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V O L . X X I N O. X V I I A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 18 "My father kept telling me, 'We have something really exciting here. We need help here. I hope you'll come up,'" she recalls. Charlie Canning hired his daughter, but gave her open-ended directions. " ere was no model for this," she says of the busi- ness her dad had built. "He'd say, 'You'll fi gure it out.'" Two rules of family business Yet she's quick to point out some advice for those bring- ing recent college graduates into their family business. ere are two rules. "Have your kids go to work for someone else, so they know how to do that," she says. "And never have your kids report directly to you. Have them be mentored by the appropriate level of management. You really need them to earn the respect of the people they work with." When she got started in the business, it was all men, she says. "At that time, there were no women out in our trade. My dad put me at the table," she says. Changes in the business Charlie Canning and his brother Jack possessed a keen sense of the markets they served and devel- oped marketing strategies to grow sales. "My father understood that if you're simply moving boxes, you can charge a price for moving boxes. at's called logistics. But in order to provide real value in the supply chain you needed a trained sales force that could provide sales data and services," she says. "Pine State Trading and Pine State Beverage began 䔀砀瀀愀渀猀椀漀渀 漀昀 䔀愀琀漀渀 倀攀愀戀漀搀礀 倀⸀䄀⸀ᤠ猀 䔀洀瀀氀漀礀攀攀  䈀攀渀攀ǻ琀猀 愀渀搀 䔀砀攀挀甀琀椀瘀攀 䌀漀洀瀀攀渀猀愀琀椀漀渀 倀爀愀挀琀椀挀攀 吀栀攀 氀愀眀 ǻ爀洀猀 漀昀 䔀愀琀漀渀 倀攀愀戀漀搀礀 倀⸀䄀⸀ 愀渀搀 圀愀欀攀氀椀渀Ⰰ 䠀愀氀氀漀挀欀 愀渀搀 伀✀䐀漀渀漀瘀愀渀Ⰰ 䰀䰀倀 愀爀攀  瘀攀爀礀 瀀氀攀愀猀攀搀 琀漀 愀渀渀漀甀渀挀攀 琀栀愀琀 漀渀 匀攀瀀琀攀洀戀攀爀 ㄀Ⰰ ㈀　㄀㔀Ⰰ 䐀愀瘀椀搀 圀愀欀攀氀椀渀Ⰰ 䔀猀焀⸀Ⰰ 䰀攀猀氀椀攀  䠀愀氀氀漀挀欀Ⰰ 䔀猀焀⸀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 䄀渀渀攀 伀✀䐀漀渀漀瘀愀渀Ⰰ 䔀猀焀⸀ 眀椀氀氀 樀漀椀渀 琀栀攀椀爀 瀀爀愀挀琀椀挀攀 眀椀琀栀 䔀愀琀漀渀 倀攀愀戀漀搀礀  倀⸀䄀⸀ 愀渀搀 戀攀 戀愀猀攀搀 椀渀 琀栀攀 ǻ爀洀✀猀 倀漀爀琀氀愀渀搀 漀ϻ挀攀⸀ 吀栀椀猀 猀琀爀愀琀攀最椀挀 愀氀椀最渀洀攀渀琀 挀漀渀琀椀渀甀攀猀  䔀愀琀漀渀 倀攀愀戀漀搀礀 倀⸀䄀⸀ᤠ猀 最爀漀眀琀栀 愀渀搀 攀砀瀀愀渀猀椀漀渀 漀昀 椀琀猀 䔀洀瀀氀漀礀攀攀 䈀攀渀攀ǻ琀猀 愀渀搀 䔀砀攀挀甀琀椀瘀攀  䌀漀洀瀀攀渀猀愀琀椀漀渀 瀀爀愀挀琀椀挀攀 最爀漀甀瀀 猀攀爀瘀椀渀最 挀氀椀攀渀琀猀 琀栀爀漀甀最栀漀甀琀 䴀愀椀渀攀 愀渀搀 戀攀礀漀渀搀⸀  ㄀ⴀ㠀　　ⴀ㔀㘀㐀ⴀ　㄀㄀㄀ 簀 攀愀琀漀渀瀀攀愀戀漀搀礀⸀挀漀洀 䄀甀最甀猀琀愀 簀 䈀愀渀最漀爀 簀 䈀爀甀渀猀眀椀挀欀 簀 䔀氀氀猀眀漀爀琀栀 簀 倀漀爀琀氀愀渀搀 » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 6 P H O T O / W I L L I A M T R E VA S K I S Gena Canning, a managing partner at Pine State Trading Co., started in the distribution industry when it was still dominated by men. She's pictured at Pine State's headquarters in Gardiner.

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