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The Aquila difference begins with our team of spirited, devoted professionals who truly love what they do. Each member of the Aquila team has the experience, dedication and enthusiasm to bring quality, value and fun to your Aquila experience. Meet our Aquila team. Beth
Kelly Hatt
Aquila’s founder and owner, Beth has affectionately been nicknamed by the Aquila team as “Our Fearless Leader”. She is responsible for leading our company overall, as well as mentoring team members into leaders themselves. A visionary not just for her business, but for her industry and her community, Beth is also a leader in both the tourism industry and the local business community. In fact, Beth has quite a reputation for making things happen, prompting one fellow board member to recently inquire as to whether Saint John area souvenir shops would soon be selling “Beth Kelly Action Figures” on their shelves. Beth’s Favourite Thing about Working at Aquila: “The energy of the team and how much fun we have together. It keeps me going and is so rewarding.” Beth’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “Being able to see something that started from a seed grow to what Aquila is today, to see people grow and change with us over the years, and now to see the success of the mentoring and succession planning taking on a whole new life!”
With her range of experiences and talents, including working with Aquila at various times for over 15 years, Aquila is very fortunate that Danielle decided to return home to Saint John in 2004 with her husband to start a family – both an Aquila family and her own family! Since returning she has become a partner in the business and we kindly refer to Danielle as our Jill-of-All-Trades as she coordinates our marketing efforts, leads our “Cruising To Great” (monthly strategic and budget meetings), manages cruise ships, and hears us calling her name whenever our computers stop cooperating with us. We’d be lost without her! Dan’s Favourite Thing About Working at Aquila: “My first favourite thing is definitely the team I get to work with. They’re all spectacular women! Secondly, it would have to be that I get to try different things all the time, so this job is never boring!” Dan’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “Well, there are so many to choose from! In 1994, I was an Aquila Tour Director for a 3-week train trip from “Coast to Coast” with 30 passengers. The whole trip was memorable, as we spent night after night on the train, cruising through the US and Canada. I especially loved going through the Rocky Mountains, as it was the first time I had seen them up close. And a couple of the passengers kept trying to set me up with the porters onboard the train!”
A member of the Aquila Team since 1992, Melanie has come a long way from her early days at Aquila as a student tour guide, complete with Loyalist dress! Today, Melanie plays an active role in Aquila’s strategic planning and spearheads our Center for Cruise Excellence, coaching and mentoring tour operators and destinations on providing service excellence to cruise lines. She is also Aquila’s communications director, a role that ranges from web-mistress to writer-in-residence. Melanie and her husband Mike welcomed their first child, Charlotte, last February and are amazed by her daily! Mel’s Favourite Thing About Working at Aquila: “The fabulous girls I work with. They make me laugh, they hold me up, they help me see things in new ways, and they teach me so much – including things I never thought I’d need to know!” Mel’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “There are so many! But I’d say one has to be the marriage proposal from the very wealthy Australian Sheep Farmer on one of my tours. Tempting offer!”
Spirited and fun-loving, Sarah’s experience and enthusiasm is evident in all of her roles at Aquila, which include managing Aquila’s trolley charters and Saint John programs, managing Aquila’s pier-side sales, and most recently taking on a large role in the human resource management of our extended Aquila family, our guides and drivers. This has led to Sarah discovering her passion, and we are very glad that we can support her professional dream as she pursues her Human Resource degree in the winter months and returns to Aquila in season. A valued member of the Aquila team since 2002, Sarah also makes sure that the team stays connected through fun initiatives such as “Secret Cupid” or “Watercooler Wednesdays”. Sarah’s Favourite Thing About Working at Aquila: “My favorite thing about working at Aquila is the freedom we have to grow and stretch ourselves. I am so fortunate to be able to go back to school to further my education, and as always having such a great support system from my Aquila family!” Sarah’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “My most memorable moment so far at Aquila (and there are so many) would be last season, when we were able to say we provided hundreds of memorable tours to over 70,000 cruise passengers from all over the world! It was our biggest and best year so far! Go Team!”
An Aquila Team member since 1993, Jennifer is pursuing her degree in Sociology, and she has plans for the future that include working with the disadvantaged and underrepresented in our community. She returned to university in 2005, but we’re thrilled that she continues to work with Aquila in season balancing our books and managing cruise ship operations. She was pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoyed leading ships in 2008, although we weren’t surprised at all by how well she did it. She will return to manage more ships for us in 2009. Jen’s Favourite Thing About Working at Aquila: “I could say ‘my wonderful family of co-workers’, or perhaps ‘the incredible life changing opportunities that are around every corner’, or even something like ‘the knowledge that working at Aquila allows me to find a balance in my life between passion and work’, but let’s be honest - it’s the new coffee maker!” Jen’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “It’s a tie. It’s either ‘the Great Kidnapping of ‘01’ when we took Beth on a little birthday escapade, or our fabulous Caribbean Cruise! There are an awful lot to choose from!”
Anna joined the Aquila team in 2005 to manage our shore excursions for Saint John. After only after three months, she handled 8000 people from 8 different ships in 8 days! It is no surprise that Anna is great at sharing her skills and teaching the team how to lead ships as we all evolve into cruise managers. Anna is also taking on a leadership role in ensuring that our extended team, our suppliers, are ready to serve this growing market in Saint John through coaching and feedback. Anna’s Favourite Thing about Working at Aquila: “The Aquila team and the “Aquila Culture”. It is great to come to work everyday with a group of people you really enjoy being with. We work really hard, but we play even harder. Growth is also really important to Aquila, and we are always growing as individuals and as a team, which I love!” Anna’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “We have had so many amazing team outings and great celebrations that it is hard to pick just one! My favorite moments have been when we are out on a team day. Whether that is a surprise shopping trip in a limo, or kayaking and a lobster bake! I also love working at the pier, as I have the opportunity to work with so many great people, and I could write a book on all the memorable moments over the seasons.”
Natalie’s bright smile welcomes everyone who arrives at the Aquila office and the past year has seen Natalie doing a fantastic job as she has taken on new responsibilities including trolley management and accounting responsibilities including payroll. You can find Natalie pier side each cruise ship day fulfilling a variety of roles and we know that in the future she too will be leading a ship! Natalie has been making sure the Aquila team keeps laughing and having fun since she joined the team in 2004 and we are so very glad that this is still very true. Nat’s Favourite Thing About Working at Aquila: “My co-workers! It’s so fun to come to work with such a great group of people!” Nat’s Most Memorable Moment while Working at Aquila (so far!): “There are many, but I would have to say touring a cruise ship, kayaking with the team, and Fun Thursday when Beth took us shopping in a limo would be near the top!!”
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Meet the Aquila Crew
