From using AI ethnically to creating joy in the workplace: The group that's trying to "do business better"

On this episode of Connected Nation, we sit down with Ashley-Shae Benton, Interim Chief of Staff at Canopy, and Stephanie Kelley, Director of Client Services at The Gleason Group, to discuss what it means to “do business better”—from using AI more ethically to creating joy in the workplace, whether in person or remote.

Recommended links:

Canopy Good Business Summit

Ashley-Shae Benton Linkedin

Stephanie Kelley Linkedin

Chapters

• 1:23 Ashley-Shae Benton intro and what Canopy Good Business Summit is
• 2:23 Stephanie Kelley into and background
• 6:32 What sessions will be at the Summit
• 9:42 Benefits of remote work
• 12:46 AI and its benefits in business

Transcript

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (00:00):
<silence> This is Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband from closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds. We talk technology topics that impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. On this episode of Connected Nation, I take you to the fifth annual Canopy Good Business Summit, taking place in Louisville, Kentucky. We talk with organizers about doing business better from using AI more ethically to creating joy in the workplace, whether in person or working remotely. I'm Jessica Desen, and this is Connected Nation. We are at the fifth Annual Canopy Good Business Summit, which is a great name for an event taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, right in the heart of downtown. I am with Ashley Shea Benton and Stephanie Kelly, who are with the Canopy Group behind this event. Um, Stephanie is kind of in a middle ground, a gray area, but we'll get into that in just a moment. Yeah. Welcome ladies. 

Stephanie Kelley, The Gleason Group (01:05):
Thank you. Thank you for having us. 

Jessica Denson (01:07):
Um, Ashley, let's Ashley, she, let's start with you. Um, first off, it's, I think it's interesting, your name's Ashley Shea. That's where a hyphen goes is between those two and not between Shea Benton. I wanna say that for everybody to know, 'cause I was making that mistake. <laugh> talk about what this event 

Ashley-Shae Benton, Canopy (01:23):
Is today. So this is our fifth annual Canopy Good Business Summit. You know, canopy is an organization promoting good businesses across the commonwealth and trying to make Kentucky the first in, um, first in good business, which means, you know, more than just profit, it's about giving back and being present in your communities. And, you know, the theme for this year's event is the Business of Joy, which I think is so impactful because, you know, sometimes people think about businesses and business conferences and there's just a lot of dread and you, you fear that it's just about the profit, but you get here and you're experiencing joy, um, in our marketplace with our speakers. And our goal for this year is just to make this a really experiential event where people get joy every, every corner that they turn. There's something joyful to look at, to experience. So I'm really, really proud of what we've pulled together and, um, everyone's having a great time so far and it's gonna continue through the rest of the 

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (02:10):
Day. It's been joyful so far. Yeah. Yeah. I saw him bring out food that will create joy for people, I promise you. Yes, for sure. I agree. And Stephanie, talk about your role. You're kind of, um, you're volunteering today, but you've had Yes. You've had a part in Canopy before, 

Stephanie Kelley, The Gleason Group (02:22):
Right? Yeah, so I was the Chief of staff at Canopy for about three years. I started as a certification manager in 2021, um, and just left to, uh, start a new position at the Gleason Group, which is a financial life management company for high net worth individuals. We're over in Norton Commons here in Louisville, Kentucky. So, um, but I still love my Canopy family and this event was, uh, my baby for years and years. So I'm so glad that Ashley Shea has done such a wonderful job taking over, honestly, like, crushed it. It's amazing. Um, so yeah, and I'm always here to support the Canopy Family, so volunteering today and just helping where I can. 

Jessica Denson (02:57):
So how long has Canopy been around? 

Stephanie Kelley (02:59):
Canopy has been around since, I believe, I wanna say about 28, 17, 18. Um, so it's, it's been a startup nonprofit for a while, but really in the last few years has kind of, uh, picked up our Stride, made some great connections. We've got a strong board, um, and a really strong member network of companies that are doing great work all across Kentucky and even some regions outside of Kentucky. So, really proud of the work we're doing. And this event is definitely kind of a crown, a jewel in our crown, um, to say we look forward to this every year, like Ashley said, um, it's just an event that people leave feeling great about the work they're doing, the work other people are doing. Um, and it just, we get feedback every year that people leave it really energized, um, and ready to go out there and make an impact in every space of their, their business life. So really proud of the work here. 

