Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 31
Goal: Potomac's Happy Trails Daycare owner Sari Wolff's goal is to provide safe and fun childcare to the community of Potomac. Wolff hopes to eventually create jobs and care for more children. History: Happy Trails opened March 27 and is awaiting final inspection for the state of Montana. Wolff is CPR certified and trained in first aid. Wolff opened the daycare because she loves children. As a mother, she found it hard to find childcare in the surrounding communities without having to commute....
Goal: Lois' Salon owner Lois Grant of Potomac hopes to have all her customers leave with a smile on their faces. Grant enjoys helping people look their best and seeing them leave happy with the results. History: Originally Grant wanted to go to business college but after receiving a cosmetology scholarship she fell in love with the idea of having a salon. Grant then completed 1,600 hours in a qualified beauty school and passed state board exams for California and Montana to become a licensed...
Goal: Owner Josh Anderson of Anderson Construction's goal is to do quality work for a reasonable cost. History: Anderson has worked in the construction business for 21 years. While working for other contractors, many homeowners asked him to do side jobs for them. "It just seemed like [the time] to start my own business. I have been busy ever since," wrote Anderson. Anderson started Anderson Construction in 2005. While he does a lot of jobs on his own, he has experienced help available when...
Goal: Owner Todd McNutt says whether trimming hooves or shoeing horses and mules, he takes his time with each one at every visit. He tries to make it a positive learning experience and to build a strong foundation of trust with each animal he services. History: In 2001, McNutt began shoeing horses while he was working as a guide for Swan Valley outfitters. When they were 20 miles back in the wilderness his horseshoeing skills were invaluable to the outfitters when a horse or mule lost a shoe....
Goal: Potomac residents and owners of Blackfoot Native Plants Kathy and Michael Settevendemie promote the use of native plants through landscaping. "If we grow native plants in our landscapes we can look like Montana and have a sense of beauty and of place that is Montana," Kathy said. The Settevendemies try to capture Montana through their native plants. History: Blackfoot Native Plants began as a small business 15 years ago in Potomac. It started when Kathy was implementing weed management on...
Goal: Cob-it owners Bill and Donna Bogardus' goal is to preserve and maintain log and wood-sided homes. They aim to serve their customers with craftsman-quality cob blasting and superb customer service. History: Prior to starting their own business, Bill had many years of painting and staining experience. The Bogarduses started Cob-it as a family-run business with their five children during the summer of 2006. "We started the business because we were not satisfied with covering over old problems...
Goal: Sole proprietor and owner of Little Debbie's Housekeeping & Handyman Services Deborah Boast offers a well-rounded service with everything from deep cleaning, changing hard to reach light bulbs, project management of remodels and additions for clients that are unable to oversee their own projects. She works to provide a quality service to the community to a client base that appreciates extra effort being put forth. "That's something we strive to teach our children every day," said Boast....
Goal: Sole owner and operator of Jude's Pet Sitting, Jude Delgado lives in the home with the pets she is taking care of and tries to follow the pet's normal routine as close as possible. She feels this is the best for the pets because they are less confused and adapt readily to her. History: Delgado has had pets her whole life and has been told by many people that she has a gift with dogs. When Delgado moved to Clearwater Junction in July 2012 after retiring as a social worker, she quickly...
Goal: Sole owner Diane Bourne's goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable ride for Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) students to and from school and school activities. History: With no prior experience, Bourne and her ex-husband Bill Yiengst purchased the elementary bus business and three buses from Harold Solomon in December 1995, renaming it Diane's Buses. "I didn't want to drive bus," said Bourne. "But my ex-husband was interested so I went along with it." She took over the contract for the rest of...
Goal: Owners Jeff and Sue Heagy and Managers Jessica and Jeff Kimmel work to provide a personal, old-school experience for their guests and keep the 57-year-old history and tradition of the Tamaracks Resort alive. As a family-run business, they are proud to stay green, eco-friendly and are keen on recycling. History: Maude and Henry Turner built the first cabin in 1916. Their dream of the Tamaracks Resort became a reality in 1928. The Turners contracted with Amtrak and marketed the resort to...
Goal: Gary Freyholtz, owner of Swan Valley Log Crafters, LLC specializes in handcrafted log home shells, pole buildings, railings and stairs. His goal is to create a log structure that is a lasting, well built home that the customer can enjoy for years to come. History: Freyholtz said he originally learned how to build a log house at Rustics of Lindbergh Lake in Condon when he started in July, 1984. He worked for two other log home businesses in the 1990s. In 1998 he started Swan Valley Log...
Goal: Sole owner and trainer Tony Hughes' goal for Wild to Mild Horsemanship is to help horses and people with horse problems. "If [owners] can't do something with their horse, I will work with them and their horse so they can get along, have fun and be safe," said Hughes. "It's something I like to do and it is something the people need around here." History: Hughes always wanted to ride horses as a child. When he got married, he and his wife Beth purchased a farm and a young horse. He took it...
