Billings Business July 2017

5 MINUTES WITH

KEVIN MOSER

MOSER FLOORS AND MORE

SPECIAL REPORT

AMERICAN AIRLINES BEGINS DIRECT, DAILY FLIGHTS BETWEEN BILLINGS, DALLAS

July 2017

HOMESPUN: Montana company Duckworh aims to revive U.S. textile industry with smart, comfortable woolen clothing

Billings Business 401 N. Broadway Billings, MT 59101-1242

CONTENTS July 2017

An indispensable business resource

On the Cover Third- and fourthgeneration sheep ranchers Tom, Weston, Evan and John Helle stand for a photo with Duckworth founder Robert Bernthal and their ram “Curly” during a sheep shearing near Logan. Photo by Brontë

Wittpenn

FEATURES:

Homespun:

Montana company Duckworth aims to revive U.S. textile industry. .......................................... 6

COLUMNS

Economic Development

MSU Billings nursing program gets a boost............................................................................ 10

Chamber News

New Chamber board chair Kris Carpenter anticipates an eventful year................................. 11

Better Business

Dan Buchta: Here’s how your business can cater to millennials.............................................28

Technology

Jeff Honcoop: Ransomware is the latest threat for computer users.......................................29 The oil collapse in 2016 created a sea of red ink for oil companies and bankrupted some outright. But it also spurred survivors to boost productivity. They now are leaner, more fit to cope with oil prices at $50 a barrel.

Page 18.

BILLINGS BUSINESS EVERY MONTH:

From the Editor.................................................................................................................... 4 By the numbers........................................................................................................5 The local economy at a glance

Chamber News................................................................................................................. 11 Five Minutes with

12 Business Briefs ..............................................................................................................30 Success Stories....................................................................................................31 The Listings...................................................................................................................... 32 Kevin Moser...........................................................................................................................

Five Minutes with Kevin Moser.

Page 12

American Airlines debuts direct flights connecting Billings, Dallas.

Page 15

2

July 2017

July 2017

3

the editor

S TARTUP FIRM AIMS TO BRING A MAZON - LIKE SALES TECHNIQUE TO M ONTANA Just days after Amazon announced that it plans to acquire the upscale grocery chain Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal, the internet began buzzing with stories about how robots will soon replace human checkers at Whole Foods stores.

Shares in publicly-traded grocery chains sank immediately with news that Amazon will soon be flexing its muscles in the grocery business. And it was hardly surprising that people would speculate that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos would integrate radical new technologies into Whole Foods. You’ll remember that a mere two years ago, during an interview on 60 Minutes, Bezos suggested that Amazon will soon turn to drones for delivering Amazon boxes directly to customers.

If you’re like most Montanans, you’re probably not drooling over the possibility of having a drone deliver kale to your front door.

Nevertheless, Amazon’s model is fundamentally changing the way companies do business, and other companies are paying attention.

Recently, OppSource, a software provider based in St. Paul, Minn., announced $1.2 million in financing for a product that’s designed to modernize the sales process. Next Frontier Capital, a Bozeman-based venture capital firm that’s heavily invested in technology, was the lead investor.

Mark Galloway, president of OppSource, said the company’s new venture aims to change the sales process in business-to-business transactions.

“We’ve all been Amazoned,” Galloway said in an interview. “Amazon has radically disrupted the way consumers shop for things and buy things, and that whole behavior has been taken into the workplace and is changing the way companies buy, too.

As a result, the way companies sell has to change.”

These days, many consumers look online when

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July 2017

shopping for clothes or appliances. Likewise, many corporate purchasers look first online, even though business-to-business purchases tend to be more complicated and may involve several departments and decision makers.

Galloway said OppSource’s platform caters to customers who are “re-engineering” the sales process. Instead of relying on a salesman to contact customers, make the pitch and eventually close the sale, OppSource’s program introduces more specialization.

“It’s much more like an assembly line instead of a single person doing it,” Galloway said. “It really enables the sales prospecting teams to do three times as much work.”

Cold calls won’t necessarily go away, but in modern business many customers don’t respond to calls or even voice mail. OppSource uses other channels, such as email and social media, to get referrals and contact prospects.

“OppSource is leading the charge in helping B2B sales teams manage the shift in re-engineering their revenue supply chains,” Galloway said. “Our long-standing industry experience and ability to be nimble when it comes to managing the latest trends puts us in the perfect position to take advantage of market opportunities.”

“Companies of every shape and industry are reengineering their sales processes to align with today’s modern buyer. OppSource offers a solution that is perfectly timed to help B2B companies modernize their sales engagement,” said Will Price, founder and general partner of Next Frontier Capital.

OppSource was launched last year and already has around 75 clients. The company has also established a Bozeman office with a staff of four.

So far, OppSource isn’t talking about drones.

But it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on this company.

JULY 2017 • VOLUME 23 • NUMBER 9

mike gulledge tom howard COPY EDITOR chris jorgensen GENERAL MANAGER dave worstell PUBLISHER

EDITOR

SALES

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ryan brosseau joe mcginnis, diana russiff, milt lang ADVERTISING COORDINATOR spencyr knatterud

ADVERTISING SALES

SUBSCRIPTIONS Billings Business is mailed each month to area business owners, managers and decision makers.

To subscribe for $19.95 per year, please send payment, name, business name, mailing address and phone number to: Billings Business 401 N. Broadway Billings, MT 59101 ADVERTISING For retail advertising call Diana Russiff, 657-1495; Milt Lang, 657-1257; Joe McGinnis 657-1599. Advertising deadline for the September 2017 issue is 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, 2017.

NEWS If you would like to submit a news tip, story idea, announcement about your business or press release, please email it to: editor@billingsbusiness.com website: www.billingsbusiness.com Information published herein does not reflect the opinion of Billings Business. Contents are the property of Billings Business.

By the numbers

• Personal • Business • Real Estate • Agriculture

Local and regional economic trends Hilltop & Main 896-4800

Shiloh & Grand 655-3900

Downtown 655-2400

LINING UP

14th & Grand 371-8100

stockmanbank.com

Worden 967-3612

National park visitors

Airport boardings

5

7

This May was the second busiest on record for Yellowstone National Park, with more than 419,600 visits recorded. The May record of 444,600 visits was set in 2016.

6

In hundred thousands

4

Source: National Park Service

Photo by LARRY MAYER/Gazette Staff

In ten thousands

King Avenue 655-2700

0

5

4

3

2

2

1

Billings housing starts

1

0

New single-family home building permits 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

150

0

Dec.

Jan.

Feb. March April

May

90

Bozeman

Yellowstone National Park

60

Dec. 2016 to May 2017 30

Jan.

Feb

March

Jan. 2017 to May 2017

April

0

May

Dec. 2015 to May 2016

Jan. 2016 to May 2016

2017

Dec. 2015 to May 2016

Montana Beef Cattle

5

150

4

120

3

90

2

60

2

1

30

1

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

(per cwt.)

Feb.

March

April

Nov. 2016 to April 2017 Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

0

Nov. 2016- April 2017 Nov. 2015- April 2016

Unemployment

Montana winter wheat

(per bushel)

Nov. 2016- April 2017 Nov. 2015- April 2016

Source: Montana Department of Transportation

Source: National Park Service

Ag prices

Feb. March April

Nov. 2016- April 2017 Nov. 2015- April 2016

Dec. 2016 to May 2017

2016

Jan.

Missoula

Glacier National Park

YTD Through May 2017

Source: City of Billings

0

Dec.

Billings

138

129

120

Nov.

5% 4 3

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Nov. 2015 to April 2016

March

April

0

Nov.

Dec.

Montana

Jan.

Feb.

Yellowstone County

March

April

U.S.

Source: Montana Department of Labor and Industry

July 2017

5

Sheep from the Helle Rambouillet Ranch are sheared near Logan in Gallatin County.

HOMESPUN

BRONTE WITTPENN PHOTOS, Gazette Staff

A Montana ranching company aims to revive U.S. textile industry

I Terance Pelle of South Dakota shears a sheep at Helle Rambouillet sheep ranch near Logan on Friday, June 2.

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July 2017

By TOM HOWARD

t takes about two minutes for a skilled shearer to separate a Rambouillet lamb from the fluffy coat that it has worn since the day it was born.

As yearling lambs queue up singlefile, moving from a pen into a loading chute and up into a shearing trailer, Matt Mooney sits a lamb on its tail and goes to work on its belly and the area under its chin. After clipping those areas, he uses long, powerful strokes that stretch across the lamb’s flanks and back. The animal remains passive as clippers whir around its legs, neck and forehead.

The fleece drops to the floor in a single piece, the lamb hops through an exit

at the rear of the trailer and joins other members of its band. Missing their nappy coats, the newly shorn animals resemble a squad of pale marine recruits on their first day of boot camp.

The fleece gets tossed onto a rotating metal table for a process called skirting.

Lower quality wool, twigs and other debris are picked from amidst the fleece’s soft fibers. After a few minutes of picking and plucking, the fleece is loaded into a compactor where it’s pressed into a dense bale, ready to be sent for processing.

For more than a century, sheep shearing has been a spring ritual across Montana. The vast majority of that wool usually gets sent off to wholesalers where it is then sold on worldwide commodity markets.

Amelia Seifert of South Dakota tosses freshly sheared wool onto a skirting table.

But this particular operation, unfolding under a sun-dappled pasture near Logan in Gallatin County, represents a departure from a typical Montana sheep shearing. The wool from these lambs, all raised by the Dillon-based Helle Rambouillet Ranch, will be processed into yarn, fabric and finally woolen garments bearing the Duckworth label.

The American-made, performanceoriented woolen clothing is gaining a cult following among outdoor enthusiasts.

Wool clipped in early June will show up on Bozeman-based Duckworth’s website, http://www.duckworthco.com/ and in about 75 specialty outdoor stores early next year.

Duckworth’s vertical integration concept is designed to help the owners ex-

tract more value from what many consider to be the finest wool in the world.

“People love the ‘American-made’ story,” said John Helle, co-founder of Duckworth. “Our sheep are a little different from other Rambouillets,” Helle said, grabbing a lamb’s coat. “See how long and nice it is.”

In early June Helle was warmly welcomed after he appeared on a panel about value-added agriculture products at the recent Montana Ag Summit. “People kept hounding me with questions on how we do things,” he said.

The idea behind value-added agriculture is to convert a minimally processed commodity into a finished product, or to highlight a product’s unique or superior traits instead of settling for the price

that’s offered on traditional commodity markets. Grass-fed beef, organic lentils, honey and jams and jellies are just some of the products that Montana farmers and ranchers have introduced as interest sparks in locally produced products.

In addition to offering high-quality products, Duckworth’s owners have a bigger goal in mind. They see their homespun effort as a step toward reviving the U.S. textile industry, which has suffered severe contractions in recent decades.

The National Council of Textile Organizations reports that 649 U.S. textile factories closed between 1997 and 2009.

During that time equipment and manufacturing knowhow have been shifted to Please see Homespun, Page 8

“It’s a story of American self-reliance, the story of a four-generation Montana family and how to get more involved in the value chain. How do you take this raw material and convert it into performance wear?”

Robert “Bernie” Bernthal

July 2017

7

Teodoro Taza, originally from Peru, has worked for the Helle Rambouillet Ranch for about 30 years.

Homespun From 7

Jen, a border collie, stares at sheep during a shearing near Logan.

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July 2017

BRONTE WITTPENN PHOTOS, Gazette Staff

China and other low-wage countries.

“It’s a story of American self-reliance, the story of a four-generation Montana family and how to get more involved in the value chain. How do you take this raw material and convert it into performance wear?” said Robert “Bernie” Bernthal, president and co-founder of Duckworth.

Members of the Helle family add their expertise at each step of the production process. John and his brother Tom raise the sheep. John’s son Evan oversees the

process of converting raw wool into yarn and fabric. Younger son Wade, a student at Montana State University, works at MSU’s wool lab, which provides valuable research on how Duckworth can improve the quality of its wool.

Bernthal, a veteran of the textile industry and a branding specialist, had heard about the superior qualities of Helle-raised wool a few years ago after he had moved to Bozeman.

He called John Helle to talk about an idea for developing an American-made brand of woolen garments. It was the winter of 2013 and the two avid skiers Please see Homespun, Page 13

Need an alternative to blood thinners?

The Watchman difference

If you have atrial fibrillation not caused by heart valve problems and need an alternative to blood thinners, ask your doctor about the Watchman procedure.

This one-time procedure reduces stroke risk and the long-term risk of bleeding.

Billings Clinic is the only hospital in the region to offer this procedure.

For more information, call Tanja Sloan, PA, Watchman Coordinator, at (406) 238-2004 or 1-800-332-7156, ext. 2004. billingsclinic.com/watchman

July 2017

9

BSN PROGRAM WILL HELP

ADDRESS NURSING SHORTAGE

As the need for nurses continues to rise, so does the need to advance their education.

