Billings Business May 2017

5 MINUTES WITH

CHRISTINA RODRIGUEZ BIG SKY EXECUTIVE SEARCH

SPECIAL REPORT TOURNAMENTS AIMED AT BOOSTING TOURISM

May 2017

HOW BUSINESS STACKS UP FRONTIER DISTRIBUTING KEEPS BUSINESS MOVING BY FIXING, RECYCLING PALLETS

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

CONTENTS May 2017

An indispensable business resource FEATURES

How business stacks up.................................................................................................................................................. 6 Frontier Distributing recycles, refurbishes pallets

Fighting back?......................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Airlines oppose legislative efforts to limit overbooking seats COLUMNS

On the Cover From left, operations manager Paul Kober, vice president Steve Maichel and Cody Theurer stand for a photo at Frontier Distributing, 1200 Minnesota Ave.

Photo by BRONTE WITTPENN/ Gazette Staff

Economic Development................................................................................................................................................ 10 Chamber News......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 A legislative update

Better Business........................................................................................................................................................................24 Dan Buchta: Pay attention to customer service

Legal Briefing.............................................................................................................................................................................25

Eric Nord: Be prepared for an OSHA inspection

Millennials are finally buying homes...........................................................................................................26

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

Zoot Enterprises of Bozeman will purchase the GE Capital building in Billings and add an estimated 25 jobs within a year. Page 13

Christina Rodriguez.

Business Briefs........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Success Stories.......................................................................................................................................................................27 The Listings...................................................................................................................................................................................28

Business brokers such as Tom Emerling of Billings anticipate brisk business in 2017. Page 14.

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May 2017

Five Minutes with Christina Rodriguez. Page 12

May 2017

3

the editor

GE’ S EXIT USHERS IN THE ERA OF Z OOT E NTERPRISES

By TOM HOWARD When GE Capital announced last November that it was pulling the plug on its Billings operations center by the end of this year, eliminating scores of jobs, it sent shockwaves through Billings.

Despite the shock, the announcement didn’t come as a major surprise.

GE’s decision was like waiting for the other shoe to drop because the company had announced in the spring of 2015 that it planned to sell off GE Capital and exit the finance business. As that process was set in motion, it appeared that the days were numbered for places like the Billings operations center, otherwise know as GE Capital’s Billings Center for Excellence.

Local economic development officials and Montana’s congressional delegation sprang into action, making the case for keeping around 200 GE jobs in Billings.

GE’s finance arm had contributed significant profits to the company over the years, but Wall Street thought the banking business was too riskly.

As a result, the company has embarked on a plan to return to its industrial roots. From now on, GE will concentrate on producing things like jet engines, wind turbines and MRI machines. It will leave other companies to deal in credit cards and equipment leasing.

GE’s exit from the Billings market had the potential to leave a big scar in the West End, a large building, which Big Sky Economic Development owns and leases back to the company.

As it turns out, economic development officials were looking for a new tenant months before GE’s announcement last fall.

In February of 2016, BSED officials toured the

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May 2017

Bozeman-area offices of Zoot Enterprises, a hightechnology company founded by Billings native Chris Nelson. Zoot, founded in 1990, developed a system that allows financial institutions to make instant credit decisions on loans.

On average, Zoot services about 1.5 million loans per day. The company has about 260 employees in the Bozeman area and has operations in Switzerland, Germany and England. Zoot is often mentioned as a Montana success story in the state’s emerging technology sector.

Before long, it appeared that Zoot would become a suitable replacement for GE in Billings.

Under a letter of intent approved by the BSED board of directors on April 13, Zoot will purchase the building for $8 million, and an appraisal will take place. In addition, BSED and GE will help defray the $2.5 million cost of making improvements to the building, which was completed in 2009.

Zoot hopes to hire about 25 people during its first year in Billings, and additional people could be hired in years to come.

Steve Arveschoug, executive director of BSED, says the deal is good for Zoot, a company that hopes to continue expanding, and it’s good for Yellowstone County, which will benefit from new jobs in a growing sector.

With this transaction, BSED will exit the real estate business and net around $5 million when it’s completed. That money can be used to spur future job creation in Yellowstone County.

This timely move by Zoot is a reminder of the last time Chris Nelson and his brother, Mike, made a big investment in Billings. In 2009, the Nelson brothers bought the bankrupt Northern Hotel at a sheriff’s auction and launched a multimillion dollar renovation that was completed in 2013. Thanks to the Nelson brothers, the Northern has been resurrected as a shining star of downtown Billings.

And it’s not a stretch to imagine that the new Zoot campus will become a center of job creation.

MAY 2017 • VOLUME 23 • NUMBER 7

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

EDITOR

SALES ADVERTISING SALES

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ryan brosseau karen anderson, milt lang, arcadea scott ADVERTISING COORDINATOR spencyr knatterud

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 Dianna Russiff, 657-1495; Milt Lang, 657-1257; Joe McGinnis 657-1599.

Advertising deadline for the June 2017 issue is 5 p.m. Thursday, May 4, 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

ON THE REBOUND

14th & Grand 371-8100

National park visitors

Airport boardings

8

7

North Dakota’s oil production jumped 5.4 percent in February and has again eclipsed 1 million barrels per day, in the wake of rebounding oil prices.

7

6

6

In hundred thousands

Source: North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources

stockmanbank.com

Worden 967-3612

In ten thousands

King Avenue 655-2700

5

4

5

4

3

2

3

1

Billings housing starts

2

0

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

1

0

80

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

52

60

Oct.

Billings

85

100

Sept.

Bozeman

Yellowstone National Park

40

Sept. 2016 to Feb. 2017 20

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Nov 2016 to March 2017

Feb

March

0

Sept. 2015 to Feb. 2016

Nov. 2015 to March 2016

2017

Source: City of Billings

Sept. 2015 to Feb. 2016

Montana Beef Cattle

5

150

4

120

3

90

2

60

2

1

30

1

0

0

Sept

Oct.

Nov.

(per cwt.)

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Sept. 2016 to Feb. 2017 Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Sept. 2016- Feb. 2017 Sept. 2015- Feb. 2016 Sept. 2016- Feb. 2017 Sept. 2015- Feb. 2016

Unemployment

Montana winter wheat

(per bushel)

Feb.

Source: Montana Department of Transportation

Source: National Park Service

Ag prices

Jan.

Sept. 2016- Feb. 2017 Sept. 2015- Feb. 2016

Sept. 2016 to Feb. 2017

2016

Dec.

Missoula

Glacier National Park

YTD Through March 31

Nov.

5% 4 3

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Sept. 2015 to Feb. 2016

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

0

Sept.

Oct.

Montana

Nov.

Dec.

Yellowstone County

Jan.

Feb.

U.S.

Source: Montana Department of Labor and Industry

May 2017

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BRONTE WITTPENN, Gazette Staff

Operations manager Paul Kober uses a forklift to move a stack of wooden pallets at Frontier Distributing at 1200 Minnesota Ave.

How business

STACKS UP Frontier Distributing keeps business moving by fixing, recycling pallets

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May 2017

How business stacks up: Frontier Distributing is a leader in refurbishing, recycling pallets

By TOM HOWARD It takes just a few seconds for Cody Theurer to take apart a wooden pallet.

It’s a straightforward and seamless operation that’s repeated hundreds of times per day. Theurer grabs a pallet and pulls it across the spinning blade of a horizontal bandsaw. As the metal-cutting blade slices through nails that hold the pallet together, wooden slats fall away. Theurer gathers up the pieces, tosses them into nearby bins and prepares another pallet for disassembly.

Nearby, other production workers at Frontier Distributing refurbish pallets by using reciprocal saws to remove damaged slats. Once a new slat is laid in place, the worker grabs a nail gun.

Pop! Pop! Pop! With each squeeze of the trigger, the board is secured in place. Seconds later, the pallet is stacked in a pile, ready to be put back to use.

On a typical day, the 15 workers at Frontier Distributing, located at 1200 Minnesota Ave., turn out between 1,000 and 1,500 pallets.

Steve Maichel, vice president of Frontier Distributing, explained that cutting the nails instead of trying to pull them out is by far the most efficient way to dismantle wooden pallets, since the spiral-shanked nails that fasten a pallet’s components together are nearly impossible to pull out of the wood.

Frontier Distributing has supplied commercial bakers with flour, yeast and other ingredients for more than 30 years. With so many pallets coming in and out the door, Lloyd Maichel, Steve’s father, started refurbishing pallets in his spare time around 20 years ago.

“It used to be just him and a friend who would fix pallets after work,” Maichel said.

“He found a couple of customers. But when I started here, we took it to a way bigger level.”

In the past two decades Frontier Distributing has carved out a niche in Billings industry by specializing in refurbished and recycled wooden pallets. The ubiquitous freight-carrying platforms have been around for about a century and are used to transport almost any product that can be moved by a forklift: Agriculture products, food, machinery, and just about any other product that ends up on store shelves has spent at least part of its time on pallets during the journey from factory to final destination.

“We’re not the only ones who do it, but we’re one of the largest pallet companies in the state,” Maichel said.

According to the website 1001pallets. com, merchandise was traditionally shipped in wooden kegs, crates, barrels and boxes and was often loaded by hand. But pallets became widespread with the invention of the forklift in the 1920s. The website estimates that 450 million new pallets are produced in the United States each year, and 1.9 billion are in use at any time.

Despite its simple design, a pallet plays a key role in multinational commerce.

BRONTE WITTPENN, Gazette Staff

From left, operations manager Paul Kober, vice president Steve Maichel and Cody Theurer stand for a photo at Frontier Distributing, 1200 Minnesota Ave.

Frontier Distributing transports, refurbishes and recycles hundreds of thousands of wooden pallets each year. The company also plays a unique role in recycling, as most materials are repurposed. “We don’t buy any new wood unless we have to,” Michael said.

Wood that’s broken or can’t otherwise be reused in pallets is hauled to Rocky Mountain Compost where it’s turned into mulch or compost.

The type of wood that goes into a pallet depends on where it was manufactured. Oak and southern pine are common species.

Most of the pallets Frontier deals with are 40 inches by 48 inches, the standard size used in the grocery industry. But the company can also produce custom-sized pallets that can be used for specialty applications.

Here’s how the business works: Frontier Distributing buys pallets from a variety of businesses that have accumulated them.

