoint it was my job to make sure they were happier when they left than when they arrived.
I also had the good fortune to play soccer in college at UNC Asheville, and ended up being captain for my senior year and an assistant coach afterwards. In those roles, which I really enjoyed, it was my job to create a true team. That meant building and encouraging trust, communication, and being a positive role model. In soccer that effort was eventually tested in games, which would at times cause the team mentality to fail. At The Hop our team is the Hopsters. The same experience applies to the atmosphere we are trying to create but without the potential setback of competition.
Throw in the fact that the ice cream world is fast-paced and consider my purpose found in entrepreneurship at The Hop! Ashley and I been in this world for 20 years now, owners for 15, and it still satisfies my core to know that I’m having a positive impact on the sphere in which I operate 🙂
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about business?
At The Hop the goal is simple – happiness on both sides of the counter through delicious handcrafted ice cream. But beyond that we aim to cultivate safe places that encourage positive growth in folks. The Hopsters work hard to support you all and each other in a way that inspires us as owners and we work hard to take care of them. Through constant collaboration with local farms, businesses, and organizations the dairy and vegan ice cream we make (at The Creamery in West Asheville) has become something more than just a scoop in a cup or cone. Nearly every flavor has a unique story that loops through the Western North Carolina community, adding love and extra goodness. As a result we are grateful that The Hop has become deeply woven into this wonderful scene 🙂
Some relevant info about us:
*We have 4 retail locations
640 Merrimon Ave (which shares space with Pop Bubble Tea 博)
721 Haywood Rd
56 Patton Ave (inside SWAsheville)
114 Cherry St (downtown Black Mountain)
*The ice cream we make is with an extremely clean and creamy 16% butterfat mix that comes from employee-owned Meadowvale and uses hormone-free milk from farmer-owned Prairie Farms Dairy.
*Our vegan ice cream is made completely from scratch at The Creamery (starting with raw seeds, nuts or oats) from a recipe Ashley and the Hopsters spent years refining and improving.
*Almost every flavor has something that is either locally-sourced or made with an ingredient we prepare at The Creamery.
*Co-owners Ashley and Greg (that’s me) are UNC Asheville Alumni, began working at The Hop as students 20 years ago, and have continually strengthened the relationship with their Alma Mater.
*Our little ice cream world shows us over and over again that the extra effort we put in to making our community better can really have a significant impact in people’s lives.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Honesty Be honest with yourself and with others. If you are honest you have nothing to hide and no reason to fear. It encourages people to have to speak from the heart, be genuine and, at times, vulnerable, which is a way toward growth.
Kindness
There really cannot be enough kindness in the world. The easiest path to kindness is through empathy and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Hard work
In business it takes an insane amount of effort to succeed. Don’t be reluctant to put in the work required. But do try to keep the bigger picture in mind. Hard work isn’t just on the floor, it’s also behind the scenes to make things more sustainable for everyone involved.
What is your plan for The Hop for the next few years?
At this present moment in The Hop we are focusing on our production facility, known as The Creamery. It has taken an enormous effort (about 6 years) to build a manufacturing operation that works well. By working with the Hopsters in each of the 3 areas of production (ice cream making, prep/baking, packaging) and dissecting every single step of every one of the processes within each we can start to get a clear picture of where there are inefficiencies. To address the inefficiencies we will look to create clearer expectations, communicate with folks on the floor and have accountability measures that everyone agrees upon. By being more efficient we will be able to invest more money back into the business in the form of raises, as well as make plans for the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hopicecreamnc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopicecreamnc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopIceCreamNC/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hopicecreamnc
Image Credits
Photo DSC_4962 is by Micah Mack Studios