DR DIANE DUIN is Dean of the College of Allied Health Professionals and Director of Graduate Studies at Montana State University Billings.

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July 2017

Last fall, MSU Billings was granted the RN to BSN program to begin this fall.

We recently spoke with the Dean of the College of Allied Health Professionals and Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Diane Duin, to learn more about this program and why it is important in helping to retain our nursing workforce.

In an effort to address the growing need for professional bachelor prepared nurses, MSU Billings College of Allied Health Professions received approval from the Montana Board of Regents to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) completion degree for registered nurses holding an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN). This 49-credit hour program of study is being delivered entirely online beginning the fall semester of 2017. As the need for nurses continues to rise, so does the need to advance their education.

Nursing is a profession where learning never stops and the RN to BSN degree completion program will prepare nurses for a range of practice environments, for administrative duties, and for graduate education.

The online RN to BSN

Degree Completion program allows nurses who have an associate of science degree in nursing and an unencumbered RN license to obtain the BSN in a minimum of three semesters. The program is designed to build upon the ASN’s credentialed clinical education and practical experience, to strengthen clinical reasoning, to provide a broad integrative understanding of the current healthcare system and apply that knowledge in relevant nursing practice settings – especially in community, public health, and administrative settings. The content and learning will be delivered in an online format with two practice-oriented clinicals in each student’s own facility or community as required by American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) White paper for RN-BSN Completion programs.

The program enables nurses to get their bachelor’s degree in three short semesters. Professors teaching in the program are just a click away. The program also offers the ability for students and professors to meet in a virtual room.

The program is offered asynchronously to work around the schedule of any nurse.

For more information on the program visit http:// w w w.m subi l l i ngs.edu / cahp/degree-BSN.htm or contact Becky Anglin, RN, MSN, Program Coordinator at (406)896-5848 or rebecca.anglin@msubillings.edu.

JAMES WOODCOCK/Gazette Staff/

In this 2014 file photo, Montana State University Billings College of Allied Health student Colette Behrent speaks during a ceremony unveiling the plans for the new Yellowstone Hall.

Watching Behrent are Diane Duin, dean of the College of Allied Health, and Ryan Shore, president of the Associated Students of MSUB.

networking

events

Upcoming Chamber/ CVB Functions More details and RSVP: www. billingschamber.com or call 245-4111

July Business After Hours Wednesday, July 12, MSUB Foundation, 2615 Virginia Lane.

5-7 pm. Cost is $8.

C HALLENGES , OPPORTUNTIES LIE AHEAD FOR C HAMBER This upcoming year, the Billings Chamber will continue to

push forward a number of transformational

strategic priorities for our community.

KRIS CARPENTER is chair of the Billings Chamber of Commerce Executive Board of Directors.

Welcome to the Billings Chamber of Commerce’s new fiscal year beginning July 1. As the new board chair I am thrilled to bring my small-business background to this great organization: a 5-Star Accredited chamber and 2015 national Chamber of the Year. I will bring to this position a variety of skills and roles which complement my passion for taking Billings from good to great.

Let me start by thanking our outgoing Board Chair, Bill Cole, for his vision, leadership and great work this past year. Bill helped drive our legislative agenda, business growth initiatives and community place-making projects. Bill led the Yellowstone Kelly Interpretive Site project (opening this September) and trails initiatives to connect the Marathon Loop. We have made great progress toward the vision by securing Clark’s Crossing Island and an easement with Western Sugar along the Yellowstone River that will soon add trails and park land. All would not have happened without Bill and his never-ending passion and commitment to advancing the community.

This upcoming year, the Billings Chamber will continue to push forward a number of transformational strategic priorities for our community. While many you’ll recognize as issues we continue to address from previous years, we

hope you’ll appreciate the new projects, the expansion to existing projects, and our efforts overall to enhance the Billings community for businesses.

Air Service: Billings is still celebrating our most recent achievement in American Airlines beginning daily direct service to Dallas Fort Worth last month. But while we enjoy our successes, there are still opportunities to pursue in the upcoming year pertaining to new destination service particularly through Horizon and United. River to the Rims: This new vision will connect the assets that support our community’s two most distinguishable resources: the Yellowstone River and the Rimrocks. Over the long term, we will develop and connect the numerous existing and potential attractions along the.

Local Option Authority: Residents across the state of Montana deserve the right to vote locally on implementing a local option tax to solve local problems. The state legislature must give us this authority. As the owner of Sanctuary Spa and Salon and Joy of Living, this issue is close to home and I am a passionate supporter: It allows us the opportunity to bring more of the existing $400 million tourism dollars to town by enhancing our community.

Small Business Focus: Our Chamber is strong because of the membership of

so many small businesses.

In fact, these businesses make up 85 percent of our membership. As an owner of four small businesses, I understand many of the challenges and concerns that our members experience. I am committed to focusing on the many opportunities for success that small business owners have through engagement with the Billings Chamber.

Workforce Development: We will continue to improve

August Business After Hours Wednesday, August 9, Henry’s Garage, 12 Garden Ave. (Co-hosted by Edward Jones) 5-7 pm. Cost is $8.

September Business After Hours Wednesday, Sept. 13, Heights Family Funeral Home, 733 W. Wicks Lane, 5-7 pm. Cost is $8.

our workforce through recruitment and training with our strong partner at Big Sky Economic Development leading the way. BillingsWorks continues to grow and be a model program across the country.

Convention Center: We must improve meeting and convention space to grow current events and attendees. Without new space 25% of current meetings and events will be lost. Elections have consequences: All of

the strategies above succeed only when our elected officials work with people and organizations across the city to build a vision and dream big to make Billings a better place. We strive to deliver relevant information to help you identify issues of importance. The Billings Chamber, representing 1,300 businesses that employ over 48,000 people, strives to keep our members and community informed and connected.

Support BillingS trailS with the trailhead license plate

Just $25 today or when you renew your license plates!

BillingsChamber.com

All proceeds collected support community economic development and Billings trail development.

July 2017

11

Kevin Moser

His career is pretty much set

By TOM HOWARD Kevin Moser says there are a couple key things that somebody must learn in order to become an expert tile installer.

“You have to be willing to learn, and you have to do a lot of reading,” said Moser, who installs tile professionally and is also owner of Moser Floors and More, located at 917 Third Ave. “There are a lot of manuals out there that you can learn from,” he said.

On-the-job training provided by an experienced mentor can also be helpful, said Moser, 26.

Those who have no interest in learning more about the profession might not see much work come their way. “If you are willing to learn the proper methods, it will help,” he said. “The skill is a little self taught, but the proper methods come from researching and finding out the proper way to do things.”

Moser grew up in Indiana and was looking for a change of scenery early in his career. After looking at a few places on the map, he picked Billings.

“I always liked the West,” he said. “I had five states I was choosing between, and I found a job here, so that’s when I decided to move.”

Moser sat down recently to discuss a profession where artistry and business acumen both come into play.

Q: How did you get into this business?

A: My cousins own one of the largest distributorships in the Midwest. At an early age I was building displays for them, but by the time I was in middle school I started working for my parents, who owned restaurants, until I was out of high school. Then I started big into tile setting again, but after a while I had to get away because I was working too much and decided to move out here.

Tiling is kind of hands-on, and being able to create something is pretty fun. I decided to start up a store because in the business side of my mind I saw money to be made, so I jumped on it.

Is there some kind of an apprenticeship program for people who are interested in this kind of work?

I’m the Montana ambassador for the National Tile Contractors Association, and we’ve been trying to work on an

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July 2017

apprenticeship if you will, but there are a lot of hoops we’re jumping through to get to that point. We’d like to start an apprenticeship soon, but the first one will probably take place in Texas. It might hit Montana in a few years.

When you install tile do you usually work alone?

“I have a team of employees, and I can help them learn. It can be intimidating at first, and it helps to have somebody with experience.

What are the most challenging kinds of jobs in your career?

For me, being younger, the hardest jobs are the big commercial jobs where more than one tile crew may be working and they don’t look at me as being as skilled as they are. That happened once, where it looked like I wouldn’t get paid as much. But I ended up deciding it was an opportunity to prove myself, and I did.

There are lots of do-it-yourself shows on TV in which homeowners learn to lay tile. Are most people capable of that?

I always say it’s best to get professional help for any job. You don’t want to do your own electrical work or plumbing. With tile, you don’t want to do anything yourself if it has to do with water. If a homeowner wants to do a backsplash or an accent wall, there’s no problem if the tile falls off the wall. If you’re dealing with showers, you need a professional to make sure it’s waterproof and you don’t have any leaks. You can have serious damage if it’s not done right.

Tell us a little more about your store.

We opened a store about two years ago at 2500 Grand. Ave. But we decided we needed more space quickly, and we decided to move downtown. We’re extremely excited because we have a large warehouse that we’re turning into a showroom. With family in the industry, we can get lots of deals, and we stock more tile than anybody in Billings.

Homespun From 8

agreed to meet at Maverick Mountain Ski Area near Dillon.

The way Bernthal tells it, Duckworth was formed by the time the two had completed their third ride on the chairlift.

“The timing was perfect,” Bernthal said. “There’s a great deal of interest in where things come from, and telling the story of sheep to shelf is unique because we actually grow and make it. We don’t outsource anything, and we’re not buying anything from China.”

Starting a made-in-America company presented a number of challenges. Not only is the domestic textile industry a shadow of its former self because jobs and equipment have been outsourced, much of the knowledge about how to manufacture woolen clothing has also gone by the wayside.

“There’s definitely not a lot of wool knowledge anymore. All of the worldclass mills shifted to Asia, and with it the knowledge of how to do that. It was a real brain drain,” Bernthal said.

That’s where Graham Stewart comes in. Stewart, a Scotsman and long-time associate of Bernthal, provides essential expertise on manufacturing processes.

Another partner is Jon Edwards, owner of Schnee’s, a Bozeman shoe and outdoor retailer.

The company name also has an interesting story.

“Graham and I worked with a guy named Duckworth in England,” Bernthal said. “A lot of wool heritage comes from England and Scotland. He was this mean old bastard who knew a lot about wool.”

Duckworth’s clothing has received favorable reviews in national outdoor publications, and sales have doubled in each year that Duckworth has been in business, Bernthal said. Despite praise lavished on the brand in Outside Magazine and other outdoor-oriented publications, Duckworth garments work just as well for people who feed livestock or split firewood for a living, Bernthal said.

On shearing day, Evan and Wade both skirted fleece and loaded the wool into the wool press. Evan also manages the manufacturing process, from when the wool is shorn until it’s spun and woven into fabric.

“We contract with about a dozen vendors,” most of them located in the southeast, he said. Another production manager oversees the process of turning fabric into clothing.

“It’s definitely rewarding when you get to take one product and turn it into a fin- Above: Sheep await their return to the pasture after being shorn. By this time next year, their wool will be Duckworth garments. Top: A mannequin is part of the Duckworth display at Schnee’s Boots, Shoes and Outdoors in Bozeman. ished product,” Evan Helle said.

July 2017

13

Uber officials scramble to recover after Kalanick resignation SAN FRANCISCO — Ride-sharing company Uber is heading back to the drawing board following the resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick, whose June 20 exit from the $70 billion company resulted from a shareholder revolt.

The embattled executive stepped down in response to a letter signed by several of Uber’s shareholders, said a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be named.

The investors had demanded that Kalanick resign in the wake of long-running controversy over Kalanick’s aggressive behavior and the company’s workplace culture. They included one of Uber’s biggest shareholders, the venture capital firm Benchmark, which has one of its partners, Bill Gurley, on Uber’s board.

Others who signed the letter include Menlo Ventures, First Round Capital and Lowercase Capital, according to the person.

Kalanick submitted his resignation, effective immediately, after receiving the letter, having a conversation with certain investors, and then talking to the board of directors.

He hasn’t given up his own board seat.

Kalanick’s fellow board members had kind words for him.

In a statement, the board reportedly called Kalanick’s decision “a sign of his devotion and love for Uber.”

The move comes as Kalanick continues to mourn the sudden death of his mother, who was killed in a boating accident that also injured his father.

Kalanick’s resignation comes after dealing with an outright rebellion, in which a block of the biggest shareholders demanded he step down.

The New York Times first reported Kalanick’s resignation.

In a joint letter, titled “Moving Uber Forward” and obtained by The Times, the investors wrote to Kalanick that he must immediately leave and that the company needed a change in leadership.

Kalanick issued a statement acknowledging the move, according to The Times.

“I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight,” he said in the statement.

Meanwhile, former Attorney General Eric Holder’s recommendations on how to fix Uber’s dysfunctional management that the male-dominated company grew huge without even the most basic procedures to prevent sexual harassment, bullying and other bad behavior.

The 13-page document from Holder’s

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July 2017

The Associated Pressphotos

In this March 4, 2015, file photo, then-Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the Justice Department in Washington. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has left the company and his leadership team is running the troubled company. Kalanick told employees about his decision Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in a memo. The announcement comes as former U.S. Attorney Eric Holder released a list of recommendations to improve Uber’s toxic culture. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

firm Covington & Burling LLP released June 13 exposes a startup-turned-goliath that permitted debauchery, had few policies to protect employees and ran with little board supervision.