They are taken back to the plant, where they LARRY MAYER Gazette Staff

Please see Frontier, Page 8

Cody Theurer uses a horizontal band saw to cut pallets at Frontier Distributing.

May 2017

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Workers assemble pallets at Frontier Distributing.

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are repaired.

“Now it’s in our hands to distribute,” Maichel said. “Where they go all depends on who calls. We might have semi trucks that have a load to pick up and they need 20 to 40 pallets.”

Sometimes, a trucker will load an entire trailer with pallets and haul them back home rather than deadheading, riding back empty. “There are a lot of trucking outfits where they’re more than happy to take a load out of Billings,” Maichel said.

An addition that includes a large warehouse was added to the business about a year ago. Pallets are stacked 30 high, and an experienced forklift driver can pick up and move an entire stack in one trip.

Most products that end up in Billings stores and warehouses have to be shipped in from out of town. That means that pallets have a tendency to accumulate in Billings because there aren’t a lot of local manufacturing businesses that could use pallets to move their products, Maichel said.

Despite the company’s major commitment to the pallet business, Frontier’s wholesale bakery business has grown in recent years.

Maichel credits Paul Kober, operations manager, for helping that part of the business rebound.

“As the years went on, it was harder to compete with the big guy,” Maichel said.

“But we always stood for good service, and the businesses we deal with are actually more impressed with the service even if our prices are a little higher. If our customers run out of product, they can’t operate.”

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May 2017

BRONTE WITTPENN, Gazette Staff

Wooden pallets lay stacked at Frontier Distributing at 1200 Minnesota Ave.

Before surgery

Six weeks post-surgery

Six months post-surgery

One year post-surgery

Metabolism Center

A better life begins after Gastric Bypass Surgery.

Visit billingsclinic.com/classes or call (406) 238-2258 to learn if surgery is right for you.

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See Roy’s story at billingsclinic.com/metabolism (click on patient stories)

May 2017

9

H ERE ’ S WHERE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS HEADING With a projected job growth of 15,000 in Yellowstone County in the next five years, it is imperative that our community continues to work together to ensure we grow our workforce.

KAREN BAUMGART

is director of BillingsWorks.

Contact her at karen@bigskyeda.org or 256-6871

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May 2017

In late April, BillingsWorks released the 2017 State of the Workforce Report. The report was compiled based on information gathered from an online employer survey and focus groups with industry and young professionals, as well as a thorough quantitative data analysis.

In its third year of publication, this report has established and confirmed some of the trends, challenges, and opportunities that exist in Yellowstone County and regional economy.

Below is an excerpt from the 2017 BillingsWorks State of the Workforce Report Executive Summary highlighting the next steps for our community in workforce development.

Next steps With a projected job growth of 15,000 in Yellowstone County in the next five years, 5,000 due to economic growth and 9,600 due to worker replacement, it is imperative that our community continues to work together to ensure we grow our workforce. BillingsWorks now has four years of existence and three State of the Workforce Reports and is at an ideal position to learn and answer the following questions – Where have we had success? How can we continue to do so?

Where do we need to pivot to ensure we are placing energy and resources appropriately for impactful and sustainable change?

The community partners are ready for progress and the implementation of innovative solutions. We are a fantastic county and are enthusiastic about what’s to come as we continue to collaborate for the betterment of our community.

For business: As you well know, the workforce is changing. It will be vital that you communicate your challenges so that BillingsWorks can assist you; ensuring you have information and resources to create a business environment that attracts and retains its employees.

Business must continue to act as a champion for investment in our local higher education system and continue to invest in educating itself to attract and retain employees.

For individuals, community organizations, and local government: Continue to invest in our community. Job seekers choose a place to live first, then begin looking for jobs there. They are attracted to a city’s “quality of place”: It is safe and clean, has amenities such as parks and walking trails, has high quality schools, a thriving downtown, and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Making investments in our city is the best talent attraction strategy we can have.

For education and training providers: Education and training providers must keep

up with the evert present changes in the curriculum they teach. Processes must be put in place for constant curriculum evaluation and improvement.

The ability to change and adapt curriculum to continually evolving business needs will be crucial to ensuring alignment with workforce needs.

For BillingsWorks: It is our expectation that through the State of

the Workforce Report, the BillingsWorks Workforce Council will not only present information regarding Yellowstone County’s current workforce status, but provide relevant, candid, and meaningful feedback.

With this feedback, BillingsWorks will collaborate with our partners and steering committee to refresh our strategies and ensure we are actively and progressively addressing workforce de-

velopment.

Continuing to collaborate across sectors to ensure we actively address workforce development is at the heart of BillingsWorks.

Think you’d like to be involved in BillingsWorks and workforce development?

Contact Karen Baumgart at karen@bigskyeda.org.

For the full 2017 State of the Workforce Report please visit www.bigskyeconomicdevelopment.org.

TRADEMARK THURSDAY

Selecting and Protecting Your Company Brand

Lunch & Learn Join the SBDC and Jennifer Webber of WEBBERpllc Learn the ins and outs of obtaining a business name, trademarks selection and protections, and intellectual property guidelines.

TO REGISTER: Call (406) 254-6014

Space is limited so please call to reserve your spot.

You must register a minimum of one day in advance.

COST:

$25.00 cash or check payable to the SBDC. Fee includes lunch.

Please let us know of any allergies or dietary restrictions.

DATES: April 6th, 2017 / May 4th, 2017 / June 8th, 52017 TIME: 11:30am to 1:00pm LOCATION: The event will be held at Big Sky Economic Development,

222 N. 32nd St., Suite 200 (2nd floor) in the Granite Tower building.

222 N 32nd Street, Suite 200 Billings, MT 59101 www.bigskyeconomicdevelopment.org

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disa-bilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact Big Sky EDA, 222 N. 32nd St., Billings, MT 59101, (406) 254-6014.

networking

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

events

May Business After Hours

Wednesday, May 10, Beartooth Harley-Davidson, 6900 S. Frontage Rd. 5-7 pm. Cost is $8.

2017 Chamber Ag Tour

L EGISLATURE A MIXED BAG The most consequential missed opportunity was not passing a local option authority bill.

DANIEL BROOKS is the government affairs manager for the Billings Chamber of Commerce. Contact him at Daniel@billingschamber.com

At the close of the 2017 Legislative Session, we can look back to see the great progress we made for Billings business. Working with the business community, the Billings Chamber lobbied and mobilized support to advocate for our Billings businesses. We thank everyone who made their voices heard through phone calls, emails, and personal interaction with their legislators.

Economic Development The main story in this category during the 2017 Session was the torrent of tax increment finance (TIF) bills. Fourteen bills were aimed at amending the current laws defining TIF districts. Some were benign, asking for modest improvements in accountability and transparency (SB 27) or expanding allowable uses of TIF funds (SB 130). The more damaging bills were aimed at limiting the uses of TIF monies (HB 411), reducing funding for future TIFs (HB 573), or effectively prohibiting the establishment of new TIFs by restricting TIF revenue to local mills (HB 359).

Fortunately, the most damaging TIF bills were defeated while those offering moderate improvements to TIF operations passed.

Travel and tourism The Billings Chamber was supportive of some good travel and tourism bills this

session. The bill to reauthorize the Big Sky on the Big Screen Act (HB 602) and a bill revising state ID laws to allow the issuance of federally-compliant IDs (SB 366) were supported. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, HB 602 remains in the Senate Tax Committee and is unlikely to pass. The ID bill, SB 366 awaits final hearing in the House and should pass.

The Billings Chamber opposed a bill that would increase the bed tax for construction of the Montana Heritage Center (HB 660).

The bed tax was last increased to address a budget shortfall in 2003 and intended as an ad hoc fix. However, the tax remains today, sending monies to the general fund, rather than directing them to tourism promotion in the regions that collected the revenue. The bill (HB 660) awaits floor votes in the Senate.

Infrastructure After a major infrastructure bill failed by one vote in the 2015 Session, infrastructure issues became a priority this session. At the time of this writing, there are major infrastructure bonding bills in both the House (HB 645) and Senate (SB 367) which contain $5 million for the new MSU Billings Science Building and are supported by the Billings Chamber.

The Senate bill awaits executive action from the House

Appropriations Committee and there is discussion of reconsidering the failed House bill. One of the two bills will likely pass, but it is uncertain which projects will remain will remain.

Another important infrastructure component was the gas tax bill (HB 473), aimed at funding bridge and road construction, and accessing Montana’s full match of federal mon-

Friday, May 12. Spend the day exploring Agriculture. $55/person includes meals and beverages

June Business After Hours

Wednesday, June 14, Heights Eyecare, 430 Lake Elmo Dr. 5-7 pm. Cost is $8

ies available for roads and bridges. The bill is likely to pass with amendments that establish an incrementing gas tax capped at $0.06 for gasoline and $0.02 for diesel.

Missed opportunities The most consequential missed opportunity was not passing a local option authority bill. After gathering considerable support from the community and partnering with the Montana

Infrastructure Coalition to introduce two local option authority bills (HB 577 & SB 331) this session, the Billings Chamber was disappointed with the tabling of both bills.

The Billings Chamber would like to say “THANK YOU” to our legislators for their service to our great state. * This article was updated on April 18, 2017 and accurate through that time.

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May 2017

11

Christina Rodriguez

She taps top talent Christina Rodriguez is always on the lookout for the best and the brightest.

As president of Big Sky Executive Search, Rodriguez relies on a decade of experience in human resources to recruit top executive positions for her clients.

She works with a team of recruiters who help her search for top executives capable of filling openings for some of the region’s most important jobs.

In fact, many of the candidates that end up being hired by her clients aren’t actively looking for a new job.

“By in large they have been very successful in their current position, but it’s up to me to recruit them to see if they fit into the culture of a new job. So there’s a bit of a sales aspect to it,” Rodriguez said.

Here, Rodriguez talks about the art of finding gems in the talent pool.

Q: How did this business get started?

A: We saw a need from employers who were looking for executive level candidates but were not having success in this tight labor market. Since we’ve been in business for over 10 years mostly in other states/cities, we thought this was a natural extension. This enables local employers not to rely on national search firms that may not know much about Billings. Big Sky Executive Search brings the benefit of a having the broad reach of a national firm right in our backyard.

Do you limit your searches to professionals and executives?