Jessica Denson (03:47):
And you mentioned you were the chief of staff? Yes. You are The Ashley Shea is the Interim Chief of Chief of Staff. Yes. Talk about what that role entails and do you work with other organizations within the business community, like the Commerce, the, the commerce, what am I trying to say? Like 

Ashley-Shae Benton (04:02):
Chamber 

Stephanie Kelley (04:02):
Of 

Jessica Denson (04:02):
Commerce? Yes. Chamber, yes. Chamber of Commerce. Thank you. Uh, that type of group. 

Ashley-Shae Benton (04:06):
Yeah. So, um, I'm in kind of a weird position, like you said. I'm the interim chief of staff. Um, I actually kind of, it's a whole whirlwind of me getting into business in the first place. I actually have a medical background, so I just graduated medical school. Oh wow. I'm doing business school for a year. And, um, I had some connections with Scott and um, I have a history of working in business on like the content creator side on social media as a digital content creator. Um, and so, you know, we had some conversations and I was looking for an internship and he needed some extra hands. I was like, sure, I'll just jump in and I'll do whatever <laugh>. Um, and whenever I first started, we didn't know what my role would look like. 'cause we were like, what's an internship versus what do we need?

 (04:43)
Um, and it kind of turned out that, you know, it was pretty recently after Stephanie had left. So, um, I kind of got put into this Chief of Staff role. So far. I'm on month three, so I'm still kind of a newbie. Um, so my baby has been All Things Good Business Summit. So I've been, um, whenever I started back at the end of August, we had the location secured, but we didn't have our speakers yet. We didn't have our breakout sessions. Uh, the marketplace wasn't ready. There was so many moving parts that hadn't been done. So for the past few months, this has just been my baby. This is the main part of Canopy I've been involved with. 

Jessica Denson (05:14):
And, uh, Stephanie throw it to you. You were sitting at the booth over there. So what kind of booths are we gonna see? Are people gonna see as they come in here? 

Stephanie Kelley (05:20):
Yes. This is the Mission marketplace, uh, for those of you that can't see us on the podcast. Yeah. Um, so we've got booths, uh, with community organizations, member companies who are in our group that really value taking care of their communities and their people along with making profit. We believe that those two things can go hand in hand for sure. So you're gonna see some community organizations who are doing good work, some businesses from all over the state, um, who sell incredible things, offer great services, do quality work, in addition to taking care of everyone in their orbit, which is what we're all about. Um, so the Mission Marketplace is a really fun place to come connections, meet new people, learn about how other people are doing good, and hopefully get a little inspiration, make some connections, grab some delicious honey from above the dirt Garden Shop. DI know. So, um, yeah, just really all things bringing people together and learning at the same time. 

Jessica Denson (06:14):
So, uh, our Connected Nations chairman and CEO is going to be sitting on a panel later today that's about digital. I'm not sure what the, the name of the panel is <laugh>, but I do know that you guys, you have a whole list of things going on today. What are some of the topics that you're focused on today? 

Ashley-Shae Benton (06:31):
So, as far as topics go, you know, for our breakout sessions, we try to get a really diverse group, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. We wanted to hit a little bit of everyone. It's a business conference and business looks different for all kinds of people. Some people are more in the non-profit sector, some folks are in tech, some folks are, you know, startups. So we have a bunch of different things that could be applicable to you. Um, there's a few that I'm really excited about. I'm a big foodie. So we have a rise and nourish panel. 

Jessica Denson (06:55):
Yum. 

Ashley-Shae Benton (06:55):
Uh, with actually one of our featured speakers. We'll be on the breakout panel with them. Um, so I'm really excited about that one. But we also have some panels that are just there to, you know, spark joy in ways that you might not expect at a business conference. So one of those is designing joy. So it's about fashion design and how art can make an impact. Um, and you don't see that at a lot of business conferences. That's really exciting one. And then of course, we have some normal business topics. So we have, um, joy as a startup strategy, the joy of networking. And of course we have mapping joy, which is what Tom's on 

Jessica Denson (07:24):
Uhhuh, 

Ashley-Shae Benton (07:24):
Um, this afternoon, which will be a really good one where we're talking about how, um, joyful it is that we have technology that can connect people and places and purpose, um, within our communities. 

Jessica Denson (07:34):
So, um, I didn't wanna misspeak of what, what the panel was for my chairman, <laugh> <laugh>, and I had written it down like I did, but my hand, my handwriting is terrible <laugh>. But anyway, um, so for you, Ashley, Ashley Shea, um, is it okay to call you Ashley, or you prefer Ashley Shea? 