The recommendations , adopted unanimously by Uber’s board, show clearly that the next version of Uber will have to be much different from the free-wheeling company that flouted regulations and disrupted the taxi business to become the world’s largest ride-hailing company.

After interviewing 200 witnesses, Holder had to make such basic recommendations as setting clear policies to protect workers from harassment, and that the human resources department get a better handle on keeping records and tracking employee complaints. It even suggests such simple procedures as using performance reviews to hold leaders accountable and requiring all employees to turn in receipts so the company can make sure expenses match its values.

The recommendations “definitely paint a picture of a company that was out of control and pretty chaotic,” says Elizabeth Ames, a senior vice president at the Anita Borg Institute, a nonprofit aimed at advancing women in the technology business.

Holder also suggests that Uber change its written cultural values to promote positive behavior, inclusion and collaboration.

The Associated Press

In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, file photo, a selfdriving Uber sits ready to take journalists for a ride during a media preview in Pittsburgh. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will take a leave of absence for an unspecified period and let his leadership team run the troubled ride-hailing company while he’s gone. Kalanick told employees about his decision Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in a memo.

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

The company should eliminate values that justified poor behavior, such as “Let Builders Build,” ‘’Always Be Hustlin’,” ‘’Meritocracy and Toe-Stepping” and “Principled Confrontation.”

Kalinick had agreed to take a leave of absense prior to his ouster on June 20.

Kalanick wrote that he needs time off to grieve for his mother, who died in a May boating accident. He also said he’s responsible for the company’s current situation

and needs to become a better leader — echoing comments the 40-year-old CEO made earlier this year after a heated argument between Kalanick and an Uber driver over pay was captured on video.

Uber’s board said it would review Kalanick’s responsibilities and reassign some to others.

Ames said the recommendations were strong but indicated Uber had few policies, and the ones it had were not followed.

She was surprised by one that sought more supervision from the board.

“It makes you wonder where the board was before,” she said.

The board unanimously approved the recommendations, including a suggestion that a senior executive be tasked with making sure they are implemented. Apparently because of distrust of some leaders, Holder recommended that care be taken to make sure the executive “is viewed positively by the employees.”

The Holder investigation started after former engineer Susan Fowler posted a blog in February detailing harassment during the year she spent at Uber, writing that she was propositioned by her manager on her first day with an engineering team. She reported him to human resources, but was told he would get a lecture and no further punishment because he was a “high performer,” she wrote.

The company released only Holder’s recommendations, not his full report, citing the need to protect employees who complained.

Uber also must require that managers immediately report discrimination, harassment or retaliation, and ensure that codes of conduct apply to offsite events and conferences.

Liane Hornsey, Uber’s chief human resources officer who started in January, said implementing the recommendations “will improve our culture, promote fairness and accountability, and establish processes and systems to ensure the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.”

Holder also recommended adding independent directors and replacing the board chairman, co-founder Garrett Camp, with an independent person. The board currently has eight voting members, three from within the company.

Uber was also advised to make sure its workforce is more diverse. The company’s diversity figures are similar to the rest of Silicon Valley, with low numbers for women and underrepresented minorities. In the U.S., less than a third of the company’s workers are female.

In addition, the report says that diversity and inclusiveness should be a key value for Uber that’s included in management training.

SPECIAL REPORT: Economic development TRENDS, FORECASTS & PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES

American Airlines debuts direct flights between Billings, Dallas

By MIKE FERGUSON Amid plenty of smiles and a flurry of activity — including appearances by Yellowstone Kelly and Gabel, ZooMontana’s great horned owl — American Airlines’ daily service between Billings and Dallas took flight June 2 at Billings Logan International Airport.

Passengers aboard the inaugural flight from Dallas to Billings filled the 76-seat Embraer E175. The return flight, delayed about an hour by bad weather in the Dallas area, carried 55 passengers.

The first passenger off Flight 3615 was Darrick Caraway, general manager of Whittaker’s Guns in Owensboro, Kentucky.

He pronounced the maiden voyage both pleasant and convenient.

Caraway said he was in town in part to meet some friends in Sheridan, Wyoming, where they planned to “shoot some prairie dogs.”

As passengers deplaned, they were handed a Billings Chamber of Commerce swag bag and were greeted by a phalanx of public officials, including Montana Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and Billings Mayor Tom Hanel.

When they descended to claim their luggage, they were handed off to the likes of Chas Llewellyn, dressed as Yellowstone Kelly and distributing a commemorative Kelly coin, and Jeff Ewelt, executive director of ZooMontana, present not only for his enthusiasm but his ability to show off Gabel.

“I’m the random bearded guy with an owl,” he said of his Friday job description. “Let’s make Montana awesome.”

Awesome was the word that occurred to a lot of those gathered at the airport to celebrate the

CASEY PAGE PHOTOS, Gazette Staff

Above: The first non-stop American Airlines flight from Dallas to Billings arrives and is showered by water cannons from airport firefighters June 2.

Left: Darrick Caraway of Calhoun, Kentucky, is the first passenger off the first non-stop American Airlines flight from Dallas to Billings Friday.

advent of daily nonstop flights to the nation’s fourth-busiest airport. Adding Dallas will reduce flight times to such destinations as South America, the Caribbean and cities throughout America’s southeast.

“It’s a big day for us,” said Billings Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Brewer.

“We’re hoping we will see some strong ridership.”

In the two weeks following

the inaugural flight, flights from Dallas to Billings have averaged around 60 passengers, although Billings-to-Dallas flights have been somewhat less crowded, Ploehn said.

Between a federal grant and revenue guarantees from more than 20 Billings-area businesses and organizations — including $20,000 from Gazette Communications — the airline will receive up to $1.45 million during

the coming year, guaranteed, to offer daily nonstop flights.

But the nation’s largest airline won’t receive a payment, Ploehn said, during three-month periods when enough tickets are sold to make the route profitable — a determination that’s made by the airline.

In addition, the city will be obliged to return the $750,000 federal grant it received in order to help entice American to offer the service, again provided that the route proves profitable. That money would then be awarded to another community seeking to expand its own connection to a new destination.

“We’re pretty sure we’ll be

off the hook for the summer months, and September and October are looking pretty busy,” Ploehn said.

Ploehn said that potential new destinations for direct flights from Billings include San Francisco — which he said United Airlines “is pushing pretty hard” — and communities served by low-cost carriers such as Frontier Airlines, including Las Vegas. If those destinations come to fruition, the service would probably be seasonal, he said — unlike the new American Airlines service to Dallas, scheduled for inbound and outbound flights every day during the coming year.

Cooney, appearing on behalf of Gov. Steve Bullock, said the new service will allow travelers and especially visitors “in and out of Billings with as little muss and fuss as possible.”

The celebration is just the start of what will be a multifaceted “guerrilla” marketing effort, said the chamber’s Kelly McCandless. Big Sky Economic Development, Visit Southeast Montana and the Montana Department of Commerce are also part of the ongoing marketing effort.

Low-cost and innovative ideas include doing what McCandless described as a recurring “coffee shop takeover” in Dallas to let travelers know about Billings-area attractions. “We hope to get them to serve huckleberry latte,” she said with a smile.

Recent marketing efforts include a full-page ad in the Dallas Mavericks’ game program. Upcoming advertising will target travelers who can use either the Billings or Bozeman airport.

“We’re out to change the mindset that says, ‘I can get a cheaper ticket out of Bozeman,’” McCandless said.

July 2017

15

STRATEGIESfor success

If you pay a higher salary, you will find a better qualified employee who will perform more competently than an employee who is paid less.

JOE MICHELS, PH.D., P.E., C.P.I., is principal of Solomon Bruce Consulting LLC. Contact him at 406-672-6387 or at solomonbruce.com.

16

July 2017

P roper training procedures can save money , prevent accidents A commercial refrigeration repairman talked with our consultants the other day. The repairman works all over the U.S. on industrial refrigeration equipment. A large retail box store is one of his primary clients. In fact, this retail box store accounts for almost 70 percent of his work.

When asked why he depended upon one such client for the bulk of his workload, he stated, “The company is penny wise and pound foolish.”

Umm, what does that mean? We needed to explore more.

Here is what we learned: This company employs a minimum-wage employee and fails to provide any ongoing and substantial training to its workforce. The result: high employee turnover and many, many accidents and employee errors which cost the company money.

The repairman cited a recent example. His crew had just finished a large refrigeration installation in one of the company stores.

Two days later, he is called to return to the same store and replace the doors to the refrigeration unit. He asked what was wrong with the installation, knowing that his crew had just satisfactorily completed the work 48 hours earlier. The answer: A new employee had run

the fork lift truck through the doors. The employee was talking on his cellphone when the accident occurred.

Interestingly, the repairman told our consultant that this type of worker error is common, almost a daily occurrence at one of the retail box store locations.

“I am happy with this account,” he said. “We always have plenty of work.”

As business consultants, this is something that we worry about with clients each day.

How does the employee training system work? Who is responsible for the training? Is there a specific training syllabus that identifies all the necessary steps that an employee must accomplish to be trained on a task?

Although this might sound bureaucratic and cumbersome, believe me when I say it is not.

A new employee must be trained and deemed “proficient” in each task before he can perform the task. Now, “proficient” has a different meaning for each company.

However, one could readily infer that proficient and error free are probably synonymous.

We have served as expert witnesses in legal cases where industrial training was an issue. The question always comes down to, “Was the employee properly

Andrey Radchenko

trained to do the task?” If an accident occurs or a fatality results, employee training is one of the first areas a lawyer is going to explore. If the answer is no, then the legal case becomes complex.

How do you design, develop, and conduct employee training? Do you have an employee training manual? Is the training all done by computer, or do you have some hybrid training process, where some theory training is computer based with practical training done hands on with supervision?

Academic research has proven that paying a higher

wage results in fewer accidents and workforce errors. If you are considering adding new employees, or are experiencing a rash of workforce errors or accidents, workforce wages along with a strong viable training program are two factors that need to be seriously explored.

An adage that we share with many of our clients is that the cheapest price is the most expensive and the most expensive price is normally the cheapest. What does that mean? If you pay a higher salary, you will find a better qualified employ-

ee who will perform more competently than an employee who is paid less.

Think about your employee salaries and workforce training when seeking new employees. If you believe that there are no employees available, that is often not the real issue. The real issue is that you are not paying enough to attract the caliber of employee you want.

Training and workforce salary are congruent. A good training program and a good salary will result in a happy, satisfied employee who will work hard for you.

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Optimism returns to Bakken 3 years after crash

By MIKE HUGHLETT McClatchy Newspapers MOUNTRAIL COUNTY, N.D. — For much of last year, Jeep Punteney was a casualty of the global oil price crash that halted North Dakota’s petroleum boom.

His career was on hold for seven months, while he picked up sporadic work in construction.

“I put my resume out and got into the same line as everyone else,” said Punteney, 42, who went to college for chemical engineering and has spent most of the past two decades working the oil patch.

Now he’s back in the fields.

North Dakota’s oil country boomed to unprecedented heights earlier this decade, transforming the state, beckoning legions of workers from Minnesota and rippling in other ways across the economy of the upper Midwest. Then, as swiftly as it erupted, it crashed, victim of steps by Saudi Arabia and other countries to boost their production.

Prices dropped from around $100 a barrel in 2014 to $30 early last year, bringing big financial losses for companies that had invested heavily in North Dakota production and bankrupting some of them outright. Jobs vanished.

Now there are strong signs of a rebound. Drillers are bringing rigs back. Some companies are scrounging to find enough workers, an about-face for an industry that shed almost half its jobs during the bust.

“The industry is coming back,” said Monte Besler of FRACN8R Consulting in Williston, N.D. “I don’t think it’s as robust as we’d like it to be. But it is definitely improving.”

The optimism remains tentative, as price and production levels would need to rise a lot more to rival the days of the boom. Newer fields in Texas and New Mexico are the hot spots in U.S. shale oil right now, drawing investment that might otherwise flow to North Dakota, the nation’s No. 2 oil producing state.

Nonetheless, North Dakota players that survived the crash started getting more active last fall, when major oil-producing

18

July 2017

The collapse in 2016 created a sea of red ink for oil companies and bankrupted some outright. But it also spurred survivors to boost productivity. They now are leaner, more fit to cope with oil prices at $50 a barrel.

nations agreed to output cuts that pushed prices back over $50 a barrel. Companies have worked to boost productivity, getting leaner to cope with current price levels.

Punteney is back at work supervising new well drilling sites for WPX Energy. What the past few years made clear is that the industry is at the mercy of oil prices.

“When you work in the oil field, you work in a boom-and-bust world,” he said.