Our searches are predicated on what our client, the employer, is looking for. In most cases that is also our sweet spot: professionals and executives. With a group of trained, experienced, and knowledge recruiters, we can target and recruit professionals and executives from many different industries and sectors.

What’s the most frequent job opening that you seek to fill?

Since we have a team of recruiters who specialize in different industries, we can fill any role that our client needs.

In the past, we have filled a variety of finance positions from controllers to CFOs and legal professionals from associates to partners and counsels to general counsels. With our generalist background, we can focus in a variety of industries.

Do you recruit from outside of Montana, and are

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May 2017

your clients local?

This of course is dependent on the employer. Our goal is to find the best possible candidate that meets the candidate profile we create with the employer.

Sometimes that means that education, experience, or compensation is more important than geography and we have to relocate someone to Billings. Sometimes local is the best answer or a candidate who wants to return to their home state.

We hear a lot that skilled workers are in short supply. What are you seeing out there?

Skilled workers are always in short supply and that the labor force is even tighter in the executive and professional level. That is where we come in, we find that candidate that is successful in their current position and may not be actively seeking employment elsewhere. Utilizing our unique recruiting techniques, we are able to bring to the employer the best possible candidate.

Does your company work independently, or are you part of a larger organization with access to job openings and people looking for work?

We are an independent company with a team of experienced and knowledgeable recruiters whose only mission is to find employers the best possible candidate. We use every tool available to achieve that goal. That is what we do, we help employers find hard-to-find candidates.

Who pays your fees? Is it the employer or the job seeker?

The employer is our client and they pay our fees. Most of our clients see our fees as an investment in their company and their best assets, the employee.

Bozeman tech firm set to buy GE building, add Billings jobs

By TOM HOWARD Zoot Enterprises, a Bozemanbased high-tech company, plans to purchase the Billings GE Capital building and expects to hire some of GE’s workers whose jobs will be eliminated by the end of the year.

Big Sky Economic Development’s board of directors approved an $8 million letter of intent to sell the property in Billings on April 13. BSED owns the building and has been leasing it to GE since its completion in 2009. The property will undergo an appraisal before the deal is finalized.

GE announced last November that it would close its Billings operations center by the end of 2017 as part of an overall plan, announced in 2015, to get out of the finance business and concentrate on its industrial businesses.

Chris Nelson, chief executive officer of Zoot Enterprises, said the company plans to hire around 25 people in Billings during the next year, but that number could increase in future years.

Zoot will also move its Billings computer center, currently located downtown, to the GE building, where it will be more secure, he said.

“This is an exciting time for Zoot,” Nelson said. “We are marrying the software that we are known for developing with GEtrained staff to deliver top-notch service to our customers and what could be better than doing so in my hometown?”

Zoot, founded in 1990, developed a system that allows financial institutions to make instant credit decisions on loans. The company has about 260 employees in the Bozeman area and has operations in Switzerland, Germany and London, England. Zoot is often mentioned as a Montana success story in the technology sector.

On average, Zoot services about 1.5 million loans each day, Nelson said.

Steve Arveschoug, chief exec-

LARRY MAYER, Gazette Staff

The GE Capital building is located at 3333 Hesper Road.

This gives us a chance to address this issue and put money in the bank. And we’re meeting our mission to bring a company that can grow further and provide opportunities in the community.

— Steve Arveschoug, Big Sky Economic Development utive officer of Big Sky Economic Development, said Yellowstone County’s economic development agency is excited to bring another job creation development to Billings in the wake of GE’s decadelong run in Montana.

Arveschoug said discussions with Zoot have been ongoing for

more than a year.

“We reached out to Zoot back in February of 2016 to tour their facility in Bozeman and brainstorm prospects for the Billings GE team and facility,” Arveschoug said. Before long, it became clear that the GE facility provided an opportunity for Zoot

to grow into the GE space, retain a portion of the GE team and expand the services that Zoot provides to financial institutions, Arveschoug said.

Zoot estimates that it will need about $2.5 million to retrofit the GE building to meet its business needs, according to the letter of intent. As part of the agreement, BSED will contribute $500,000 from its opportunity fund to help defray those costs.

In addition, BSED will pay Zoot $600,000 that was included in the recently approved GE Capital settlement agreement. GE will also provide BSED with $763,500 over three years to cover the building’s operations and maintenance expenses. That money

will be transferred to Zoot when the building purchase closes.

Aside from the purchase agreement, BSED will also assist Zoot in applying for money that’s available through a variety of job training programs.

The pending sale to Zoot frees BSED from the risk associated with owning the building without a tenant.

“I know you were all nervous about having that building with debt service on it,” Arveschoug told board members. “This gives us a chance to address this issue and put money in the bank.

And we’re meeting our mission to bring a company that can grow further and provide opportunities in the community.”

May 2017

13

Business brokers anticipate more businesses changing hands during 2017 “Small business optimism is on the rise following the election. If President Trump is successful in fulfilling his campaign pledges to lower taxes and create a more businessfriendly climate, we should see increased activity in the market.

If the corporate tax rate drops from 35 percent to 15 percent, as he has proposed, businesses will have more capital to push into expansion and acquisition.”

Tom Emerling

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May 2017

By TOM HOWARD Plenty of businesses changed hands in the Billings area during 2016, and Tom Emerling, a business broker and owner of Yellowstone Business Acquisitions, expects positive trends to continue in 2017.

Emerling has reviewed recent statistics provided by the International Business Brokers Association and has seen parallels with what’s happening to the Billings market.

“Last year was our best year ever,” said Emerling, who has achieved the Certified Business Intermediary designation from the International Business Brokers Association.

Three in four business brokers surveyed nationwide expect to see an increase in new clients coming to market in 2017, according to industry officials.

The sense of optimism expressed by business brokers — professionals who aid in the buying and selling of businesses — is included in the quarterly Market Pulse Report published by International Business Brokers Association, the M&A Source and the Pepperdine Private Capital Market Project.

Compared to one year ago, brokers are feeling an increased sense of optimism regarding closing rates, business exit opportunities and business conditions. When asked at the end of 2016 about their outlook for 2017, three-quarters of respondents said they expected a net increase in new deals. By comparison, 60 percent of those surveyed expressed optimism during a survey conducted one year earlier.

“Small business optimism is on the rise following the election,” Emerling said. “If President Trump is successful in fulfilling his campaign pledges to lower taxes and create a more

Tom Emerling of Yellowstone Business Acquisitions. business-friendly climate, we should see increased activity in the market. If the corporate tax rate drops from 35 percent to 15 percent, as he has proposed, businesses will have more capital to push into expansion and acquisition.”

As millions of baby boomers age out of the workforce, retirement is the most frequent reason that business owners are looking to sell.

“We are seeing that many retirement sales are rushed, rather than thoughtful, planned events,” said Lou Vescio, principal with Coastal Business Intermediaries Inc., and chairman of the IBBA. ”My concern is that

business owners who do not plan ahead for their retirement typically get a much lower value because they decide to quickly sell their business due to high emotions, pressures or burnout.”

“We may already be seeing some of that small business optimism come into play as new opportunities push some business owners to market, Vescio said.

“As the economy continues to do well and confidence grows, people will continue to see fresh opportunities. These sellers may be starting or acquiring new businesses, or they may be rejoining the professional work force, lured away to executive leadership roles as other boomers retire.”

Gazette staff photo

By a wide margin, most people who end up buying a business do so because they want to be their own boss.

“When you ask people why they want to buy a business, a lot of time money is the third or fourth reason. Most of them are wanting to strike out on their own, wanting to work for themselves instead of a company,” Emerling said.

Job security is another trend that’s motivating people to buy a business. During a previous era, people often counted on working for the same company for decades. “The security level with a larger company is not what there like it used to be,” Emerling said.

Business Briefs Local Commerce at a Glance

Bee researcher receives grant

additional burdens on commercial beekeepers to keep pace with those losses, Flenniken said.

BOZEMAN — A Montana State She added that agriculturalists, University virologist who investibeekeepers, citizens and scientists gates the impact of pathogens on are concerned about honey bee individual honey bees and honey colony losses, which have been asbee colonies has received a CAREER sociated with virus infection, as well Award of more than $500,000 from as other biotic and abiotic factors, the National Science Foundation. including mite infestation, lack of The CAREER Award is the bee forage, and agrochemical usage NSF’s most prestigious award that and exposure. supports early-career faculty who “The effects of viruses at both the exemplify the role of teacher-schol- individual bee and colony levels are ars through research, education and not well understood, though massive the integration of education and mortality of individual bees will research within the context of the result in death of the entire colony,” mission of their organization. she said. “In individual bees, virus The award will further the work infections can remain asymptomof Michelle Flenniken, co-director atic, cause paralysis and/or result of MSU’s Pollinator Health Center in death, depending on how the bee and assistant professor in MSU’s responds to the virus.”

Department of Plant Sciences and To gain a better understanding Plant Pathology in the College of of the mechanisms honey bees use Agriculture, who will investigate the to sense, and then respond to viral mechanisms honey bees use against pathogens, the Flenniken Laboraviral pathogens. tory is performing experiments in Honey bee health affects everyindividual bees and cultured cells to one because honey bees are impor- determine the roles of specific honey tant pollinators of numerous plant bee proteins responsible for reducspecies, including agricultural crops ing the levels of virus infection. that produce many of the fruits, nuts The research could then lead to and vegetables that are good for hu- the development of strategies to reduce the number of honey bee man health, Flenniken said. colonies lost to viruses, Flenniken In 2016, the U.S. Department of said.

Agriculture’s National Agricultural “This would in turn broadly Statistics Service released baseline impact agricultural and ecological statistics that show that honey bees systems that rely on honey bees as are responsible for pollinating an espollinators, ” she said. timated $15 billion of U.S. crops each year. However, honey bee colony PC market losses have averaged 33 percent since 2006, up from historic losses improves of approximately 15 percent. These SAN FRANCISCO — The longhigher annual colony losses place suffering personal computer market

“thousands and thousands” of seeds dent retailers in the Western U.S. The deal is expected to close dur- as it tumbles across northern Montana is a wily foe that steals water ing the summer. and nutrients from his winter wheat, Margarine struggling according to fourth-generation farmer Todd Hansen of Gildford. for place on shelves Not only does the weed, kochia, NEW YORK — Margarine’s ignore his property lines, but Hansen fortunes seem to be taking another said it persists in his area of the Hisad turn, with the owner of Country Line because some of the plants have Crock and I Can’t Believe It’s Not become resistant to the chemical Butter looking for someone to take that was most successful at killing it. the brands off its hands.