Goal: Juan de Santa Anna defines photography as the magic of recording a moment that will never be again. He said, "It's a nostalgic art really. Everything becomes a moment that has passed." He sees his mission as "recording as much of now as I can" and sharing as many pictures as possible with people all over the world. History: De Santa Anna's formal training in photography began in 1999 when he took a course at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography (RMSP) in Missoula. After he graduated,...
Goal: David Pitman Transportation, LLC's goal is to have a truck locally available to haul heavy equipment. Owner David Pitman can haul equipment up to 60,000 pounds including: firefighting and logging equipment, excavators, bull dozers and hay. History: Pitman worked with his dad and brother for three years contracting out Pitman Resources' skidgine for wildland fire fighting. They were hiring a truck driver to haul their equipment. He realized that while the initial investment was big, being...
Goal: Haines Contracting's goal is to provide quality work for his customers providing for all their forest-related needs. This includes cutting stumps low, making sure the clean-up is aesthetically pleasing and maintaining regeneration when felling larger timber. Owner Brett Haines' personal goal is to make a living so he and his family can live in Seeley Lake. History: Haines started working in the logging industry during the summers that he attended college. After his freshman year in the... Full story
Goal: Owner Bud Jewett's goal is to provide reasonably priced matting and framing services in the Seeley Lake area. History: Jewett has been matting and framing for he and his wife Chris's photography business (Silentwings Photography) for the past 15 years. When local framer Sandy Irons moved from the area, Jewett decided to do matting and framing as a business. "I've always enjoyed making artwork look its best with the right color mat and frame," said Jewett. "The matting and framing should...
Goal: The mission of Lake Country Builders is to be a customer-driven building contractor. By focusing on the customer, the business can thrive and the employees can have a good working environment. History: The business in its first iteration started in 1979. In 1993, Lake Country Builders incorporated and its two partners Mark Williams and Tim Tanberg formed the corporation. In the early years, winter work was rare and Williams' annual pilgrimage to work in the ski business helped keep him...
Goal: The most important goal at Clearwater Montana Properties (CMP) is to listen to their clients' needs and to help them achieve their goals. "We don't do anything in business that we are not willing to stand behind," said owner and founder Kevin Wetherell. "We do the right things for the right reasons and always place our clients' interests above our own." History: Kevin and Wendy Wetherell founded Clearwater River Realty (CRR) in 1994. They opened for business in their present location in...
Goals: Owner and musician Scott Milner's goal is to help his students reach their own musical goals. He listens to what they want to accomplish, helps them improve at their own pace and have fun with their music. History: Music has been an important part of Milner's life since the fourth grade. He could never imagine life without music being a part of it. He received a bachelor's degree in flute performance from the University of Montana. He continued his musical studies at Boston University...
Goal: Seeley Lake Antler Crafts owner Wade Rathbun's goal is to offer a unique craft for others to enjoy and use in their homes. He uses the freshest antler sheds possible offering a high quality product where the antler component has not been altered. History: Rathbun started creating antler art with his ex-wife's grandfather and father between 1995-1996. Together they attended large craft shows in California offering antler-handled fire starters. "It's interesting and fun to work with antlers,...
Goal: Owner and General Contractor Ted Linford works to build a lasting quality product that has his customers smiling when the project is done. Linford enjoys paying close attention to detail in all areas of construction. "We specialize in working with the customer to achieve their vision," said Linford. History: When Linford was a teenager, his father started buying one house at a time that needed a face-lift. He and his brother were the crew on the projects that, as he said, "always turned...
Goal: Christi Barr's goal is to provide affordable accounting, business consulting and tax preparation services to the Condon and Seeley Lake areas. History: Barr's grandmother was a school district clerk in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. She said being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) was something her father always wanted to do but never had the chance. She jokes about accounting being an inherited interest because she too enjoys working with numbers. She said she also gets satisfaction from helpi...
Goal: Great Bear Properties strives to look after the best interest of their customers as a dual agency representing both buyers and sellers. Owner Kim Koppen asks lots of questions to help buyers find the best fit that suits their needs and offers sellers the best representation of fair market value and gets the best price for their property. "I want to be a source of information because that's my expertise," said Koppen. "People appreciate that I take the time to listen for what is important...
Goal: Eagle Port Lodge provides comfortable, elegant lodging for fly-in or drive-in guests located in the heart of Seeley Lake's recreational opportunities. With full kitchens and spacious rooms overlooking the Seeley Lake Airport to the west and mountains to the east, owner Brian Bertsch said, "Even if you live in town it's a great get away. Experience something local. Experience the Tower." History: Owners and operators Brian and Kerry Bertsch "took a stab at living and investing in Seeley...
Goal: The goal of Nordique Log Homes is to provide a quality, hand hewn log home package at a reasonable price. Their patented system allows for the construction of a log home that will not "settle", saving time and money. History: Nordique System Log Homes was started by Bruce Janssen and Dan Baker in 1996 in the Swan Valley. In 1998, Ken Donovan purchased a third interest in the company and upon the passing of Bruce, the business has been owned by Baker and Donovan. On April 2, 2002, Nordique...