PRICE DYNAMICS

Global oil producers extended their output cuts late last month, but the price of oil indicates continuing uncertainty. The benchmark U.S. oil price closed Wednesday at $45.72, below the important $50-per-barrel mark.

Oil inventories are still historically high, partly because U.S. oil production has risen sharply since last fall. And while OPEC and Russia — key oil playmakers — have indicated they’ll cap production for the next nine months, they could capitulate and produce fullout, driving down prices.

What made the big difference in U.S. production, particularly in North Dakota, was the advent of the technique known as hydraulic fracking. Last year, the state’s oil production was more than six times what it was in 2008 — despite the bust.

The adoption of fracking prompted companies to pour $30 billion into the region before the downturn. An oil rig is the epitome of a big-time investment:

The 13-story, 275-ton movable, mechanical beasts cost about $50,000 to $70,000 per day to operate.

There are now 51 drilling rigs in North Dakota — well below the high of 218 in December 2012 — but up from a low of 27 in May 2016.

They run 24 hours a day, with workers usually putting in 12-hour shifts. As supervisor, Punteney must be constantly at the drilling sites nestled in western North Dakota’s rolling hills. His “living shack” is adjacent to a makeshift office, and he works two weeks on, two weeks off.

On a recent spring day, the rig was drilling three new wells at a site that already hosts three of WPX’s 248 wells in North Dakota. Each of the six wells will reach

down 2 miles, then veer horizontally for another 2 miles, the signature pattern of shale oil fracking.

“With six wells, you have a spider web beneath you,” Punteney said.

A native of Wyoming, Punteney started out in the oil business as a pumper — a grunt worker at a well site. Last fall, he was hired

by WPX, a company that focuses on U.S. shale oil and gas production. WPX had five rigs operating in North Dakota before the bust, but then cut back to one. It added a second late last year after raising its capital spending budget.

Other producers have been doing the same.

With investment rising, oil field Please see Bakken, Page 20

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Bakken From 18

employment seems to have turned a corner this spring. In April, the North Dakota job sector that mostly includes oil and gas workers stood at 16,400, up 10 percent over the same month in 2016. April marked the second consecutive month of year-over-year increases in oil jobs.

Meanwhile, online job openings were at a 12-month peak in April — and up 94 percent over a year ago — in “construction and extraction,” which includes oil field employment in North Dakota’s four largest oil-producing counties, according to Job Service North Dakota. Active resumes for those jobs were down 52 percent over a year ago, indicating an imbalance between oil jobs and job seekers.

“Companies are not keeping up in hiring,” said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, a trade group. “We are probably looking for 1,000 employees in Williston, Dickinson, Minot and Stanley to fill the needs.”

Ness said the improving U.S. economy and lower unemployment rates generally aren’t helping. “This will be a long-term problem because the entire labor market is pretty tight,” he said.

The oil fields tend to attract nomads — men and women who travel for work but might keep their roots in another state. With an uptick in the overall economy, there are fewer of those willing to travel for higher wages when they can find well-paying jobs at home.

For those at work in the oil fields, prospects are more encouraging these days.

“I sure hope it keeps picking up — that’s what we are all here for,” said Edward Keith, a 35-year-old WPX worker from Ohio.

“I see myself in this industry until I retire,” he said while manning the controls of a fracking operation in McKenzie County.

Keith and four other workers sat staring at computer screens in the “data van,” a sort of command-post trailer at a “completion site.” Here, a drilling rig has come and gone, leaving six wells ready for hydraulic fracking. The place hums 24 hours a day with diesel engines mounted on 16 frack pump trucks — the power supply for the action below.

Associated Press

Workers tend to oil pump jacks behind a natural gas flare near Watford City, N.D.

Torrents of water and sand are pushed under high pressure through the wells — along with a dash of chemicals — creating cracks in shale rock formations.

The grains of sand keep the cracks open, allowing oil and gas to flow.

Shale oil operators have been pumping significantly more sand and water in recent years, extracting more oil per well. They’re operating more wells per “pad,” too — another productivity move.

With more wells at a single site, oil field services can be centralized.

For instance, fewer roads need to be built to individual sites, and a single water line can serve multiple wells.

A decade ago, two wells per pad was a big deal. The six on the WPX site is common nowadays; one North Dakota operator has 18 oil wells on one pad. “This is the biggest single driver helping the efficiency and profitability in North Dakota,” said Besler, the fracking consultant.

Operators are drilling with better cost efficiency, too. A decade ago, it took about 43 days to drill a well, compared with 13 to 18 days

now.

Break-even costs for wells in North Dakota’s four biggest oil producing counties fell significantly from mid-2014 through 2016 — over 40 percent in two of them, state data show. Meanwhile, productivity has soared.

New production per oil rig has risen 38 percent in North Dakota’s Bakken oil field over the past year, according to data from Ernst & Young, which does oil industry consulting. However, total oil production on the Bakken had fallen 1.5 percent during the same time, the data show.

RISING PRODUCTION

North Dakota’s monthly oil production has been oscillating around the 1 million barrels-a-day mark over the past year. “A million barrels per day is a big psychological mark,” said Ness, of North Dakota’s Petroleum Council.

Production peaked at 1.23 million barrels per day in December 2014 and hit bottom at 942,326 barrels per day last December.

North Dakota pumped about 1.03

million barrels per day in both February and March — above informal forecasts from the state’s mineral department.

But the Permian shale oil basin in Texas and New Mexico has been a far more upbeat story lately than the Bakken, recovering earlier from the slump. Permian oil production rose 25 percent over the past year, according Ernst & Young.

“Right now, there is a premium for companies operating in the Permian,” said Vance Scott, a senior managing director at Ernst & Young.

The Permian shale play has geological advantages over the Bakken, and it’s closer to the huge oil refining belt on the Gulf Coast.

Still, Scott said he thinks the Bakken will continue to expand.

“It’s proven,” he said. “It’s a viable play.”

And the Dakota Access pipeline, which started shipping oil earlier this year, should level the playing field somewhat with the Permian, analysts say. While it sparked big protests by American Indians and environmentalists,

the Dakota Access is expected to significantly cut transport costs on the Bakken.

The future, though, is always clouded by the oil business’ inherent conundrum.

OPEC production cuts like the ones announced in November tend to boost oil prices, which encourage the U.S. shale oil industry to produce more. Indeed, U.S. oil output is up about 10 percent since early October, adding to the global oversupply.

At $60 per barrel oil, the Bakken is an “attractive” investment, Ness said. At $50, it’s “moderate.”

Still, producers and analysts expect North Dakota production to rise in 2017’s second half as a “new normal” sets in.

Without the market “balancing” — supply falling more in line with demand — prices will likely remain soft. Or they could tank again if OPEC producers open the spigot as they did in 2014 to help quash rising U.S. shale oil production.

“That is the cross we bear, historically we have produced ourselves out of business,” Besler said.

July 2017

20

Wells Fargo pledges to refund fees to harmed customers ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES — Wells Fargo & Co. will guarantee that customers harmed by the bank’s practice of opening unauthorized accounts will get back fees they paid and be fully compensated for damage done to their credit scores, according to documents filed recently to settle several class-action lawsuits.

That could mean the San Francisco bank will end up shelling out substantially more than the $142 million it had previously agreed to pay to settle the lawsuits.

A federal judge had said he would not approve the deal without such a guarantee, prompting Wells Fargo to accede to that and a handful of other changes the judge demanded.

The guarantee marks a second big change in the deal, and the second time Wells Fargo has agreed to significantly sweeten the settlement terms as it seeks to put the lawsuits and sham accounts scandal behind it.

In March, the bank agreed to pay $110 million to settle claims over unauthorized accounts dating back to 2009. It later boosted that number to $142 million after an internal report on the bank’s practices found that unauthorized accounts may have been created as early as 2002.

Now, the number could grow further, with the bank making an open-ended commitment to pay more

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Plaintiffs’ attorneys estimated as many as 3.5 million sham accounts were created, many more than the 2.1-million figure reported by the bank and regulators last year, but many customers may have had several unauthorized accounts opened in their names. than $142 million if it turns out that amount won’t be enough to cover victims’ out-of-pocket losses. The bank had resisted making such a compensation guarantee, with its attorney arguing at a hearing last month that it could result in the bank having to pay customers who never suffered losses.

Still, the exact amount Wells Fargo will have to pay is not known and likely won’t be for months, with U.S. District Judge Vince

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Tim Sloan, a 29-year veteran of Wells Fargo, was named new CEO of the scandal-plagued bank last November.

Chhabria noting at a hearing in May that the $142 million may prove to be more than enough. It’s still not clear how many customers were harmed by the bank.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys estimated as many as 3.5 million sham accounts were created, many more than the 2.1-million figure reported by the bank and regulators last year, but many customers may have had several unauthorized accounts opened in their names.

“We’re working with incomplete information,” Chhabria said at the May hearing. “I think, because of that, stricter-than-normal scrutiny is required by the court.”

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the bank planned to compensate customers whose credit may have been damaged due to any unauthorized credit card accounts.

In an order demanding the guarantee and other changes, Chhabria said the bank should pay more “if it becomes apparent that (customers) suffered significantly greater injury than is

currently assumed.”

Along with the guarantee, Wells Fargo and plaintiffs’ attorneys agreed to numerous other changes, including giving customers more time to submit claims, notifying a broader swath of current and former customers, and giving Chhabria additional time to review the method being used to

estimate how customers were harmed by damaged credit scores.

Chhabria had said in May that he would be inclined to approve the deal if all of those changes were made. If he signs off on the settlement, it would kick off a months-long process during which current and former bank customers will be notified of the settlement terms and be able to submit claims for compensation.

The settlement would be the largest payout by the bank related to the accounts scandal since Wells Fargo last year agreed to a $185 million settlement with regulators, including the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

The bank’s practices were first uncovered by a 2013 Los Angeles Times investigation which found workers opened the accounts to hit unrealistic account-opening goals set by managers and executives.

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July 2017

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special advertising section

Cenex Zip Trip DESIGNED WITH CUSTOMERS IN MIND

By Tiffini GallanT PhoTos By BronTĂŤ WiTTPenn

The renovated Cenex Zip Trip, located on the corner of 27th Street and 11th Avenue North, reopened March 10.

With a mission to improve the convenience store customer experience, Cenex Zip Trip at 1046 N. 27th St. underwent a major renovation.The 3,580-square-foot remodeled building gained 30 percent more sales space to offer a larger inventory in a streamlined design.

The new store layout maximizes product offerings while minimizing clutter.

24

July 2017

special advertising section

The eight-foot walk-around sandwich case, hot food and fountain drinks make the Cenex Zip Trip a destination for employees who work at the nearby hospitals and college.

“We created a new image from the outside to the inside,” said Brian Luptak, a CHS Inc. employee who assists with remodels, new builds and marketing for the company.

The color scheme and design of Cenex Zip Trip locations involves a lot of thought and testing in the process, said Luptak.

New flooring, LED lighting and custom cabinets complement the design of the remodeled space.

When Brian Luptak walked into the Cenex Zip Trip location at 1046 N. 27th St. last summer, he saw a convenience store with potential.

The Zip Trip serves a diverse range of customers.

Employees of area businesses, like the two hospitals and college nearby, travelers heading into town from Billings Logan International Airport, and local residents frequent the location.

“Being such a busy store, we wanted to update the image,” said Luptak, who assists with convenience store remodels, new construction and marketing for CHS, Inc. In line with the Cenex brand, the building was renovated into a larger, modern and more functional space to serve Billings customers.

“It’s different than your typical corner store,” Luptak said.

Limited floor space, single-stall restrooms and long lines to the checkout stand dampened the customer experience.

Mark T. Johnson Architect, LTD of Kalispell took the challenge of reconfiguring the design. By eliminating a connected room which previously housed a laundromat and moving offices and restrooms to the perimeter of the building, there was a 30 percent square footage gain available as sales floor space.

“Every building we have is a little different,” Luptak said of Zip Trip layout and product offerings.

But, he admits it was difficult to visualize the final design from the plans because they proposed such a drastic change.

“It’s exciting,” said Luptak. “I really like seeing stores get reimagined.”

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

IN WITH THE NEW

In 2008, CHS Inc. purchased 33 Zip Trip convenience stores in Spokane, Washington. In the following years, the company acquired additional locations or rebranded existing ones. Currently, CHS Inc. operates 69 Cenex Zip Trip stores in nine states, and a large portion of them are in Montana.

The convenience store on the corner of 27th Street and 11th Avenue North became a Cenex Zip Trip in April 2009. When the company began incorporating a unified design scheme, remodeling a majority of its stores, the Billings location was ready.

“This store has been here a really long time,” said Luptak. “It needed a bit of a facelift.”

The Cenex Zip Trip closed its doors the first week of January after a timeline came together in late fall. Construction began after a short delay obtaining the building permit with a plan to make improvements to both the interior and exterior of the building.