“When we find something that Consumer products heavyweight works, we really use it a lot,” Hansen Unilever said it’s seeking to unload said. “Kochia is a wonderful enemy its spreads business. because it keeps tweaking itself so we It’s just the latest blow for butter don’t get ahead of it.” alternatives, which most think of Now, in response to calls for help as “margarine,” even if some don’t from the Hi-Line, Montana State technically conform to the federal University has developed a new definition of the word. weapon in the battle against kochia.

Margarine enjoyed popularity Available now for licensing, for decades before research emerged the technology will let users see in the 1990s about the harms of the which kochia weeds are resistant to trans fats. Many manufacturers have glyphosate — the active ingredient in since reformulated their spreads. the herbicide Roundup — and which In the meantime, butter has benare not. The ability to differentiate efited from the trend toward foods between the two types will allow people see as “real” and consumers’ farmers to target their spraying, said greater willingness to accept more Supervalue Prashant Jha, associate professor and fat in diets. McDonald’s has even weed scientist at MSU’s Southern makes purchase switched from margarine to butter Agricultural Research Center in NEW YORK — Supervalu Inc. is across its breakfast menu as part of Huntley. He and Joe Shaw are lead buying grocery distributor Unified a push to improve perception of its developers of the technology. Shaw is Grocers Inc. for $114 million cash, director of MSU’s Optical Technolboosting the grocery store operator’s food.

“Butter has a more natural image. ogy Center (OpTeC) and a professor wholesale business.

I think people have always been a bit of electrical engineering in MSU’s Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based College of Engineering.

Supervalu is also assuming $261 mil- suspicious about margarine,” said Bonnie Liebman, director of nutriTargeted spraying will keep exlion in Unified’s debt as part of the deal. Combined, the companies will tion at the Center for Science in the cessive chemicals out of the environPublic Interest. ment and potentially save Montana operate 24 distribution centers in farmers $1 billion a year, Jha said.

46 states, serving more than 3,000 War on weeds An acre to spray herbicides, and stores. escalates farmers spray at least three times a Unified is based in Commerce, BOZEMAN — A weed that drops season, Jha explained.

California, and supplies indepenmay be finally recovering from the damage inflicted by the shift to smartphones and tablets, according to a recent report.

PC shipments in the first quarter rose by about 1 percent from last year, based on calculations from the research firm International Data Corp. The modest gain marks the first quarterly increase in five years, a stretch that has seen people increasingly turn to mobile devices for their computing needs.

Another breakdown released by Gartner Inc. painted a gloomier picture. That research firm estimated PC shipments fell by 2 percent in the first quarter. The rival reports measure the market in different ways, accounting for their contrasting conclusions.

Both IDC and Gartner concurred on this point: About the only signs of life are in the corporate market, where PCs remain an essential tool. Businesses have recently been replacing larger numbers of outdated machines.

May 2017

15

STRATEGIESfor success

D o your homework if you plan

to sewll to the government

Government contracting has helped many businesses, both large and small, increase their market share, profitability, and customer awareness.

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

May 2017

Defense spending is identified as receiving a significant increase in the new Trump Administration proposed budget for 2018. Our office has received many calls in the past several weeks with business owners seeking advice on whether they should pursue government contracts. In the next two months, we’ll discuss issues that business owners who are new to government contracting need to carefully consider before becoming a government contractor.

Government contracting at the local, state or federal level can be a very profitable venture for many businesses. However, there are some big caveats that one should know about before they head down the government contracting path.

The first issue to consider is to become registered as a government contractor. The local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is the first place to begin. This is a Department of Defense funded activity which provides free help in working through the myriad of paperwork needed in becoming a government contractor. Go to http://www.aptac-us.org/ find-a-ptac/?state=MT# to find the PTAC center nearest to your location.

Call the office and make an appointment to begin the process of becoming a government contractor.

Many PTACs have a wide

variety of classes to help new businesses interested in becoming a government contractor. Remember, the government wants to use your services, the PTAC center will help you get started.

The second caveat is performing a careful analysis of the time your business will need to dedicate to government contracting. There are many free websites which identify each day the hundreds of solicitations that various governmental entities are seeking for either product or services. Many large prime contractors, at the federal level, need to achieve a small-business goal and are always seeking qualified small businesses in which either to partner or use in a joint venture opportunity.

You may have to think about dedicating at least one full-time staffer to reviewing the many solicitations that are sought each day. If you are going to go into government contracting, somebody must watch for the many opportunities available.

The third caveat is cash flow analysis. The government will ensure that you get paid. However, it may take four to six months to receive the payment — after the services are performed or the products delivered.

Do you have the capability to float the government a loan for six months? Will your banker advance you

Digital Vision.

a line of credit to cover the expenses for the six months it may take to receive your government check? These are questions that must be addressed. Otherwise, you may go bankrupt waiting for your government payment.

Marketing to the government is the fourth caveat. Government buyers want to buy from you, if they know that you can produce. Developing a “one sheet” is essential to visiting with a government buyer. Don’t know what a “one sheet” is? Call us, we’ll explain it. Your friends at the PTAC will also give you examples to help you.

Don’t forget to get a promotional product to leave

behind. It could be a pen, a cup, a clip — something to remind the government buyer of your existence.

Everyone likes to get a neat promotional product.

Paying strict attention to the solicitation and ensuring that you fulfill all the requirements sought is the fifth caveat in government contracting. If the solicitation asks for a pink widget and you propose an orange widget, you are sunk before you begin. There are ways in which you can suggest that the pink widget is better than the orange widget, however, when answering the solicitation is NOT the time to do so. Again, the PTAC center can help. So, can we.

Government contract-

ing has helped many businesses, both large and small, increase their market share, profitability, and customer awareness. However, do not think that this is free money nor you don’t have to work diligently to perform on the contract. If your business decides that government contracting makes sense from a strategic business perspective, then go for it. However, some careful analysis working with a consultant is always advisable to explore all the challenges and opportunities associated with becoming a government contactor.

Next month, we will address some more considerations in becoming a government contractor.

Pedestrian bridge considered

By Billings Business A proposed overpass spanning Exposition Drive could someday funnel pedestrians to and from MetraPark as part of a plan to revitalize the East Billings Urban Renewal District.

The feasibility study on the proposed pedestrian crossing considered three locations for the bridge, which would help pedestrians cross one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. The preferred alternative calls for building the bridge near Third Avenue North and Exposition Drive.

The overpass would cost between $3 million and $5 million, according to the study prepared by the engineering firm HDR Inc. The proposal was on the agenda for the April 19 annual meeting of the Billings Industrial Revitalization District Inc. BIRD is the private, nonprofit organization that represents property owners within the EBURD, an area between MetraPark and downtown Billings that is being targeted for redevelopment. Consultants who prepared the report studied two other sites in addition to the preferred option. One al-

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A site near the intersection of First Avenue North and Exposition was also considered, but it was deemed less desirable in part because the Montana Department of Transportation is planning improvements for that intersection.

Tim Goodridge, EBURD coordinator, said the consultants also studied developing an underpass instead of an overpass, but that plan was considered less desirable because of conflicts with Contributed image a couple of large storm This rendering shows what a proposed pedestrian overpass over Exposition Drive might look like. drains in that area.

“Because of the location of those storm drains, it means you would have to put the tunnel at a certain depth,” which would be less desirable, Goodridge said.

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May 2017

17

Special topic: Tourism

Gazette Staff Photof

The Oklahoma City University Stars fly off the bench and celebrate their 73-66 NAIA Division I National Women’s Basketball championship victory over Lewis-Clark State College at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark.

CASEY PAGE, Gazette Staff

Alex Tyson of Visit Billings speaks during a press conference announcing sponsors for the NAIA women’s basketball championship.

Supporters hope to capitalize on success of 2017 NAIA tourament

By TOM HOWARD Supporters describe the recent NAIA Division I National Women’s Basketball championship at MetraPark’s Rimrock Auto Arena as a success, and they’re already making plans to make improvements before the NAIA tournament returns next year.

Just under 13,000 people turned out to see the 32-team tournament, in which the Oklahoma City University Stars beat Lewis-Clark State College 73-66 in the championship game.

“We couldn’t be happier about that,” Alex Tyson, executive director of Visit Billings said, referring to both the attendance and community support for the tournament. “The community and region genuinely received this event. The entertainment value and caliber of competition exceeded our expectations.”

The NAIA tournament serves as an example of Billings extending its traditional spring-to-fall tourism season, when vacationers fan out across the country on their way to traditional tourist destinations such as Yellowstone National Park and Glacier

18

May 2017

National Park.

Bidding for Montana high school sports tournaments has become increasingly competitive in recent years as communities seek to capture dollars spent by players and fans. Through the years, officials at Rimrock Mall and other retailers have said that visiting sports fans provide a big economic boost when the tournaments are in town.

High school tournaments in February and March brought an estimated 50,000 people to Billings.

The last time Billings landed such a big off-season tourism attraction was in 2002, when some 54,000 entrants in the American Bowling Conference annual tournament rolled into town. The bowlers competed for some $3.5 million in prize money, and Yellowstone County’s economy received a welcome economic boost just months after the 9-11 terror attacks.

Two years ago, Billings came up short in its bid to land the Big Sky Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to town, but learned from that experience to land the NAIA tournament.

Tyson said Billings didn’t have a lot of

time to plan the 2017 NAIA tournament, and a few adjustments are in store for the 2018 tournament. Billings also hopes to land the 2019 tournament.

As of mid-April, tournament organizers were still awaiting a tally of the tournament’s financial results.

Asked about what kind of economic impact the tournament had in Billings, Tyson provided a rough estimate. It’s believed that NAIA officials, staff, and essential tournament workers spent around $2.5 million, and around $1 million might have been spent by families and fans who visited the community to support their teams.

“We also aren’t sure how many people from Havre, Lewiston, Idaho, or Dillon came and supported their teams due to the proximity,” Tyson said. “We also need to take into consideration the sheer excitement the tournament Tyson shared a few anecdotes which helped endear tournament participants to Billings. Local businesses and organization’s adopted teams to makethem feel at home.