Ashley-Shae Benton (07:51):
I prefer Ashley Shea. 

Jessica Denson (07:52):
Okay. I'll keep, I'll keep it going. Um, so, uh, for you, what are the things that you hope people take away from this event? And then I'd like to hear the same from you, Stephanie. 

Ashley-Shae Benton (08:02):
Sure. You know, with the theme being Business of Joy, the number one thing from me is I want people to walk out and say, this wasn't just a business conference. Like, this was a joyful experience. You know, I think conferences sometimes get a bad rap for just being, you know, long and boring and sometimes, quite frankly, dreadful. So I want people to walk out and feel really fulfilled in their day and their experiences, and feel really energized to go back to their companies and to their community and give back to their employees and beyond. 

Jessica Denson (08:31):
Yeah. And what about for you, Stephanie? You were nodding your head. 

Stephanie Kelley (08:33):
Yeah, I mean, she hit all the points, but in, on top of that energy and the joy and the inspiration, we want people to leave with really practical tips, ideas and strategies for how to implement that care and attention and purpose into the businesses they work at. They own how to connect the, um, initiatives they're passionate about with the business that they're owning, operating. So how to rise all ships, um, increase that profit strategically while also increasing your impact. So just that practical on top of the inspiration, the practical knowledge that you need to actually do those things. 

Jessica Denson (09:14):
So the pandemic obviously changed the way we had to do a business. A lot of businesses became more remote. I, I can't leave, I can't let y'all go without talking a little bit about technology and the importance of that with a lot of people being remote, at least hybrid or Totally. I know our team is completely remote. How do you spread joy in that kind of setting? <laugh> mm-hmm <affirmative>. Stephanie, you wanna go first and then Ashley Shake. Can you round us out? 

Stephanie Kelley (09:41):
Yeah, I can go first. So when I started at Canopy, we actually had an employee who was working out of Nashville, Tennessee. So we did a lot, and we are a hybrid model. Um, so we work part of the time at home, part of the time in the office. Um, and we used to just do fun things to bring people together. On Halloween, we would have a pumpkin carving competition, and we were virtual, but everyone would have their pumpkin. And we, thats fun. I know we still carry that over. So just trying to build fun into, um, as a way to be the glue beyond just, you know, being in person and seeing each other's faces on a day-to-day basis. So making that remote work something that you're excited to log onto every day that you're looking forward to, and then just staying really accessible. So we use Slack, um, and we have Gmail, you know, all of the normal things, but so we can be in constant communication with each other, um, and building culture into things like that to where it's not just a mundane task, but it's, um, a way for us to connect instantaneously as if we were there with each 

Ashley-Shae Benton (10:44):
Other in the office. 

Jessica Denson (10:46):
How would you answer that? 

Ashley-Shae Benton (10:47):
No, I mean, I think you hit the nail on the head. I completely agree. I currently work a hybrid model. I'm in office three days a week, and I work from home two days a week. Um, but it doesn't matter if I'm at home in the office, I still feel just as connected to my coworkers and to the folks that I'm talking to every day. Um, I am a yapper. I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise, so I'm a big, you know, like we can keep this casual. Let's hop on a quick FaceTime or like a quick Google meets a Zoom, um, just so we can still have that face-to-face interaction and do what we need to do. But I can like physically see you, um, just like you're sitting here with me, even if you're not able to. 

Stephanie Kelley (11:20):
Yeah. I will say too, sorry to just add one thing. One of the best parts I think of working remote is getting to physically see the spaces that your coworkers live in. See their animals. Like Cat, I love cats. 

Jessica Denson (11:33):
The cats or everyone. 

Stephanie Kelley (11:33):
Cats and dogs and kids or kids running around. Yeah. Um, so like Adam, our coworkers wife often would be also working from home, so it'd be like, hi Jen, like in the background. So I think that's another way to like really just build an understanding of the life your coworkers lead outside of work and develop understanding for what they're into and their interests and what their environment looks like. And I just, I really liked that part of working from home. I always got to see people's dogs and cats. We love an animal here at Canopy. So, um, yeah, just another cool way to, like, I've heard build that connection through, um, to overcome kind of that potential obstacle. 

