Ice cream shop managed by MtA student named one of Canada’s best

Hilary Pearson has a sweet job, literally. The fourth-year psychology student has worked at Sully’s Ice Cream Parlour in Sussex, NB for the past seven summers. The shop was recently named one of the best ice cream shops in Canada by Yellow Pages.

“This was extremely exciting and humbling news for Sully’s owners and staff and for me personally,” says Pearson, who is currently the shop’s manager. “I've been part of this for so long, I've seen the development and improvement over the years. Managing the last couple of years I’ve been able to incorporate my own ideas and I only want to see it get better and better.”

A student-run business, Sully’s, located in a historic train station, is a fixture in Sussex and is also doing its part to support local students taking post-secondary studies through its unique bursary program.

“Instead of having a tip jar we have a ‘bursary’ jar,” explains Pearson. “Money accumulated throughout the summer is distributed to the employees based on the numbers of hours worked.”

Pearson says that her summers at Sully’s have taught her a lot about business. She has worked in several positions over the years including customer service, supervisor, assistant manager, co-manager, and now as manager.

Several Mount Allison students have worked at Sully’s over the years. Laura Pearson graduated with her Bachelor of Commerce this past May and worked there for seven years, while three-year employee Camryn Seymour is starting her first year at Mount Allison this fall.

“Working here has taught me the difference between management and leadership, the importance of communication and the value of listening to everyone's feedback and ideas. There is lots of room for growth and opportunities at Sully’s,” she says.

At Mount Allison, Pearson is part of the Varsity Dance Society and served as VP Fundraiser for the University’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter this past year. She is doing her honours project on Visuo haptic relations this year with Dr. Genevieve Desmarais, and is looking forward to doing research in this field.

While her post-graduation plans are currently undecided, Pearson says her studies, and work experience, have helped prepare her for the next step.

“To be honest I’m not entirely sure where I’ll be attending after Mount A but I’m looking into various Vision Science programs. The leadership and interpersonal skills I’ve gained during my summers at Sully’s, along with my experience at Mount Allison, will be helpful in whatever field I choose.”

Photo captions:

Long-time Sully’s Ice Cream Parlour employee and fourth-year Mount Allison psychology student Hilary Pearson

The 2017 summer staff of Sully’s Ice Cream Parlour in Sussex, NB