Steve Arveschoug and his co-workers

at Big Sky Economic Development bought ice cream for the Westmont team after they lost to Lewis-Clark State in the quarterfinals.

Visit Bilings treated its team, Central Methodist to breakfast at Bernie’s Diner at the Northern Hotel. Meanwhile, Jeff Walters of Vertex Consulting took his team, Lindsey Wilson of Kentucky, out to Bernie’s as well.

“I wasn’t prepared for the level of engagement, but we spent a pretty significant amount of time together,” Walters said. He said his granddaughter, a basketball player, had a chance to interact with the team.

“I wanted her to be able to see what the possibilities are, and the personal relationship she developed with those players was amazing,” Walters said.

Meanwhile, Billings continues to count on sports tournaments to boost winter visitation.

Fresh off high school sports tournaments that brought an estimated 50,000 people to Yellowstone County in February and March, MetraPark has already submitted bids for the 2019 season.

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Airlines fighting efforts to ban overselling flights Associated Press DALLAS — With the federal government and a Senate committee looking into the dragging of a man off a United Express flight, airlines are beginning to speak up against any effort to bar them from overselling flights.

The CEO of Delta Air Lines called overbooking “a valid business process.”

“I don’t think we need to have additional legislation to try to control how the airlines run their businesses,” Ed Bastian said. “The key is managing it before you get to the boarding process.”

Federal rules allow airlines to sell more tickets than they have seats, and airlines do it routinely because they assume some passengers won’t show up.

The practice lets airlines keep fares low while managing the rate of no-shows on any particular route, said Vaughn Jennings, spokesman for Airlines for America, which represents most of the big U.S. carriers. He said that plane seats are perishable commodities — once the door has been closed, seats on a flight can’t be sold and lose all value.

Bumping is rare — only about one in 16,000 passengers got bumped last year, the lowest rate since at least the mid1990s. But it angers and frustrates customers who see their travel plans wrecked in an instant.

Bumping is not limited to flights that are oversold. It can happen if the plane is overweight or air marshals need a seat. Sometimes it happens because the airline needs room for employees who are commuting to work on another flight — that’s what happened recently on United Express.

Flight 3411 was sold out — passengers had boarded, and every seat was filled — when the airline discovered that it needed to find room for four crew members.

That eventually led to the video everybody has seen — a 69-year-old man being dragged off the plane by security officers after refusing to give up his seat.

In a series of three statements and an interview, United CEO Oscar Munoz became increasingly contrite. Eventually he told ABC-TV that he would fix United’s policies and that United will no longer call on police to remove passengers from full flights.

Politicians have jumped on the public outrage.

Senate Democrats demanded a moredetailed account of the incident from Munoz. A day earlier, the top four members of the Senate Commerce Committee asked

20

May 2017

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz speaks last year in New York during a presentation of the carrier’s new Polaris service.

Munoz and Chicago airport officials for an explanation.

“The last thing a paying airline passenger should expect is a physical altercation with law enforcement personnel after boarding,” said the committee members, two Republicans and two Democrats. They asked Munoz about his airline’s policy for bumping passengers, and whether it makes a difference that passengers have already boarded the plane.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to analyze “the problem of overbooking passengers throughout the industry.”

He said he was working on legislation to increase passengers’ rights.

The Transportation Department said it is investigating the incident to determine if United violated consumer-protection or civil-rights laws. It gave few details.

Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that he asked the Trump administration to suspend airlines’ ability to overbook flights. Christie, a Republican, said bumping passengers off flights is “unconscionable.” United is the dominant carrier at New Jersey’s largest airport, which is in Newark.

Federal rules require that before airlines can bump passengers from a flight they must seek volunteers — the carriers generally offer travel vouchers. That usually works — of the 475,000 people who lost a seat last year, more than 90 percent did so voluntarily, according to government figures.

United said, however, that when it asked for volunteers night, there were no takers. United acknowledged that passengers may have been less willing to listen to offers once they were seated on the plane.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

“Ideally those conversations happen in the gate area,” said United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy.

Airlines are supposed to have rules that determine who gets bumped if it comes to that. United’s rules, called a contract of carriage, say this may be decided by the passenger’s fare class — how much they paid — their itinerary, status in United’s frequent-flyer program, and check-in time. United has not said precisely how the four people asked to leave Flight 3411 were selected.

United bumps passengers less often than average among U.S. carriers. In 2016, it bumped 3,765 passengers, or one in every 23,000. Passengers were twice as likely to get bumped from Southwest Airlines. Hawaiian, Delta and Virgin America were the least likely to bump a passenger against his will.

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May 2017

21

SALESmoves

H ow to make sales happen ?

T ry harmonizing Manipulation makes people defensive, reluctant, and distrustful.

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

22

May 2017

Is there a one word answer to making more sales happen? YES! Probing?

Listening?

Presenting?

Talking?

Assessing?

Pain?

Objections?

Closing?

Manipulating?

The key to selling is not probing, listening, presenting, talking, assessing, pain, objections, and especially not manipulating.

The key that unlocks sales is harmonizing.

But you’d never know that from most salespeople’s actions.

Selling is about understanding the other person and their needs. Their fears.

Their desires. And their urgency to buy. Prospects and customers have different motives to buy, and it’s the salesperson’s job to uncover them - and harmonize with them.

RULE OF SALES: No two sales or sales presentations are alike.

They must be adapted to uncover the motives and objectives, understand the opportunities and barriers, meet the needs and desires, harmonize with the person and the personality, and satisfy or fit within the financial parameters of the buyer.

All my sales life I’ve been exposed to – “no, no,” frustrated by, “systems of selling.” And all my sales life I’ve fought them as being hokey, outdated, bogus,

non-realistic, manipulative processes that salespeople learn, but never really feel comfortable using.

Not that systems are “totally wrong” – more that they don’t always “fit” the situation. And that the salesperson focuses on the execution of the system to make the sale, rather than focusing on and harmonizing with the prospect to make the sale.

No one system will work all the time – BUT specific elements of any system may be applicable. I’m NOT saying don’t learn systems – all sales knowledge is valuable. I am saying be yourself in the sale, not the system.

RULE OF SALES: Prospects don’t always want to buy the way you have been taught to sell.

Here are some “more” clues: THE RULES OF “THE MORE THE MORE”: The more you believe in your company, your product, and yourself, the more you will sell.

The more value you provide to others, the more people will come to know, respect you, and buy from you.

The more you follow up and follow through, the more sales you will make.

The more you study sales, the more you will know how to react to any sales situation.

The more you harmonize with the customers situation, and offer answers they can apply – answers they perceive as valuable,

Jupiterimages

the MORE SALES you will make.

Keep this in mind at all times. You are a SALESperson, and the prospect or customer is expecting you to ask for the sale. Don’t disappoint them. But don’t fail to win the sale by earning it.

As a sales master, your job is to take the characteristics and needs of the prospect and blend them with your skills and understanding to determine the reasons the prospect is buying.

Their motive.

This will motivate and inspire the prospect to act.

Note that the root word of motivate is motive.

Harmony is understanding, not manipulating. It’s sensing the tone of the situation, and comfort level of

the prospect — And gives the prospect enough confidence to buy. Harmony converts salesperson selling to prospect buying.

Even though I don’t believe in or subscribe to a “system of selling,” I am still searching for “the best way” to make the sale. And what I have discovered along the way are elements, mostly personal (nonmanipulative), that when mastered will create an atmosphere where people (your customers and prospects) will be compelled to buy.

Here are three of them in an acronym that ties the introduction to the point – AHA! The three elements to master are Attitude, Humor, and Action. These ele-

ments, when mastered, are the surest (and shortest) sales formula to long term success. And they have nothing to do with systems, manipulation, or sales pressure. These words, elements, and characteristics create harmony.

Every salesperson I have ever come in contact with wants to build better customer relationships – and the best way to do that is never manipulate them.

Manipulation makes people defensive, reluctant, and distrustful.

Harmonize baby.

Mastering these elements will make prospects attracted to you, like you, trust you, believe you, have confidence in you – and then – buy from you.

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May 2017

23

BETTERbusiness

Y our customers won ’ t forget exceptional service

A sure way to lose a customer forever is to fall short on your promises.

DAN BUCHTA

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

24

May 2017

This past weekend, I got “wowed” by a small business. Here is the short version of the story: My family goes out to the same restaurant three or four times every month. This past weekend, my wife and I sat down and ordered a drink. The waitress smiled at us and said, “You know what, this round is on us. We noticed you have been coming in here a lot and we really appreciate your business. We figured the least we could do is buy you a round of drinks.” Wow! That small little “wow” made me feel like I won the lottery. It’s not every day that someone shows their appreciation for you and now I would feel guilty going any place else.

The Better Business Bureau serving the Northwest is always looking for ways we can provide services for our local business community. The goal is in our name.

Simply, to help make businesses better. To that end, we offer local businesses a brief customer service training seminar. The idea is that super customer service builds customer loyalty.

Nowhere in our presentation, does it suggest that you should buy every customer a round of drinks, although that might work. But, we do suggest trying to find some small way to “wow” your customers while you have time with them. The goal is to make that customer pick you to do business with every time. The takeaway of the presentation is the customer loyalty is king.

Ask any sales manager and they will tell you the key to growing your revenue is new business development,

but think about the advertising expense and the sales effort it takes to bring in a new customer. It’s huge, right? Now think about how valuable your loyal customer base is. Do your loyal customers spend more or less with you than your new customers? What is their value to your business over a lifetime? Treat them well and never stop giving them reasons to continue to do business with you. After all, you don’t want to have to pay the expense of having to win them back.

Better Business Bureau offers the following tips to keep those customers coming back: Under promise and over deliver. A sure way to lose a customer forever is to fall short on your promises.

Make promises you can keep and then try to exceed them in some small way. This starts with being on time, meeting deadlines along the way, and making sure the end product is as good as it was represented when you made that deal with your customer.

Make your customer feel valued. Do you know your customer’s name? Did you bother to ask? Personalize your transactions with your customers whether it is inperson, over the phone, by email, or social media. Ask them for their opinion on your products and services.

You never know, in their feedback, they may give you another opportunity to sell one of your products or services to them that they were not aware you provided.

Always make them feel like they are welcome when they

George Doyle

show up and they are missed when they are gone.