New brown siding was added to the outside as well as updated fascia and LED lighting. Gone is the red wrap along the top of the building; it’s been replaced with a blue and white one. Although visitors might notice the exterior changes, anyone who had previously shopped at the store won’t recognize the interior.

“We gutted a lot of the inside of the building,” Luptak said.

The wall that once separated the convenience store from the laundromat was knocked down, as were the walls that housed a previous office space and restrooms. All of the outdated flooring was removed and replaced with updated tile.

Likely the most noticeable change is the location of the checkout counter. Where it was once stationed to the right of the entrance, lines often obstructed incoming customers. The new centralized location means easier entering, exiting and store navigation.

But the counter move meant a big job for Action Electric. The subcontractor had to reconfigure the electrical system to accommodate the counter and prepare the other stations.

“It was a complete store gut as far as removing all electrical throughout the store, minus freezers and coolers,” said Brian Amestoy, vice president of Action Electric.

With different islands that needed power, including the checkout counter, as well as wiring cabinets and installing new LED lighting inside, there were a lot of projects going on at once, he said. But everything came together well.

“Working for Zip Trip’s really easy,” said Amestoy.

“They always have their ducks in a row, so it’s just a matter of getting (the job) done for them.”

With no additional delays to construction, the renovation was completed within two weeks of the anticipated finish date. When the Cenex Zip Trip opened again on March 10, Luptak was happy with the results.

See CENEX, page 26

July 2017

25

special advertising section

SATISFIED SHOPPERS

Thank You

for choosing us to be a part of this project! rWr is in the business of offering excellence in all areas of custom construction. We achieve this through the hard work of the most experienced employees, trades people and suppliers in the industry, team members who are committed to the guaranteed total service and satisfaction of new and repeat customers. integrity, relationships, communication, customer service, resources, excellence, craftsmanship & knowledge, in all areas of the construction trade, are just some of the “pieces” the ross family brings together, to build your future!

Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed

robert W. ross bldg contractor, inc.

Kalispell, MT • www.ross-construction.com (406) 257-5550

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July 2017

Thank you for Letting Us Be a Part of your Project Cenex Zip Trip IT LOOKS AMAZING! Providing Great Service Everyday Since 1985 24 Hour Emergency Service FREE & Prompt Quotes Licensed, Bonded & Insured

We are proud to be your TRUSTED TEAM For New Construction, Remodels & Repairs

Schedule on-line at: actionelectricinc.com S GAZE ING TT LL

406.245.9551

1010 Central Ave • Suite 4 • Billings, MT

w w w.ac tionelec tric inc.com

E

Luptak said customers were a major motivation behind the Cenex Zip Trip remodeling.

“We want to provide what we hope is an even better experience at our store,” he said. “We want to have quality products for customers who shop at the store and have a positive relationship with them.”

Luptak and other employees were excited to hear the response from shoppers.

“I love hanging around afterward to see people’s reactions,” Luptak said.

Even after having to alter their routines during the store’s closure, regular customers like the changes, he said.

“We’ve got a good rapport with the people that come down here,” said James Campbell, Zip Trip store manager.

Shoppers notice the centralized counter, which Luptak said provides a good vantage point for employees to greet visitors and see when someone is in

need of assistance.

“We get to make a first impression,” he said. “The first thing customers see when they walk in is us saying ‘hello’ to them.”

The navigation of the store is easier for shoppers, too. The layout allows products to be with items that complement them, like placing chips near the soda coolers. People don’t have to look too hard to find everything they want in a convenient location, said Luptak.

And the extra floor space allowed for an expanded inventory while minimizing clutter.

“We like to surprise people,” Luptak said. “We have things people wouldn’t necessarily expect.”

The Zip Trip has more healthy snacks, lunch items and novelty products.

Fresh flowers are delivered weekly. A new eight-foot walk-around sandwich case makes the store a destination for local employees on their lunch break.

“I’m really happy with (the remodel),” said Campbell. “To see this store come from what it was to what it is now – amazing.”

BI

“We created a new image from the outside to the inside,” he said.

2016 READERS’ CHOICE

WINNER B

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OF BILLI

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S

SALESmoves

T here ’ s no one best way to make a sale The best way to make a sale is to walk into the meeting with two ideas in favor of the customer.

JEFFREY GITOMER is the author of The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. Reach him at 704-333-1112 or email salesman@ gitomer.com

“Jeffrey, what’s the BEST way to make a sale?”

When I’m asked this question (I’m asked it all the time), what the salesperson’s really asking is, “What’s the EASIEST way to make a sale?”

EASY ANSWER: The easiest way to make a sale is lower your price to a point that you make no profit. Not a good option.

REAL ANSWER: There is no EASIEST way to make a sale.

And, just like there is no easiest way to make a sale, there is no BEST way to make a sale – BUT there are several elements that contain the word BEST that you must self-evaluate in order to discover why the sales takes place, or why not.

KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing.

Oh, you can occasionally make a manipulative sale.

But if you’re still in the 1970’s trying to “find the pain,” or “sell an up-front contract,” or “make a cold call,” or “close the sale,” you’re toast.

Sales toast.

Here are the BEST ways to make a sale: The best way to make a sale is to have your reputation precede you by word of mouth from your Google ranking, and from your business social media presence.

The best way to make a sale is to be known as a valued resource before you start.

The best way to make a sale is to be friendly before you start.

The best way to make a sale is to meet with the CEO or actual decision maker.

The best way to make a sale is not to be salesey, or cocky, or condescending.

The best way to make a sale is to have your reputation precede you by word of mouth from your Google ranking, and from your business social media presence.

The best way to make a sale is to ask intelligent, emotionally engaging questions that draw out both needs and buying motives.

The best way to make a sale is to walk into the meeting with two ideas in favor of the customer.

The best way to make a sale is to have done pre-call preparation in terms of the customer.

The best way to make a sale is to convey value rather than features and benefits.

The best way to make a sale is to focus on how they profit and produce.

The best way to make a sale is to focus on outcomes and ownership.

The best way to make a sale is to relax throughout the entire sales conversation.

The best way to make a sale is to respond in a heartbeat.

The best way to make a sale is to make yourself available when a customer needs you.

The best way to make a sale is to support and prove all your claims with video testimonials from existing customers who love you and are loyal to you.

The best way to make a sale is to ask for a date of

ellisia - stock.adobe.com

beginning, or some type of commitment to move forward, AFTER you are certain you have removed all risks and removed all barriers from your prospect’s buying process.

The best way to make a sale is to have multiple relationships at different levels and departments within the same company.

The best way to make a sale is to earn the status of trusted advisor.

The best way to make a sale is to create the atmosphere where the customer wants to buy.

The best way to make a sale is to make the passion of your belief transferrable.

And there are questions you must ask yourself that

enable the list of the BEST ways to make a sale: Am I always achieving my PERSONAL best?

Am I always PREPARING my best for every sales call?

Is my ATTITUDE set on positive, and positive outcome?

Is my BELIEF in product, company, and self always at the highest level?

Do I believe in my HEART that the customer is better off having purchased from me?

Am I always doing my BEST for every customer, every time?

REALITY: As a customer, I do NOT need a salesman. I need productivity, an idea, morale, a profit provider, and

a trusted advisor.

Is that you?

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.

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BETTERbusiness

Y our customers are evolving ; here ’ s how to change It seems that just when you have a cost effective and efficient system in place, along comes a new system that disrupts the way you connect with your customers.

DAN BUCHTA

of Missoula is Marketplace Director for Better Business Bureau Northwest. Contact him at dan.buchta@thebbb.org

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The last two decades have seen a great deal of change in both technology and business. For many of us, exponential growth in technology has created new conveniences, but for some businesses, those “conveniences” have created expenses and what some might consider to be headaches. It seems that just when you have a cost effective and efficient system in place, along comes a new system that disrupts the way you connect with your customers.

If the last decade has taught us anything, it is that things are not going to settle back down and return to “normal.” With the new exponential growth curves, changes that used to take two decades to happen may now only take about two years.

Those e-commerce giants that are stealing your business are adapting daily —as should you be. In short, get used to the idea of changing how you do business to suit your evolving customer base.

Aside from the changes driven by technology, business owners must also consider a shift in consumers. If today was a starting point, the next ten years will see the last of the baby boomers retire and become very conservative spenders. Meanwhile, millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000, will enter their peak spending years. Their purchases may not mirror the generations that preceded theirs, but they will spend.

For example, the millennial idea of buying a first home might be small square footage in a more urban environment with easy walkability to amenities and easy access into the outdoors. It may become

boygostockphoto stock.adobe.com

harder to sell larger homes in controlled subdivisions that the boomers enjoyed. Also, opportunities to utilize shared transportation may reduce demand for new cars. The list goes on.

Baby boomers were great for business. As a generation, they are fantastic consumers. They upgraded to big homes, filled them with furniture, bought nice new cars often and became comfortable having more debt than their parents did.

Figuring out the millennial generation has been a hot topic as of late. While many of the business leaders in our community raised these new consumers in their household, they don’t all understand how to operate a business built on having them as customers and employees. This is because many of us view how business should be done through

the lenses of our own generation or those before us and we are only semi-conscious of the habits of those generations younger than us.

So, time to start strategic planning for capturing those coveted millennial customers, right? Here is the difference—when you did your strategic planning for revenue growth in the past, you planned for improvements to be made over the next year keeping your sights on goals that were five years down the road. Don’t stop doing that, but you also need to plan for changes you can make today.

Here are a few millennial capturing concepts that you might be able to utilize today: Shut down “showrooming.” It is a myth that Millennials don’t like to shop brick and mortars. They actually prefer it. According to a recent Accenture study, millennials

like to touch, feel, and smell a product before buying it.

But they are guilty of “showrooming.” That is, going to a store, finding a product they like, and then shopping online for the lowest price. One local retailer shuts this process down by knowing who the online price leaders are in his industry and posting their price next to his. You will often find him posting Amazon’s price and then his, beating it by a penny, and the customer can walk out with the product in hand. Not on every item – just the hottest sellers. This will generate loyal customers who will trust they can come in and find the best price.

Get in on the e-commerce game. Millennials constantly shop online and know exactly what they want before they set foot in your store. This means you have to do a couple of things to retain their busi-

ness. First, have your products, pricing, and inventory online. This ability to shop online extends beyond retail and into services. Millennial customers will shop with you online after your business is “closed.” And, they may make a purchase online and pick it up in the morning if they can save a few bucks on shipping.

Go mobile. From shopping for products, making reservations, banking, etc. millennials depend heavily on their mobile device. A recent study from Square Inc., found that one in five millennials exclusively get online using their mobile device. Is your website mobile friendly? Contactless payment like Apple Pay and Android Pay are increasing in popularity among millennials and they feel that a coupon right on their phone should be acceptable. Get ahead of the curve and be mobile friendly.

To sum up, be “Speffeazy.”

While that is not a real word it should be your mindset.

Millennials like speed, efficiency, and ease. While this is not unique to their generation, they will put it to the test and the simplest transactions will always win. If you are in retail, Amazon already has one foot across the starting line, but consumers can actually hold the product at your store. What can you do to win? If you provide a service, can someone find you on their smart device and book an appointment for tomorrow at 3 p.m. with a few simple taps on their screen? From researching the product they want to buy online, finding it available at your store, coming in, and getting out with minimum hassle is the name of the game. .

TECHconnection

R ansomware is just the

latest trend in cyber crime One of the most effective approaches available to businesses is to provide training to users on security topics.

JEFF HONCOOP

is president of Billings-based Honcoop Technology Services.

Contact him at (406) 272-1282.

Five years ago, credit card information theft and identity fraud were the two most prevalent forms of computer aided (cyber) theft. In response, individuals, government, and industry developed protection mechanisms to address these attacks using solutions like LifeLock, HIPAA, and anomaly reporting and prevention technologies for credit card authorizations.

As protection improved, criminals began developing alternative methods to steal from their victims.

The current state of the art for cyber theft is “ransomware.� Ransomware is malicious code that blocks or limits access to applications or files until the required sum of money is paid.

The most common forms of ransomware remove access to critical files by encrypting the files on the computer via government grade encryption. The password to decrypt the files is then offered for purchase via credit card or bitcoin transaction.

Ransomware can infect computers within your business through a variety of avenues, but according to the FBI, the three most common infection sources are: 1) Users clicking on a malicious link 2) Opening an emailed file with the malware embedded 3) By visiting a compromised website (no user interaction required) The initial infections of

the WannaCry ransomware were distributed via email but then spread using a known flaw within the Windows operating system. As a result, once a single computer within an organization was infected, all other computers on the same network were placed at risk. WannaCry also demonstrated one of the risks associated with paying the ransom demand as there was no decryption key that allowed for recovery of the encrypted files.

WannaCry demonstrated that prevention is the most effect strategy to reducing the risks associated with ransomware. For individuals, the FBI recommends the following preventative measures: regularly backup data to offline locations or independent cloud based solutions, only visit known websites and take care when following unknown links or files, keep your software solutions up to date, and ensure that anti-virus and anti-malware software is kept up to date and enabled to scan regularly.