Jessica Denson (12:09):
I've heard that benefiting doctors when it comes to telehealth mm-hmm <affirmative>. To be able to see the, the background or even therapists to be able to see where someone's living Yes. Like, can affect how they would diagnose or what would they would suggest or, so it's interesting how that could play such a role. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And Ashley Shea, have you heard a lot of talk about AI and how businesses are responding to 

Ashley-Shae Benton (12:29):
That? Yes. So I actually just had a class on AI and business with my MBA program. I don't know what the rest of the question is, 

Jessica Denson (12:37):
<laugh>. Well, how, how do, what are you hearing from businesses? Are they, are they coming to you with like, what do we need to do? Or is it just that businesses are tackling it on their own right now? 

Ashley-Shae Benton (12:46):
Right now, I think a lot of businesses are kind of tackling it on their own. But one thing that I learned recently through my MBA program, you know, we had a really great seminar. It was a full, you know, eight to five day, um, just talking about AI and like what the implications are for businesses in the future. And the thing that I think is really important is that like with businesses, AI is, has the potential to be a really great tool. Uh, and at the speed that AI is being integrated within our communities and within our businesses, it's really important to become, you know, quickly adept in understanding how to use it and how to, how to use it ethically. Um, so I think that's really important. And I think that's the conversations that I'm having right now is just, you know, learn ai, be ready to use it, figure out where it fits into your business, because there will be a day where it's, you know, integral to, to most if not all businesses, uh, but just making sure that you, you still have the human oversight. You still have ethics running AI on your end. That way you're fully prepared to dive into the, the AI business world.

Jessica Denson (13:39):
I love that you brought up ethics. 'cause as a comms communications director, I talk with my team about when we use it, why we use it mm-hmm. And how to label it even so people, to be fair to people like you, you should know what you're seeing. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Sure. You shouldn't be like, pull the wool over their eyes. Yeah. So I want brought up ahead things. So, um, I, I would love, um, for each of you to tell me what's ahead for you. We'll start with you and we'll let Ashley Shea have the final word today. 

Stephanie Kelley (14:04):
Sure. Stephanie, 

Jessica Denson (14:05):
What's ahead with you? For you with the Gleason Group? Yeah, and what do you got planned? Any big, big things you could tell us about? 

Stephanie Kelley (14:10):
Yeah, so, um, I'm the director of client services. So we're always just on a day-to-day basis looking to take care of our clients and help, um, you know, take care of their financial needs, but as well as their lifestyle needs. Um, you know, how can we help them, um, live their best life and live with purpose is actually part of, you know, what we do at the Gleason Group. So, um, on the horizon we have some, you know, cool client appreciation events and honestly, I've only been there for about five, six months. So just continuing to get to know the team and really support and get to know our clients on a personal level, I think is something I'm really excited about. I think the more that you build that connection into your client interactions, the better you'll be able to do your job and you'll better be able to serve them and needs, they don't even know they have until you can bring something up and give them that value in that way too. So just getting my feet wet, Uhhuh continuing to, you 

Jessica Denson (15:01):
Still knew that. Grow that. 

Stephanie Kelley (15:02):
Yes. Yeah. So thank you. Yeah. 

Jessica Denson (15:04):
And Ashley Shay, I know you're three months in and you've been planning this event, but what are you looking forward to in the next year? 

Ashley-Shae Benton (15:10):
So in the next year for me, you know, I'll be finishing up my MBA program. So just as like a lifelong learner perspective, I'm super excited to keep learning. That's amazing. 

Jessica Denson (15:16):
Learning amazing. Congratulations. 

Ashley-Shae Benton (15:17):
Um, but with Canopy, you know, we have a lot of really fun like member mixers coming up and figuring out how to include some, you know, like different retreats for our staff and just, you know, make sure everyone feels like a community moving forward. We're really excited for that. We're hoping to, you know, get a full-time chief of staff on probably later in the spring so I can train them before I, before I leave, um, over some Where are you going? So, where I graduated medical school, I'm actually applying to surgical residency right now. 

Jessica Denson (15:44):
Oh, okay. I just assume you were gonna hope to try to take over. 

Ashley-Shae Benton (15:46):
Yeah, well no. So yeah, in July I will be a big girl surgeon. Oh. That somewhere hopefully I mobile. That's, yeah. So I'll be taking a break from business at that point, but I really just wanna fully dive in and get the full experience while I have the year to, to use it on. 

Jessica Denson (16:00):
Alright, well, Ashley Shade, Benton and Stephanie Kelly, I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to the event today. 

Stephanie Kelley (16:06):
Yeah, thank you. Thank you for being here. Yeah. 

Jessica Denson (16:14):
On the next episode of Connected Nation, I'll continue my coverage from the fifth Annual Canopy Good Business Summit. Until then, I'm Jessica Desen and this is Connected Nation.