Be transparent and overcommunicate. Ever receive an invoice with an unexplained fee? To avoid running your customer’s emotions into the “red zone,” make sure that you overcommunicate fees and services to avoid emotional hiccups down the road. Did a challenge arise that will set you back on delivering by the deadline? Call the customer and communicate it.

A customer who is “wondering” if they made a mistake in choosing to do business with you is a customer you have lost. Customers who are in the loop don’t “wonder” about you.

Make doing business with you easy. If you want to lose a customer forever, frustrate them. And if a customer ex-

presses his or her frustration to you, thank them because they are giving you insight into where your process may need a tune-up. If you want to keep customers, look for ways to simplify the purchasing process — minimize paperwork, wait times, and address any questions or concerns with accuracy and urgency. Efficiency is the key.

Don’t shrug your shoulders at a customer. Customers ask you for help.

Sometimes they are already upset and frustrated. They are asking you because, at that moment, they feel you are the expert who can help them. If you can’t help them, find someone who can. This may be someone from your own organization or it may be someone down the street.

Don’t be afraid to do a Google

search or pick up the phone and see if someone else can help your customer out. You want that customer to leave your business thinking you helped them out – not that you dismissed them as some poor sap you couldn’t make money off of.

In our interconnected world, a bad customer experience can travel fast. Consumers are happy to share a customer service horror story, but they don’t always brag about when they had an adequate customer service experience. That being said, when asked by a friend, they will recommend that business that they had a good experience with. Even if they don’t, if they are loyal customers, they will prove their value to you over the lifetime of their relationship with your business.

I S OSHA CALLING ? B ETTER HAVE A RESPONSE PLAN READY If a company does not have a response plan in place to deal with an OSHA inspection, a plan should be immediately developed.

In 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued new procedures for enforcing its revised injury and illness reporting requirements.

Pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the “OSH Act”), employers must provide employees a workplace that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”

Violations of this “general duty” can result in severe penalties. Those penalties increased in 2016 by approximately 78 percent.

That 78 percent figure represents inflation from October 1990 (when the penalties were last updated) to October 2015.

To establish a violation of an OSH Act standard, the agency must prove that the employer violated certain standards and exposed employees to hazardous working conditions, among

other things. There is also a “multi-employer citation policy” which exposes a party to liability based upon an employer’s ability to control hazardous work conditions or protect its employees from exposure to hazardous work conditions. This policy is especially applicable to construction worksites where multi-employer crews are common. In essence, this policy divides employers into four categories: (1) the controlling employer; (2) the creating employer; (3) the exposing employer; and, (4) the correcting employer. Each of these different “types” of employers are subject to liability based upon differing standards.

With respect to the different types of citations that OSHA issues, there are four main categories: (1) willful; (2) repeat; (3) serious; and (4) others. Of these, the willful violations are the most severe classification and carry

Creatas Images

with them the greatest penalties ($124,709).

OSHA compliance inspections at the worksite are usually unannounced.

When an OSHA compliance officer appears at a

worksite, it is important that senior management of the company be alerted as well as the company’s legal counsel. If a company does not have a response plan in place to deal with an OSHA

inspection, a plan should be immediately developed.

Having such a response plan can minimize the legal liabilities that a company may face as a result of an inspection.

ERIC NORDERIC NORD

is an attorney with Crist, Krogh & Nord, LLC. Contact him at 406-255-0400.

May 2017

25

“I was in college, and I watched my parents take a huge loss on their home. It was surreal.”

Millennials finally showing interest in buying homes

By Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — Millennials are finally starting to show interest in homeownership.

Weighed down by massive student debt and job struggles, the generation brutalized by the Great Recession has lacked both the money and the desire to buy homes. They’ve been a generation of renters.

But as millennials have entered their 30s, established themselves financially and started having families, they’ve gradually begun to show interest in homeownership, according to Fannie Mae economist Douglas Duncan.

To be sure, millennials still trail other generations in home buying by a long shot. But they are making gains as they age.

“They were hard hit by the economy, went back to college because they couldn’t find jobs and got a later start,” said Duncan. “They will start catching up.”

The trend comes as a relief to real estate agents desperate to sell homes and economists worried that the economy would remain bogged down without enough first-time homebuyers. Typically, 20- and 30-somethings play an essential role in the economy and housing market. They become first-time homebuyers, filling their new homes with everything from appliances to yard equipment. Millennial home purchases also give older generations the chance to sell their own houses and move up.

Millennials are coming of age as homebuyers, though, just as housing prices are climbing and a lack of homes in some markets is causing bidding wars.

Russ Page and his fiancee, Jessica Doane, have experienced the rigors of the market in Chicago. Both now 28, they weren’t in a hurry to buy earlier as they tried to get careers on solid footing. But as rents in the Chicago area climbed, they started asking themselves if they were

wasting too much money on rent and they were tempted to move from a distant suburb closer to downtown Chicago. They recently found a home they wanted in the trendy Bucktown neighborhood — a sunny two-bedroom condo overlooking parkland. Yet they lost it as many buyers competed for the same unit. The winning buyer offered $10,000 over the asking price.

“Jessica was pretty upset,” said Page.

Still, he remains wary about overspending on anything he buys.

“I remember vividly the housing crash,” he said. “I was in college, and I watched my parents take a huge loss on their home. It was surreal.”

So despite his feeling of stability, with his job in sales and his fiancee’s as a quality assurance supervisor, he wants to stay within a limited budget.

Surveys of millennials show his attitude is widely held. They are a practical generation that watched parents struggle to hold onto jobs and homes as unemployment soared to 10 percent and housing prices crashed 30 percent in the Great Recession.

But Duncan, who has been tracking today’s millennials as they have been aging, is picking up on some solid trends in millennial home buying. He has seen distinct increases in buying as millennials have moved from their early 20s to late 20s and into their 30s. For example, as he followed a demographic group of people ages 28 to 29, he found that by the time the individuals were 30 to 31, they increased their home buying by 2.8 percent.

Millennials seem to be doing at a later age exactly what their parents’ generation did when younger, Duncan said. Millennials as a generation have delayed marriage and have waited for several years for the job market and pay to improve. But as incomes rise and they marry and get ready for children, they are less interested in cramming into studio apartments in high-demand areas, and start searching for homes or condos they can afford to buy.

Got a news tip? Contact The Gazette at 657-1241 or citynews@billingsgazette.com.

PHIL NELSON VP, Branch Manager

Congratulations!

Stockman Bank is proud to have Phil lead our Billings Downtown branch.

With 15 years of financial experience, he has the knowledge and expertise to help with all your business needs.

Stop in and see Phil today he’s ready to do business with you!

4th & Broadway | 655-3420

©2017 Stockman Bank | Member FDIC

26

May 2017

stockmanbank.com

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

Baumert honored for health service Dr. Chris Baumert, a faculty member with the Montana Family Medicine Residency at RiverStone Health, was awarded the Geiger Gibson Emerging Leader Award by the National Association of Community Health Centers.

The award, preBAUMERT sented at the March NACHC Policy and Issues Forum, recognizes the accomplishments of exceptional members.

Baumert was honored for taking on tasks to further the health centers’ mission of providing high-quality, culturally competent health services to underserved populations. Through collaboration, he has demonstrated the community aspect of community health centers.

The award is named for H. Jack Geiger and Count D. Gibson Jr., two doctors who founded the first two health centers in the United States.

Stockman promotes lender

Misty Wittman has been promoted to personal banking officer for the Stockman Bank Billings Shiloh location. Her responsibi l ities include administering consumer loans and assisting with customWITTMAN er’s accounts. She specializes in real estate/bridge loans, installment loans, home equity loans and per

sonal lines of credit.

Wittman brings over 16 years of banking experience to the position which includes customer service, loan processing and business development. She has been with Stockman Bank since 2012. Her vast knowledge in personal banking will continue to be an asset for Stockman Bank.

Wittman is active in the community and serves as a charter member and treasurer of the new Laurel Exchange Club. She also participates in National Teach Kids to Save and Get Smart about Credit programs as well as Adopt a Family, Relay for Life, and United Way. She may be reached at 6553907 and is located at 1450 Shiloh Road.

Chamber announces Excellence awards

The Billings Chamber of Commerce recently announced its Business Excellence awards for 2017. They are: Customer Service: Leif Welhaven, director, business development, EEC. With 15 years in the restaurant business and another 15 in the rapidly-changing mobile communication industry, Welhaven knows that networking and customer service cannot be overrated “Obviously, customer service follows the old adage: Treat people the way you want to be treated,” he said.

Welhaven models that behavior at every venue as he networks, from Chamber events to the Home Builders Association, to the Billings Area Association of Realtors to Big Sky Economic Development. He also contributes his leadership skills to community organizations like the Family Tree Center, the Montana chapter

of the American Diabetes Association and the Exchange Clubs of Montana and Idaho.

DeDe Stoner, vice president of First Federal Bank & Trust, was honored with one of four Billings Chamber Business Excellence awards as the 2017 Manager of the Year. Stoner leads First Federal’s Billings Home Loan Center.

In February, First Federal Bank & Trust received the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce Large Business of the Year Award of Excellence. The bank, established in Sheridan in 1935, has $287 million in assets with 70 employees.

The Billings Home Loan Center is located at 1805 Shiloh Road.

Employer of the year: Billings Federal Credit Union’s charter dates back to 1935. That sort of longevity creates its own track record, including a service attitude that extends beyond the nearly 9,300 members to the more than 40 employees.

“One of the biggest perks of working here is that we as a leadership team truly appreciate and respect our employees—we work for them,” said Debbie Strever, vice president of human resources. “They are the face of our business.”

“Being small, we are able to have that personal touch with our employees; it is face-to-face, look them in the eye and ask what do you expect from us?” Strever said.

Bill and Merilyn Ballard were honored during the Chamber’s Annual Meeting in September with the Legacy Award.

The Billings couple have devoted much of their lives to civic projects, including investing in growth initiatives in health care, higher education, service and the First Presbyterian Church, according to a chamber release.

Merilyn, a Montana native, convinced Bill, an Arkansas native, to move the couple to Billings in 1956.

Bill Ballard joined partner Bill Cronoble to form Balcron Oil Co. in Billings in 1963. After selling the company, he formed Ballard Petroleum, and he remains chairman and CEO. For the past 25 years, he has worked with sons Dave and Jeff Ballard at the oil and gas exploration company, which employs 30 in Billings and another 17 in Gillette, Wyoming.