For businesses, the higher value of the data and systems within the organization justify spending on additional defenses against malware and ransomware. The most commonly adopted business protection is the use of a next generation firewalls. Nextgeneration firewalls with malware inspection enabled evaluate each downloaded file against a known list of

malicious code. To prevent zero-day exploits (never before seen malicious code) sandboxing technology can be utilized to evaluate what changes an application will make to a computer before allowing the file to be fully downloaded. In addition to firewalls, more advanced anti-malware solutions and AI driven technologies can further improve the defenses by providing alternative methods for identifying and blocking attacks.

One of the most effective approaches available

to businesses is to provide training to users on security topics. Ransomware is one of the most visible attacks in the market today; however, security training will provide protection against other high losses scenario such as spear phishing, physical intrusion, social engineering, and business email compromise. Developing a comprehensive security plan can help ensure coverage of the current risks as well as helping to minimize the risk to the organization from unknown

future attacks.

Honcoop Technology Services has been serving businesses and government since 2008. Our staff of certified and experienced engineers assist customers across the United States with complex technology planning and implementation services. If the items discussed in this column interest you, please attend the bi-monthly Security Users Group that meets in Billings, MT. For more details, please visit https://www.honcooptechnology.com/sug July 2017

29

Business Briefs Local Commerce at a Glance

Alphagraphics recognized

percent over a period of three years. With more than 10,000 customers, including publishAlphagraphics Billings has been ers, non-profits, and Fortune 500 recognized by the annual Printorganizations, and more than 2 ing News Top 100 Quick & Small million submitters, Submittable Commercial Printers rankings as is looking to grow its user base one the highest grossing quick & further by investing heavily in small commercial print firms in the marketing and sales efforts. It country. will also convert from a closed Coming in at #36 with revto open system, which will allow enue of just under $5.3 Million, any submitter to sign up for the Alphagraphics Billings is the only platform and immediately begin Montana-based firm to crack the utilizing the ‘Discover’ feature to top 50. find places to submit their work.

“Businesses, nonprofits, and “We are positioned as the community leaders in all corners matching and reviewing platform of our region have come to know for any organization looking for Alphagraphics Billings as a trusted work or any individual looking marketing and communications for opportunities in any vertical, partner,” said owner Jake Eaton. such as a place to publish or show “Thanks to our top notch team your work or receive funding for and state-of-the-art technology, scholarship or research. Whether that standard of excellence is even it’s a publisher looking for writing gaining recognition throughout pieces or organizations looking to our industry with this Top 100 create a contest, we have creSales Award.” ated an ecosystem that makes it Submittable effortless for the submitter and the organization,” said Michael gets funding FitzGerald, CEO. Submittable, a cloud-based “We’re really excited to invest platform designed to manage in Submittable because of its submissions and applications, has great potential as a new kind of announced a Series A investment SaaS marketplace where both of $5 million led by True Ventures. businesses and users benefit The financing will fund aggresacross many different verticals,” sive sales and marketing efforts said Puneet Agarwal, partner at and product development includTrue Ventures.

“Michael and his ing mobile and the opportunities marketplace. This investment will team are facilitating the creation and acceptance of a ton of conbe the first time True Ventures tent while building a long-lasting has invested in a Montana-based community. All these factors company.

This Series A financing builds combined point toward a powerful, high-growth business.” upon an exceptional year. The A previous funding round was company grew more than 400

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July 2017

led by Next Frontier Capital, a venture firm based in Bozeman, Montana. “Next Frontier Capital is thrilled to welcome Puneet and True Ventures to the board and company. True’s history of investing in legendary teams and companies will prove invaluable to Submittable. This investment is a welcome and exciting validation of Montana’s emerging technology ecosystem,” said Will Price, founder and general partner of Next Frontier Capital.

Submittable is a cloud-based submission platform dedicated to providing a clean, organized system for all types of file submissions. Use Submittable to receive, review, manage, share, and score digital content (manuscripts, resumes, business plans, applications, contest entries, any type of digital file). Founded in 2010, the company has over 35 employees and is based out of Missoula, Montana. For more information, visit www.submittable.com.

tionship will help us to continue enhancing medical services for our community.”

This new affiliation agreement provides a wide range of ways the two organizations can collaborate to improve and enhance patient care in Lewistown and the surrounding area. The affiliation includes: Stream-lined access to a new electronic medical record to enhance patient care and coordination Increased access to specialists Strengthening of physician partnerships Educational opportunities for providers, board and staff Formal leadership development programs Process improvement Reduced costs for supplies Biomed services Recruitment services, marketing and human resources assistance “Billings Clinic has a long tradition of partnering with Montana Billings Clinic, and Wyoming communities to CMMC affiliated advance rural health care,” said Central Montana Medical Randall Gibb, MD, Billings Clinic Center in Lewistown and BillInterim CEO. “These affiliations ings Clinic have signed a formal have allowed our regional partners affiliation agreement, concluding a to keep care local and have added three-year long process of creating specialty services in those coma new governance arrangement munities through outreach and between the two organizations. In other clinical partnerships.” the new agreement, Billings Clinic CMMC joins 11 other health will provide management services care organizations in Montana for CMMC. and Wyoming that are affiliated “We are very excited to anwith Billings Clinic, in addition to nounce this partnership with its co-ownership of Community Billings Clinic,” said Mike Dowdy, Medical Center in Missoula.

CMMC CEO. “This new rela-

Hypnotist in new location

Connie Kvilhaug, a certified hypnotist, has moved her practice to 1001 24th St. West, Suite 310,.

In addition, Kvilhaug has received additional training and is now offering services and can train first responders and other health personnel to deal with pain and trauma.

Kvilhaug also uses techniques to help people stop smoking and lose weight.

She can be reached at (406) 672-0637.

Dow-DuPont merger OK’d

The long-delayed $62 billion merger of DuPont and Dow has been approved by U.S. antitrust regulators.

The Justice Department said it would approve the deal as long as the companies sell off some herbicide and chemical units to preserve competition. Those sales are already in the works.

The merger was originally announced in December 2015 and was initially expected to close in the first half of 2016. But it was delayed several times while U.S. and foreign regulators reviewed it.

Once merged, DuPont and Dow plan to spin off into three public companies: one focusing on agriculture, one on material science and one on specialty products.

European regulators approved the deal in March.

The new company will be called DowDuPont and have dual headquarters in Midland, Michigan, and Wilmington, Delaware.

Business Briefs Success Stories Recognizing People Local and Commerce Achievements at a Glance

Al Jones joins Honcoop

moons for Travel Café clients.

Travel Café is located at 402 North Broadway, Suite 302.

Al Jones is now vice president Dean completes at Billings-based national IT services and security firm Honcoop certification Technology working on busiMarc Dean, owner and scuba ness development and security instructor at Family Fun Scuba & consulting again after teaching for Snorkel, located International Security Conference at 1841 Grand West, Business Facilities magazine, Ave., has successlaw enforcement, architects over fully completed the past 20 years. his PADI SCUBA instructor licensAgents complete ing in the followcertifications ing specific areas: Rhonda Feuerstein, Peg DEAN night diver, search McKinney and Aimee Bullivant, and recovery, and dive against detravel agents at Travel Café, bris. Dean is currently certified to recently completed certifications instruct 26 different scuba classes. to further serve local travelers in He may be reached by calling 860the region.

2590.

Feuerstein completed the SwitHilliard joins zerland adviser program through the Travel Agent Academy and has Stockman Bank also earned her certification as a Kimberly Hilliard has joined RIU Hotels Specialist. Her other Stockman Bank as a consumer achievements include certificaloan officer at the tion as a Five Star Travel Partner Stockman Bank with Celebrity Cruises and master Heights location. agent status with the AMResorts Her responsiCollection, which includes Zoetry, bilities include Secrets, Breathless, Dreams, Now administering and Sunscape. installment loans, McKinney achieved Commodore lines of credit and HILLIARD Status with the Princess Academy home equity loan of Princess Cruises, in addition to portfolios, along earning her certification as a RIU with assisting clients with their Hotels specialist. financial needs. Hilliard’s bankBullivant is a Princess Cruises ing experience includes personal specialist, Globus Family of Brands banking, customer relations, new specialist and expert in river cruis- accounts and business developing. Her current work focuses on ment. She most recently served as destination weddings and honey- a consumer lender at the Stockman

Bank King Avenue location. A Billings native, Hilliard is active in the community serving as a volunteer interviewer for Senior High Interview Day. She is also a participant in the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Billings program. Hilliard is located at 800 Main St. and may be reached at 896-4826.

Reno joins Eide Bailly

Celina Reno has joined Eide Bailly as an audit associate. Reno received her master’s degree in professional accountancy from Montana State University and has a background in hospital accounting.

2 join Angus Assn.

tion projects, quality control and cost analysis as well as building and maintaining relationships with new and existing clients.

Arrowsmith holds a master’s degree in construction engineering management and a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering technology from Montana State University.

Petersen holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management with a minor in business administration from the University of Nebraska.

Arrowsmith and Petersen have extensive experience as project managers in all phases of commercial construction.

They may be reached by calling 252-0510.

Daniel Tracey and Jacob Williams, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 532, recently successfully completed the Montana Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program, earning the designation of journeyman wiremen. The program is administered by the IBEW and the National Electrical Contractors Association, and consists of five years of on-the-job training and 1,000 hours of related classroom instruction.

Additionally, Shane McAllister and Joseph Dunn, both journeyman linemen, have successfully completed the requirements of the Mountain State Line Constructors Apprenticeship Program. The three-and-a-half year, five-state program was created to provide quality apprenticeship and training for the outside electrical construction industry.

Shelbie Oblander and Cearra Oblander, both of Ballantine, Arney joins are new junior members of the Town & Country American Angus Association.

Justin Arney has obtained his Junior members of the associalicense and completed the requiretion are eligible to register cattle in ments necessary to Larsen earns the American Angus Association, become a Realcertification participate in programs conducted tor Associate at Sheila Larsen, a Realtor at by the National Junior Angus AsTown & Country Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices sociation and take part in associProperties.

He is a Floberg Real Estate, has earned her ation-sponsored shows and other graduate of Rocky certified resinational and regional events. The Mountain Coldential specialist American Angus Association is the ARNEY lege and also has designation by largest beef breed association in a background in completing the the world, with more than 25,000 customer service.

Arney may be advanced training active adult and junior members. reached by calling 679-1160. and demonstrating 2 join Hardy outstanding proIBEW members Jason Arrowsmith and Adam fessional achieveLARSEN Petersen have recently joined earn credentials ment in residential Hardy Construction Co. as project Dan DeBolt, Adam Ericson, real estate. Larsen managers. They are responsible for Derek Hoerner, Josh Kiilsgaard, may be reached by calling 672estimating and overall manageKris Meredith, Austin Rogers, 1130. ment and supervision of construc- Ronald Storey, III, Robert Teter,

July 2017

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BANKRUPTCIES Billings area filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Amanda Virginia Roll, 263 Brookshire, Court May 1-31, 2017. Addresses are in Bill- May 11. ings unless otherwise noted.

Donna L. Siroky, 5018 Sweet William Ave., May 11.

Karen A. Gustafson, 4036 Second Ave. Chapter 7 S., May 12.

Jeffrey Scott Butts, 3107 Henesta Drive, GenaReneeLenoue,4205BruceAve.,May15.

May 2.

Krystel Alene Buckland, 1921 14th St. W., Annie Jo Seaman, 210 Cedar Ave. Apt. A, May 15.

May 4.

Kathleen Rae Wagnild, 8035 Cormier Barbara Jean Thwaits, 1224 Main St., Rd., May 17.

Roundup, May 8.

Carolyn Sue Young, 310 Moccasin Trail, Kirk Jared Schnetzer, 7804 Buckskin May 18.

Drive, Shepherd, May 9.

Joseph Todd Haubrich, 3285 Canyon Lori Lee Edgar, 2611 Glenwood Lane, Drive No. 4, May 24.

May 10.

Maurice James Gunn, Kody Leeann

Tami Rae Grossman, 415 Fourth St. W., May 17.

Charmaine Allison Brannan, 119 Huntley Butte Road, Columbus, May 19.

Douglas Christopher Browning, 810 Bruins Lane No. 4, May 20v.

Patrick Ryan Preston, 1765 Crystal Drive, May 22.

Whitney Leigh Webb-Bates, 5149 Montana City Drive, May 23.

Michael James Berns, Chelsey M. Hogan, 4115 Buchanan Ave.,May 30.

Chapter 11 Chapter 13 Legacy Holdings LLC, 175 Stonehaven Peter M. Ziolkowski, Jeri Collette Zi- Trail, May 19. olkowski, 1431 Colton Blvd., May 2.

Gunn, 3091 Hunters Ridge Loop, May 25.

Sandra Jane Gatica, 4706 Rebecca Place, May 25.