Bruce MacIntyre received the award for Agricultural Excellence during the Ag Appreciation Banquet in January.

MacIntyre senior public policy adviser for the chamber, has extensive experience working on public policy issues and has lobbied on behalf of the chamber for many years.

Harvey Singh, Business Person of the Year: Singh Contracting, Inc. was born from an extensive background in the construction industry coupled with the historic May 2013 hail storm. Singh saw a need for more quality, local roofing contractors and jumped at the opportunity.

While promoting his brand through video commercials, Singh eventually developed the concept, and the professional team, for Outward Media Group, which now produces Singh Contracting’s advertising and marketing. Singh noted that Billings-based companies typically outsourced videography, website design and SEO but he wanted to provide it locally.

“We want to offer building a website right here, on site, sitting down face-to-face,” he said.

“Outward Media Group is evolving into a full package firm.”

While Singh does not miss the traffic and the smog of his former urban home, he feels that Billings could use a wider variety of food and music. This spring he will open Seva Kitchen at 313 N. Broadway, in the former Broadway Deli and Café building, which will serve a variety of ethnic dishes.

First Interstate promotes Eden

Blake Eden was recently promoted to business line marketing specialist at First Interstate Bank.

She was previously a marketing specialist in the bank’s payment services division.

In her new role, she will serve as EDEN the designated marketing contact for business lines within the organization. Prior to her employment with First Interstate, she worked as a right of way agent with the Montana Department of Transportation, and also as a digital media marketing manager at Austin Adventures.

Eden may be reached by calling 255-5357 or emailing blake. eden@fib.com.

Hampton Inn hires Brown

BROWN

Stephanie Brown recently joined the Hampton Inn & Suites as a general manager. She has five years experience in the hotel industry. Brown may be reached by callings 656-7511.

May 2017

27

BANKRUPTCIES Billings-area petitions filed in U.S. Beverly June Domina, 1112 Sunhaven Bankruptcy Court, March 1-31, 2017. Ad- Drive, Laurel, March 7. dresses are in Billings unless otherwise Janice M. Sattler, P.O. Box 1569, Columbus, March 7. noted.

Neil Strahan, 7029 Lance St., Shepherd, Chapter 7 March 13.

Adam Eugene Ruhnke, Sally Jeanne Rachel Ann Sullivan, P.O. Box 51437, Ruhnke, P.O. Box 226, Red Lodge, March 14.

March 1.

David Leo Padilla, Debra Renee Padilla, Robert Leonard Ewen, 1411 Avenue B, 4303 Scott Lane, March 14.

March 1.

Wendy Ann Sweeting, 3525 Tigard Ave., Tammy R. Heiser, 1316 Tillamack St., March 15.

March 1.

Jeremy Allen Peters, Cicely Faith Peters, Daniel J. Boyle, 1415 Avenue B, March 6. 815 W. Fourth St., Hardin, March 23.

Tyler James Soennichsen, Brittani Marie Soennichsen, 1600 Second Ave. W. No. 21, Roundup, March 24.

Melissa Mitzel, 9414 Lipp Road, March 27.

Scott A. Toth, 8333 King Ave. W., March 28.

Raymond R. Griffith, 1920 Mullowney Lane, Lot 1, March 29.

Allen W. Woock, 127 Quail Drive, Roundup, March 29.

Merrill Michael Watkins, Brenda Dawn Watkins, 1317 Matador Ave., March 30.

Jon Andrew Halvorson, 1030 N. 25th St.,

March 30.

Chapter 13 Tom K. Senn, Karen Kennedy Senn, 556 Mecca Drive, March 1.

Osmar Torres, 2137 Wyoming Ave., March 8.

Audrey Sue Stene, 2525 Clark Ave., March 10.

Stacey Wayne Overhuls, P.O. Box 73, Columbus, March 15.

Doug Lee Hoffman, 219 N. Broadway, March 27.

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS Addition Single/Duplex/Garage 1010 N. 24th St., Higginbotham, Aaron J., $1,100 1005 Nutter Blvd., Woo, Wai-Man & SuiMing, Legacy Craftsmen, $64,120 1727 Augsburg Drive, Kurtz, Tina M., Northwest Building And Design LLC, $17,800 2702 Terry Ave., Smith, Barry W., KC Roofing & Construction Inc., $2,040

New Garage 2624 Lillis Lane, Fields, Daniel E. & Paula J., Reule Builders, $32,000 711 Wyoming Ave., Schreibeis, Jacob E. and Alicia L., Sharp Montana Realty, $25,200 744 Yellowstone Ave., Petersen, Lavern L. and Nancy, $97,200 5313 Sundance Mountain Circle, Magnuson, Darryl E. and Cindy L., $2,500 339 Miles Ave., Jimason, Mary L, DWM Builders LLC, $43,350 2300 Lampman Drive, Holbert, Todd D., $15,120

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May 2017

New Single Family 2138 Largo Circle, Oakland Built Homes Inc., $147,015 1352 Twin Lakes Drive, Green Jeans LLC, $187,000 1928 Stony Meadow Lane, McCall Development Inc., $194,820 1557 Topanga Ave., Dawson Builders, $176,380 2918 W. Copper Ridge Loop, Fortner Lanissa, LC Custom Homes, $243,230 1725 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $189,920 1506 Emma Ave., Ketchum Construction, Ketchum Construction and Woodworks Inc., $237,580 2725 Cornell Circle, Mont Vista LLC, $293,605 1729 Island View Drive, McCall Development Inc., $302,885 857 Tierra Drive, RJ Mac Homes Inc., $222,675 2128 Del Mar St., Jeff Krietzberg Homes, $176,505 2129 Sierra Vista Circle, Jeff Kreitzberg Homes, $160,500 342 Annandale Road, Ron S. Hill Living

Trust, Specialized Construction, $292,617 1205 Vineyard Way, Steve Gountanis Inc., $319,170 108 Ave. C, Image Builders, $240,310 3079 W. Copper Ridge Loop, Infinity Homes LLC, $196,300 4714 Silver Creek Trail, Mya Burton, Neuman Built Quality Homes, $470,000 1420 Emma Ave., HAD Inc., $241,590

New Two Family 1435 Naples St., Dorn Property LLC, Dorn Construction LLC, $276,040 1427 Naples St., Dorn Property LLC, Dorn Construction LLC, $276,040 1443 Naples St., Dorn Property LLC, Dorn Construction LLC, $276,040 1916 9 Ave. N., Doug Brown, Norse Builders, $260,800

Remodel Single/Duplex/Garage 1310 Yellowstone Ave., Evelyn B. Caudill Living Trust, Lynnrich Inc., $3,451 825 Yellowstone Ave., Murnion, Brian, Lynnrich Inc., $3,331 3661 Gladiator Circle, Orlich, Patricia A.,

C’s Construction Of Billings, $3,533 1240 O’Malley Drive, Olmstead, Dwight D. and Ruby J., K-Designers, $7,176 2142 Largo Circle, Oakland Built Homes Inc., $144,290 2134 Largo Circle, Oakland Built Homes Inc., $144,290 2139 Largo Circle, Oakland Built Homes Inc., $144,290 2424 Glengarry Lane, Ware, Duane and Sandy, Image Builders, $417,740 905 Sandcherry St., Trails West Homes LLC, $193,450 2747 Burlwood Drive, Classic Design Homes Inc., $239,590 2103 Ninth Ave. N, Lillie S. Deceased Reichenbach, $650 2537 Broadwater Ave., Lahey, Harry A. and Karen S., Mark Lahey, $4,500 3109 Ave. D, Watson, Roger A. and Vernice R. Tr, G&L Enterprizes Inc., $35,540 582 Killarney St., Neutgens, Paul G. and Laurie L., $3,300 4144 Ryan Ave., Peak Properties LLC, $30,000 4520 Ryan Ave., Lackman, William H. and Elizabeth, Klonski Construction, $2,400

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONTINUED 1224 Grubstake Circle, Dewitt, Scott E. and Deborah L. Ge, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $6,000 2238 Larchwood Lane, Young, Ione M., $8,000 3100 Valley View Drive, Hanrahan, Judy K., Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $5,400 3017 Forsythia Blvd., Feyhl, Kenneth J. and Laura B., Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $1,600 1240 Reece Drive, James Barnet Jr., $2,500 1106 29th St. W., Stahley, Kenneth R. and Linda H, C’s Construction Of Billings, $13,944 1309 Daybreak Drive, Wells Built Homes Inc., $23,800 2316 Crimson Lane, Loeding Mark & Amy N., Freyenhagen Construction Inc., $20,000 1740 Iris Lane, Byorth, J. Patrick, Frey-

enhagen Construction Inc., $16,000 2256 E. Skokie Drive, Passon, Gregory J., Stewart Construction & Remodeling, $1,000 3190 Parkhill Drive, Janet J. Meisinger Trust, Stewart Construction & Remodeling, $1,000 2646 Miles Ave., Cooper, Zachary J. & Megan S., Craigo Construction, $2,600 5440 Vardon Place, Zagel, Bruce R., and Kathleen R., Thompson Construction Co. Inc.-Pools, $2,500 1712 Third Ave. N., Mainmast Roads Management LLC, $300 2511 Miles Ave., Simon, Big Sky Exterior Designs Inc., $3,500 1970 Country Manor Blvd., Monson, Michael A. and Kristi E., One Source Construction LLC, $749 1820 Parkhill Drive, Portman, Wendy Romsos, Big Sky Contractors, $10,000 623 Custer Ave., Reitler, Jesse M.,

American Exteriors LLC, $5,530 209 Ashley Court North, Fairlee Stephen J., American Exteriors LLC, $16,609 4544 Stone St., Sherman, Susan L., American Exteriors LLC, $13,718 81 Gold Pan Lane, Galarneau, Michael L., American Exteriors LLC, $11,962 2157 Rangeview Court, Tim And Cindy Morgan Trust, Freyenhagen Construction Inc., $13,000 3124 Ben Hogan Place, McDermott, Robert W. and Sharon M., Freyenhagen Construction Inc., $12,500 123 Foster Lane, Kunter, Muriel J., One Source Construction LLC, $605 730 Wyoming Ave., Hunter Sandy, One Source Construction LLC, $1,400 1441 Avenue C, Reiland, Judy H., K-Designers, $6,728 3603 Crater Lake Ave., Hatlestad, Mark D. and Lisa J., Lynnrich Inc., $534 858 Lynch Drive, Moss, Terrence L. and

Jardene F., $1,400 1627 Clark Ave., Guzman, Todd Robert, $5,000 1626 Moose Hollow Lane, Walter Gerald 50% INT, Craigo Construction, $900 1220 Miles Ave., Certain, Alisia, Craigo Construction, $2,700 1524 11th St. W., Pollard, Timothy M. and Ruth, Craigo Construction, $2,800 4850 Saunders Lane, Saunders, Sally Ann, Craigo Construction, $2,400 605 Custer Ave., Standley Michelle L Replace Window $100 836 Governors Blvd., Glibbery, Paul F. and Darla A., Northwest Custom Improvements, $7,000 2102 Northridge Circle, Patrick and Claudia Vandersloot, $120 1207 Princeton Ave., Cook, Christopher M. and Cheryl S., $8,085 There were 110 Fence/Roof/Siding residential permits issued in March.