Daniel Thomas Miller, 821 North 27th St., Suite C, May 26.

John William Baker Jr., 2517 Arvin Road, May 26.

Shawn Patrick Donovan, 320 Mervin St. Apt. 1, May 31.

Gregory Lawrence Reiter, 946 Cook Ave., May 31.

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS Addition/Single/Duplex/Garage 5847 Whisperingwoods Drive, Wells Built Homes Inc., Dimension Edge Inc., $13,200 722 Lambrecht Lane, Powell, Timothy E. and Wynn, $199,320 906 N. 32nd St., Eaton, Dusty and Kara, Eaton And Yost Contractors, $58,000 4626 Elk Ridge Trail, Boyer Land LLC, Design Builders Inc., $5,460 836 Governors Blvd., Glibbery, Paul F. and Darla A., Northwest Building And Design LLC, $27,865 2334 Columbine Drive, Schlenker. Jeffrey P., $4,500

New Garage 2309 Larchwood Lane, Wyss, Curtis D., Scott Peterson Construction, $21,840 1411 Ave. C, Laughery, Thomas E., $25,480 2730 41 St. W., Kimmet, Adam J. and Kevin, Jane, Jones Construction Inc., $12,450 4616 Stone St., Berry, Sam, $14,000 4507 Lux Ave., Poe, Jon Mathew Nock and Karen G., C&B Concrete, $11,000

New Single Family

2721 Hanover Circle, Mont Vista LLC, $196,095 Demolition 4609 Silver Creek Trail, Infinity Homes 28 Nimitz Drive, Keyser, David E., $1,000 LLC, $225,835 1108 Custer Ave., Price, Marsha, $500 6817 Copper Ridge Loop, Copper Ridge Development LLC, New West Construction, $235,130 New Garage 1842 Island View Drive, McCall Devel1916 Clark Ave., Henderson, Ryan D. and opment Inc., $257,765 Sarah R., $32,620 1809 Island View Drive, McCall Devel28 Nimitz Drive, Keyser, David E., opment Inc., $149,880 5960 Foxtail Lane, MJ Construction $33,670

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July 2017

Inc., $166,930 1314 Daybreak Drive, Wagenhals Enterprises Inc., $300,000 332 Morningside Lane N., Jim Pickens, Pierson Jensen Construction Co., $450,000 651 Winter Green Drive, Walter & Arlynn Archer, Green Jeans LLC, $250,000 1846 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $239,900 3048 W. Copper Ridge Loop, LC Custom Homes, Delaware Drywall, $218,785 1721 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $187,020 1813 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $141,460 1554 Topanga Ave., Dawson Builders, $178,400 2120 Del Mar St., Infinity Homes LLC, $219,590 1813 Sartorie Road, J&M Development, $162,560 3030 W. Copper Ridge Loop, Infinity Homes LLC, $190,280 1310 Daybreak Drive, CDW Construction, Wagenhals Enterprises Inc., $255,000 1306 Daybreak Drive, CDW Con-

struction, Wagenhals Enterprises Inc., $285,000 4477 Iron Horse Trail, Trailhead Builders, $312,775 6193 Aviara Blvd., Buscher Construction Ltd., $236,885 5232 Amherst Drive, Hanser Construction Co., $201,755 5308 Clemson Drive, Bill Hanser, $194,510 5303 Amherst Drive, Hanser Construction Co., $194,510 904 Sandcherry St., Trails West, Stock Construction Co., $195,545 915 North Fork Trail, Trails West Homes LLC, Stock Construction Co., $228,305 1609 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $248,110 2124 Marisela St., Dawson Builders, $154,840 1844 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $204,500 5365 Amherst Drive, Mont Vista LLC, $263,185 1717 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $252,640 1640 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $231,420

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONTINUED New Two Family 2309 11th Ave. N., Propriedad LLC, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $350,890 838 Wicks Lane, Dan Marsich, Marsich Investments, $163,015 838 Wicks Lane, Marsich Investments, $163,015

Remodel Single/Duplex/Garage 414 Kathy Lane, Jamison, Ladonna, Trustee, K-Designers, $12,770 2009 Ave. D, Maruffo, Jason D. and Kayla A., Craigo Construction, $5,200 5217 Clemson Drive, Trailhead Builders Inc., $24,000 2001 Green Terrace Drive, Iverson, Linda J., Montana Piering And Concrete Lifting, $26,000 3321 Glenfinnan Road, Stiener, Kenneth M., TB Construction, $16,000 2810 Woody Drive, Clanton, Eric Lee, Lynnrich Inc., $13,293 401 S. 37th St., Hall, Dennis R. and Karen B., One Source Construction LLC, $635 2101 Wentworth Drive, The Collinson Family Revocable, Lynnrich Inc., $3,237 1556 Forest Park Drive, Yonts, Nathan A. and Shannon Step, G&L Enterprizes Inc., $8,600 3235 Rimrock Road, Standish, Vernon D. and Joan R. Tr., David Simpson Construction LLC, $2,164 3504 Cook Ave., Coleman, Sean and

Shawna, One Source Construction LLC, $750 2302 Eighth Ave. N., Ty Nelson Construction, $4,500 5603 Billy Casper Drive, Petriccione, Luke L. and Donna J., Freyenhagen Construction Inc., $10,300 702 Beverly Hill Blvd., Capital Land & Building, Robert Nelson Construction, $5,125 208 Burlington Ave., Hayes, Kim D., $10,000 3100 N. Daffodil Drive, Taylor, Richard H. and Sandra L., $3,940 3079 W. Copper Ridge Loop, Infinity Homes LLC, $22,400 936 Lake Elmo Drive, Dave Christianson, Christianson & Muller Kitchen And Bath Remodel, $6,000 2022 Ave. B, Kaiser, Christopher & Kimberly, Lynnrich Inc., $9,641 2205 Meadowood St., Hutson, Doyce L. and Carol L., Construction By Design Inc., $11,000 3115 Turnberry Circle, Iverson, Bill R. and Joan H., Win-Dor Industries, $30,945 2705 Cook Ave., Tweedy, Chris and Candy, Les Nouveau Milieux-Bob Habeck, $10,000 3918 Pine Cove Road, Kendra and Josh Allen, $5,000 918 HowaRoad, Ave., Norman, Jason T. and Elizabeth, Reule Builders, $40,000 3107 Henesta Drive, Diede, Charlotte M., Cornerstone Exteriors Inc., $950 3918 Pine Cove Road, Karen and John Allen, $500

2107 Eldorado Drive, Williams, Wilma Jean Trustee, TLS Construction Inc., $5,500 2601 Clark Ave., Pino Ruiz, Michael Ray, Enoch Enterprises, $8,000 1717 Mariposa Lane, Johnson, Tammy L., Eberly Brothers Construction Inc., $1,000 323 1/2 Broadwater Ave., Evangelical United Methodist Church, NB Builders LLC, $1,000 2311 Meadowood St., Stubbs, Kevin and Cindy, Schaefer Remodel And Repair, $1,500 210 Ave. F, Kenfield, Kirk R. and Doreen M., Construction Solutions Inc., $10,000 2718 Cornell Circle, Mont Vista LLC, $24,300 1439 Ave. D, Wolfram, Kristin B., $14,000 2615 Hoover Ave., Duncan, Benjamin R. and Samantha, C’s Construction Of Billings, $3,039 1531 Yellowstone Ave., Clure, Nikki, JRJ Construction LLC, $2,100 2641 Clark Ave., Kocab, Daniel L. and Carol J., Craigo Construction, $5,700 1036 Howard Ave., Bohnen, Larry V. Sr., $33,100 1531 Yellowstone Ave., Josh Jones, JRJ Construction LLC, $20,000 1451 Matador Ave., Shawn, Logan, One Source Construction LLC, $1,335 2023 Fairway Drive, Phillips, Patricia and James C., Servpro Of Billings, $30,000 1048 Alderson Ave., Alderson Apartments LLC, One Source Construction LLC, $749

647-3338 Guardian Coat, 3142 S. 64th St. W., 6983810 Arango’s Construction, 620 N. 13th St., 952-737-3630 Clein’s Xterior Supply Co., 1711 Sixth Ave., 672-6725 Ellie & Poe LLC, 2855 Belevedere Drive, 272-6464 Cruz Construction of Montana, 12 Gold-

en Butte Drive, 861-6205 Burre Body & Coaching, 3925 E. MacDonald Drive, 860-4749 Wayne Cooper Construction, 239 Jim St., 498-6460 Aqua Man, 761 N. Leopard Ave., 8609637 Delaney Rae Sharbono, 511 N. 30th St., 318-0752 Montana Pro Painters, Laurel, 850-4211

2540 Magnolia Place, Robert and Norma Thiesen Living Trust, Win-Dor Industries, $6,225 2017 Concord Drive, Daly, Randall E. and Katherine J., Pinnacle Remodeling, $10,000 1219 Steffanich Drive, Demarco, Mike, Craigo Construction, $2,150 3027 Hunters Ridge Loop, Gomez, Anthony G., Lynnrich Inc., $1,337

Single/Duplex/Garage 2012 Mariposa Lane, Donald and Carol Annin, Freyenhagen Construction Inc., $65,000 3142 Boulder Ave., Johnson Brooks & Angelica, J&J Construction, $17,000 1140 Minuteman St., Dahl, Gary and Bonnie, Spoonheim Building Service, $3,500 3008 E. Copper Ridge Loop, D&D Siding & Construction, $174,845 890 Tierra Drive, Hill Builders, $231,820 5226 Amherst Drive, Hanser Construction Co., $197,725 2307 11th Ave. N., Propriedad LLC, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $175,445 1340 Twin Lakes Drive, Art Ahl, Art Work Builders, $192,195 1714 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $247,585 2726 Palm Drive, Singh, Bhupinder, A-1 American Made Inc., $92,250 There were 253 Fence/Roof/Siding residential permits issued in May.

BUSINESS LICENSES Cynthia H. Grindle, 3210 Golden Acres Drive, 788-4523 Erik Sowders Construction, 905 N. 19th St., 200-5115 Snackery’s, 300 S. 24th St. W., 998-8527 Montana Rudeboys LLC, 1533 Lewis Avenue, 794-5600 Eberly Brothers Construction Inc., 8600270 Chapman Construction, 939 N. 23rd St.,

Jennifer Brown, 1811 Clark Ave., 6474919 ABC Cleaning, 462 Hillview Lane, 5918793 Kimble Cleaning Services, 1627 Kelby Drive, 647-6616 Burton Hanna Fine Art, 2906 W., Copper Ridge Loop, 907-727-4597 ASP Maintenance, White Hall, Arkansas, 697-8573 July 2017

33

BUSINESS LICENSES, CONTINUED Fredneck’s Beanery Beans, Rockford, Washington, 509-251-7700 The Combine MT, 1442 Main St., 307620-0154 Kimberly Construction, Acton, 6710981 Big Sky Solar Wind Warehouse, 2625 Overland Ave., Suite D, 652-6766 Dreamskapes Landskaping & Construction LLC, Laurel, 696-3652 Sprinkler Specialists LLC, 3136 St. Johns Ave., 307-763-2233 Michelle’s Palette, 34 19th St. W., 6716440 Cole Law Firm PLLC, 3860 Ave. B, Suite C, 294-5700 The Birch & Bennett Co., Missoula, 6908434 Road Runner Handyman, 431 Sioux Lane, 860-5982 Ricci’s Moving & Organization Services, 720 Ave. B, 208-2969 Family Fun Scuba & Snorkel LLC, 1841 Grand Ave., 860-2590 Rocky Mountain Event & Sport, 2510Rimrock Road, 599-8675 Kassi Meyer, 1639 Hidden Cove Lane, 272-7948 David Simpson Construction LLC, 2342 Icewine Drive, 855-9933 Outlands Market LLC, 2697 Enterprise

Ave., 969-5700 JM Mechanical LLC, Hyde Park, Utah, 435-563-6267 Gold’s Coin Roadshow LLC, 5500 Midland Road, 704-747-5846 Gartner Refrigeration & Manufacturing Inc., Plymouth, Minn., 763-559-5880 Yellowstone County News LLC, Huntley, 348-2650 Montana Gutters LLC, Laurel, 670-5226 Yarn Bar, 1940 Grand Ave., 670-0724 Big Al Peterson, 318 Miles Ave., 5910446 Teasing Your Neighbor Cleaning Service, 2345 Anna Drive, 794-1606 Canadiana Development And Construction Co., 514 64th St. W., 672-9781 Western Coating, 4104 Pioneer Road, 208-1790 Spit Shine Power Wash, 2932 Weaver Ave., 208-7611 Cardinal Xteriors, 3624 Gladiator Circle, 671-6021 Nolee’s Boutique, 2921 Miles Ave., 690-1916 Big Sky Contractors LLC, 501 S. 44th St. W., No. 2215, 879-9838 Something Beautiful Counseling Services, 1925 Grand Ave., 672-2056 Clean Corners LLC, 2008 Central Ave., 696-6930 Taqueria Zapotlan, 2240 Grand Ave.,

894-2293 T&B Goods, 109 12th St. W., 696-1270 Emu’s Lawn Mower Repair, 1175 S. 25th St. W., 702-1081 Sentinel Property Maintenance, 2716 Broadwater Ave. Poser Interiors LLC, 2721 E. Bridger Drive, 208-2846 Sandra H. Stokoe, 918 Nutter Blvd., 8554721 Jag Building Group Inc. Cape Coral, Fla., 239-540-2700 Seva Kitchen, 313 N. 28th St., 697-2424 Gary’s Handyman Services, 220 N. 18th St., 860-8923 Peak 4 Consulting PLLC, 1739 Grand Ave., 698-8194 Expert Home Inspections, 2555 Yellowstone Ave., 876-4581 Moon River Couriers, 220 S. Eighth St. W., 880-1147 Billings Detail Service, 1381 Rockwell St., 627-0205 Coastal Reconstruction Group, Longwood, Fla., 512-917-2272 Tamarack Construction Co., Florence, 273-9821 Westat Inc., Rockville, Md., 301-2511500 Kona Ice of S. Billings, 707 Black Hawk St., No. 7, 591-7489

Hapa Lawn Care, 540 El Molino St., 6793800 M&M Cleaning Service, 277 Prospectors Lane, 690-9515 Jake Kerr Service, Red Lodge, 485-0891 Empty Cattle Co., 929 Michael Lane, 534-9504 Empire Construction LLC, 3050 First Ave. S., 860-0858 AGX Holding LLC, 5044 Midland Road, 655-0111 Lusardi Construction Co., San Marcos, Calif., 760-744-3133 Chrissy’s Cleaning Service, 3421 Driftwood Lane, 591-8574 Montana In Home Care, 4322 Mitchell Ave., 350-1852 Formation Inc., 2212 Stone Creek Trail, 698-3019 Billings Landscaping LLC, 4407 Rimrock Road, 697-7553 Town Pump of Billings, No. 11, 430 Main St., Suite 2, 497-6700 Ferch’s Carpentry, Hysham, 480-2508438 Tri B Property Solutions LLC, 4610 Cheyenne Trail, 318-7744 Matt Lewis/H.C., 4305 Loma Vista Drive, 690-8116 Swirling Gypsy Henna, 625 Conway St., 855-9090

MONTANA PATENTS

AN INDISPENSABLE BUSINESS RESOURCE Billings Business

CALL 406-657-1298

401 North Broadway

TO SUBSCRIBE

Billings, MT 59101

34

July 2017

Below are listed U.S. patents issued to Montana inventors April 25-May 16, 2017.

For assistance in patent filing, call Billings patent attorney Antoinette M. Tease at 406294-9000.

Lee E. Cannon of Bozeman; Mick D. Roemer and Michael J. Mitchell, both of Las Vegas; and Robert Guinn of Henderson, Nev.: Method and apparatus for gaming machines with a tournament play bonus feature. 9,633,509, April 24, IGT, Las Vegas.

Lee E. Cannon of Bozeman and Don G. DuPerault of Las Vegas: Method, apparatus and system for perpetual bonus game.

9,633,510, April 25, IGT, Las Vegas.

Christopher J. Burns and Daniel McGarry, both of Malvern, Pennsylvania; Denis Daigle of Street, Md.; Bin Liu of Plainsboro, N.J.; Randy W. Jackson of Livingston; Jodie Hamrick of New Holland, Penn; Daniel C. Pevear of Downington, Penn.; and Robert E. Lee Trout of Collegeville, Penn.: Betalactamase inhibitors. 9,637,504, May 2, VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Malvern.

John B. Harmon of Missoula: Ornamental design for a cigarette cover. D785,863, May 2.

Ronald N. Drake: Methods for hydrody-

namic control of a continuous water purification system. 9,643,862, May 9, Drake Water Technologies Inc., Helena.

Frederic T. Barrows of Bozeman; Clifford A. Bradley of Missoula; Robert D. Kerns of Melrose; Brian D. Wasicek of Butte; Ronald W. Hardy of Twin Falls, Idaho: Protein concentrate from starch containing grains: composition, method of making, and uses thereof. 9,644,228, May 9, The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. John Philip Southland of Scobey: Tool for facilitating the cutting of shingles.

9,644,373, May 9.

Danyal Haroon Mokhtarzada and Zekeria Tariq Mokhtarzada, both of Silver Spring, Md.; and Ryan William Stout of Bozeman: Method and system for expanding storage capacity of a drive using cloud storage systems. 9,646,010, May 9, Mokhtarzada Holdings LLC, Silver Spring.

Kevin J. Negus of Philipsburg; Sagnik Ghosh of San Jose, Calif.; and Badri Varadarajan of Mountain View, Calif.: Radio with interference measurement during a blanking interval. 9,655,133, May 16, CBF Networks Inc., Santa Clara, Calif.

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In the Community to Serve®

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS Addition 1711 Sixth Ave. N., Eggart Enterprises LLC, EEC Inc., $32,000 220 S. 27th St., Northern Plains Resource Council, Hanna Construction, $65,000 3209 Grand Ave., Calmont Limited Liability Co., Hulteng Inc., $130,000

Fence/Roof/Siding 3217 Montana Ave., Montana Ave Lofts LLC, Sprague Construction, $24,000 2825 Providence Place, Gatlin Mohria L, Wegner Homes, $40,000 2050 Broadwater Ave., Billings Builders Exchange Inc., Perfect 10 Roofing & Construction, $23,000 2824 Providence Place, Rickard, Kelly B., Wegner Homes, $40,000 237 Brookshire Blvd., Bauer Houston James, Wegner Homes, $50,000 222 Brookshire Blvd., Paul, Robert I. Jr., Wegner Homes, $12,000 225 Brookshire Blvd., Cormier, Nancy C. and Gordon P., Wegner Homes, $24,000 215 Boston Hill Road, Icopini, Nancy, Wegner Homes, $18,000 1445 Avenue B, Kaylee & Jayden LLC, Hagstrom Roofing & Construction, $10,000 26 Wyoming Ave., Roman Catholic Bishop Of Great Falls, KC Roofing & Construction Inc., $16,980 3295 Granger Ave. E., B&P Leasing LLC, Donahue Roofing LLC, $196,000 1511 Poly Drive, Rocky Mountain College, $100,000 1511 Poly Drive, Rocky Mountain College, Dick Anderson Construction, $60,000 1509 Monad Road, Sysco Food Services Of Montana, Empire Roofing Inc., $121,000 626S.38thSt.W.,Hammel,MarilynK&ClintonM.,TailwindManagementLLC,$23,660 626 S. 38th St. W., Equity Trust Co. Custodian, Tailwind Management LLC, $23,400 626 S. 38th St. W., Parker, Koleen F., Tailwind Management LLC, $25,480 626 S. 38th St. W., B&P Leasing, Tailwind Management LLC, $22,620 626 S. 38th St. W., Satra, Linda J., Tailwind Management LLC, $23,660

626 S. 38th St. W., Bruhaug, Edward O., Tailwind Management LLC, $22,360 626 S. 38th St. W., Temme, Lowell Trustee, Tailwind Management LLC, $23,920 626 S. 38th St. W., B&P Leasing Tailwind Management LLC, $15,080 626 S. 38th St. W., Prevost, Andrea, Tailwind Management LLC, $15,340 626 S. 38th St. W., Ronning, Robert B., Tailwind Management LLC, $15,080 626 S. 38th St. W., Haman, Alice M., Tailwind Management LLC, $14,820 78 27th St. W., Central Court Village LTD, D&S Construction Inc., $30,000 4005 Parkhill Drive, RK Development LLC, G&L Enterprizes Inc., $24,643 2303 Grand Ave., Girls Scouts Of Montana & Wyoming, Infinity Roofing & Siding Inc., $42,992 3254 Granger Ave. E., Macintyre, Mary Jo, SpragueConstructionRoofingDivision,$27,000 3254 Granger Ave. E., Johnsgard, Norma, SpragueConstructionRoofingDivision,$15,000 2920 First Ave. S., TKR Gainan LLC, Lennick Bros. Roofing & Sheet Metal, $15,000 2120 Grand Ave., McBride, Beverly A, Braaton Construction & Home Repair Inc., $28,000 3254 Granger Ave. E., Grant, Willa Dean and Henry, Sprague Construction Roofing Division, $24,000 3283 Rosebud Drive, Hauf, Carole Ann, SpragueConstructionRoofingDivision,$15,000 3219 Rosebud Drive, Thomas, Jeri Lynn, SpragueConstructionRoofingDivision,$16,200 3875 Grand Ave., D.L. Swain Inc., Jones Construction Inc., $7,000 3254 Granger Ave. E., Pilati, Laverna L., SpragueConstructionRoofingDivision,$24,000 925 Broadwater Ave., Stevens Brothers Inc., Midland Mechanical Inc., $500 2132 Broadwater Ave., Box Elder LLC, Cornerstone Exteriors Inc., $4,000

Com New 3+ (Multi Family) 3110 Boulder Ave., Norsworthy Ventures LLC, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $616,000 3105 Colton Blvd., Norsworthy Ventures LLC, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $466,644

3109 Colton Blvd., Propried LLC, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., Townhomes - 3 Plex Town $466,644 3106 Boulder Ave., Norsworthy Ventures LLC, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $622,192 2604 Belknap Ave., Alden Padfield Family Living, Frontier Fence Co., $12,000 3254 Granger Ave. E., Sannon, Teresa A., Sprague Construction Roofing, $27,000 New Office/Bank 625 Henry Chapple St., R&B Enterprises, $1,676,100 12 Avanta Way, Gabe Lapito, Jones Construction Inc., $700,000

New Other 450 Main St., Intermountain Trucking Co., Cucancic Construction Inc., $150,000 618 Winemiller Lane, Billings Heights VFW Post 677, $20,000

New Restaurant/Casino/Bar 1211 N. 27th St., Rimrock Inn LLC, Yellowstone Basin Construction, $309,864

New Store/Strip Center 1219 N. 27th St., Rimrock Inn LLC, Yellowstone Basin Construction, $375,000

Remodel 401 N. 31st St., Billings 401 LLC, Hardy Construction Co., $250,000 2713 Montana Ave., Wu Properties, $50,000 2851 King Ave. W., At&T Mobility, $9,883 429 N. 33rd St., Western Towers LLC, Fire Suppression Systems, $8,000 608 N. 27th St., Sawtooth Center LLC, Gray Companies Inc., $95,000 3165 King Ave. E., Yellowstone County, Swank Enterprise, $44,197 401 N. 31st St., Billings 401 LLC, Hardy Construction Co., $200,000 3050 First Ave. S., Sundling, Dan O., Shaw Construction, $6,000

730 Main St., First Interstate Bank Of Commerce, Dick Anderson Construction, $153,000 3700 Madison Ave., Precision Plumbing & Heating Inc., $250,000 1601 Miles Ave., School District #2, Precision Plumbing & Heating Inc., $190,000 120 Lexington Drive, School District #2, Precision Plumbing & Heating Inc., $115,000 1345 Elaine St. School District #2, Precision Plumbing & Heating Inc., $190,000 618 Winemiller Lane, Billings Heights VFW Post 677, $40,000 2502 First Ave. N., Montana Power Building LLC, $15,000 505 Milton Road, School District 2, $160,000 2510 38th St. W., School District 2, Star Service Inc., $190,000 1044 Cook Ave., School District #2, G & T Plumbing & Mechanical In $210,000 2902 First Ave. N., Neal, C. La Fever Trust, $50,000 729 Parkhill Drive, School District No 2, Midland Mechanical Inc., $145,000 1440 Nutter Blvd., School District #2, G&T Plumbing & Mechanical, $125,000 2511 First Ave. N., Clock Tower Inn LLC, Rambur Construction Inc., $3,100 2708 First Ave. N., Securities Building LLC, Jones Construction Inc., $5,000 2520 First Ave. N., Montana Rescue Mission, $1,500 2511 First Ave. N., Clock Tower Inn LC, Whitten And Borges, $2,000 925 Broadwater Ave., Stevens Brothers Inc., Midland Mechanical Inc., $1,000 2300 King Ave. W., Rendezvous Casino & Burger Grill, $500 3637 Olympic Blvd., Toone, Justin, MCM Inc., $3,600 1615 Montana Ave., J&S Properties Inc., JMC Construction Maintenance & Repair, $7,470 523 S. 29th St., Roman Catholic Bishop Of Great Falls, The Pella Window Store, $18,000 Remodel - Change In Use 805 24th St. W., Plaza 24 LLC, Stock Construction Co., $100,000 2413 Montana Ave., Nelson, Andy and Bert Craft, $20,000 5364 Midland Road, Beck, Paul, Colgan Construction, $68,000 July 2017

35

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Shiloh & Grand 655-3900

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