Refinish Shop, 205 Erie Drive, 272-2393 Little Blessings Daycare, 711 Rimrock Road, 896-1494 Divine Rootz, Laurel, 628-6354 TJW Construction, 24 Gold Pan Lane, 839-3909 It’s All Good Food And Catering LLC, 624 Logan Lane, 670-5374 M.C. Carpentry LTD, Columbus, 3225830 Alchemy Haircare, Winnett, 429-5617 First Cut Construction, 916 Howard Ave., 694-1097 Go Green Recycling, 5815 Flax Trail, 697-0540 Swept Away, 1439 Marine St., 998-9455 Mazurkiewicz, 1140 Governors Blvd., 390-2963 King James Property Maintenance, 2203

Third Ave. N., 839-5964 Mr. Snow It All Tree Service, 1301 Industrial Ave., 794-4438 Technicolor Paint, 356 Foster Lane, No. 9, 794-9347 Lawn Patrol, 4933 Piegan Trail, 6704915 T&S Lawn Care, 3205 Hwy 87 E, 6982009 Reliable Lawn Care & Maintenance, 438 Sharron Lane, 696-7111 AWC Construction, 14 Attica St. N., 426-4364 Bayco, 1118 Minuteman St., 853-5208 Burton Construction Inc., Spokane, Wash., 509-468-4932 Jean Hogstad, 5339 Sundance Mountain Circle, 894-2279 Mallas Lawn Care, Laurel, 208-7035

A Cut Above, 3015 11th Ave. N., 945-7503 The Kleaning Kraut, 518 S. 31st St., 2002928 Circle 1 Inc., 2208 Alderson Ave., No. 9, 307-349-3244 Y-Stone Commercial Cleaning, 2203 Boulder Ave., 281-1936 Ideal Furniture Billings, 101 More Lane, 672-2868 RM Creations, 8585 Long Meado Drive, 661-2401 Duggins Creation Innovations (DCI), 1206-1/2 Main St., 860-2425 KJ’s Cleaning, 3672 Relay Drive, 6529387 T Squared Construction, 1307 El Dorado Drive, 281-0959 Robi’s Lawn Maintenance, 8455 Black Marlin Drive, 698-2585

BUSINESS LICENSES MARCH Blue Moon Cleaning and Property Maintenance, 710 Bench Blvd., 661-1378 Laferriere’s Roofing & Such, 15 Danube St., 696-3779 Magic City Shine, 1405 River Point Loop, No. 001, 794-8994 Super 8, 5400 Southgate Drive, 2488842 Yellowstone Concrete Cutting Inc., 2608 Burlington Ave., 698-1805 Home Base Innovations LLC, 4705 Georgina Drive, 690-9772 Fashion and Furnishings MT, 2111 Grand Ave. Some Eggs, LLC, Molt, 860-4862 Shawns’ Sassy Shears, 1202 Central Ave., 200-1752

May 2017

29

BUSINESS LICENSES, CONTINUED Shar’s Sparkling Cleaning, 1028 Ave. C, 210-6937 Ketterling Appraisals & Consulting, 3751 Vickery Drive, 696-2529 Renewal By Andersen Of MT, 2601 Overland Drive, Suite 2, 259-3944 G.M. Construction And Roofing, 110 Double Tree Place, 598-1689 Tracie Grice Photography, 204 E. Alkali Creek Road, 647-8969 Riddle’s Jewelry, 1002 Shiloh Crossing Blvd., 655-0834 Taylor Tree Service LLC, 5408 Round Stone Ae., 241-8368 Fountain of Youth Hardscape & Design, 2119 Poly Drive, 208-5302 Creative Builders, 7927 Clark Ave., 5983649 Reynolds Custom Construction Inc., 711 Terry Ave., 698-8438 Justin Hutchinson Videography, 707 Nottingham Circle, No. 4, 208-7497 Dun Rite Construction, 3455 Old Hardin Road, 598-4928 Kayleen Schultz Photography, 5027 Mcgirl Road, 860-3098 Angie’s Itty Bitty Bake Shop LLC, Belgrade, 599-6176 Roofing & Siding Pros, 4228 Vaughn Lane, 208-7707 Rack Construction Inc., 1324 Parkhill Drive, 697-6346 Sanford Services, Shepherd, 208-4606 Summit Cigar Lounge LLC, 2507 Montana Ave., 256-7853 Magic City Free Shuttle, 7077 Black Hawk Lane, 839-0900 Donges Construction, 307 S. Billings Blvd., No. 65, 606-2977 Miracle Method Of The Big Horns,

Powell, Wyoming, 272-0099 Jurado’s Service, 106 Cache Drive, 8501224 Birr Enterprises LLC, 2204 Beloit Drive, 855-4250 Spectrum Security LLC, Shepherd, 671-6891 Summit Construction And Restoration, Bearcreek, 670-2114 PJ Mills Construction, 710 Agate Ave., 930-1207 Lawn Barber & Boys, 915 Wicks Lane, 450-0889 Direct Mail Advertising Services, 1935 Lampman Drive, 656-3311 Concept Signs & Graphics, Fort Collins, Colorado, 970-221-2627 Butler Tree Service, 2485 Samantha Lane, 671-6554 JBSS, 211 Custer Ave., 969-5636 Hoots Housekeeping, 1411 Wicks Lane, 200-5414 Juan Flores Construction, 1506 Parkhill Drive, 598-1928 Nature’s Enhancement Inc., Stevensville, 777-3560 Clearview Auto Glass, Shepherd, 6903424 Driggs Bills & Day P.C. 303 N. 28th St., 801-363-9982 Big Rock Custom T-Shirts, 1660 Country Manor Blvd., 215-1699 Sleep Number By Select, 357-S. 24th St. W., 763-551-6968 Kozma Consulting LLC, 3955 Bluebird St., No. 6, 598-8394 Montana Ironworks Inc., Laurel, 6714506 Bakken Tree Service, 1016 McKenney Road, 591-4778

Dr. Jane Wholeness Living, 2817 Second Ave. N., 844-311-9103 Funshine Preschool & Childcare, 1013 Competition Ave., 861-7209 Big Sky Hospitality LLC, 1215 Mossman Drive, 850-2179 Gary’s Tile, Burlington, Wyoming, 801791-6937 Soil To Scenic LLC, 2026 Kober Place, 855-7202 Art Legaly Enterprises LLC, 2026 Kober Place, 855-7202 Be Led, 6237 Masters Blvd., 208-0685 Scott C’s Construction, 527 Wyoming Ave., 489-3799 Hauling & Installing, 825 Constitution Ave., 697-6193 Better Building Technologies LLC, Las Vegas, 702-583-6188 JLS Academy of Esthetics, 2348 Grand Ave., 601-1557 All Out Construction, 1924 Clubhouse Way, No. 4, 701-440-1992 Autolux-MT, 3201 Hesper Road, 5341040 The Rose Posse, 714 Bender Circle, 541205-8383 Wild West Construction And Metal Roofs, 3619 Terry Ave., 861-1432 Jayret Lawn Service, 1915 Clark Ave., 697-8423 Healthy Home Cleaning, 722 S. 32nd St., 855-8468 Chris Kelly Painting, 1235 Burlington Ave., 861-9617 Willms Enterprises LLC, 3002 Alpine Drive, 439-3818 Heights Printer Service, 889 Garnet Ave., 370-0461

Ill.; David A. DeGoey of Salem, Wis.; Pamela L. Donner, and Kathy Sarris, both of Mundelein, Ill.; Charles A. Flentge of Pittsburgh; Yi Gao of Vernon Hills, Ill.; Charles W. Hutchins of Green Oaks, Ill.; Douglas K. Hutchinson of Newton, Conn.; Tammie K. Jinkerson of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Warren M. Kati, Allan C. Krueger, both of Gurnee, Ill.; Wenke Li; Ryan G. Keddy of Beach Park, Calif.; Dachun Liu; Clarence J. Maring of Palatine, Ill.; Mark A. Matulenko and John T. Randolph, both of Libertyville, Ill.; Christopher E. Motter of Oak Creek, Wis.; Lissa T. Nelson of Highland Park, Ill.; Sachin V. Patel of Round Lake, Ill.; John K. Pratt of Kenosha, Wis.; Michael D. Tu-

fano of Chicago; Seble H. Wagaw of Lake Bluff, Ill.; and Rolf Wagner and Kevin R. Woller, both of Antioch, Ill.: Anti-viral compounds. 9,586,978, March 7, AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Ill. Daniel Albert Gabig of Polson and Matthew B. Jore of Ronan: Magnetically enhanced energy storage systems and methods. 9,589,726, March 7, E1023 Corp., Ronan.

Charles Siebenga of Bozeman: Continuous square baler. 9,591,807, March 14.

Anthony Cerasani of Missoula: Ornamental design for a shaker cup. D781,104, March 14, Platinum Products LLC, Missoula.

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CALL 406-657-1298 TO SUBSCRIBE

MONTANA PATENTS Below are listed U.S. patents issued to Montana inventors March 7-14, 2017. For assistance in patent filing, call Billings patent attorney Antoinette M. Tease at 406-294-9000.

John L. Raudat and Les Dennison, both of Kalispell: Coordinated softtouch case packer. 9,586,705, March 7, Commercial Machine Services Inc., Kalispell.

Steve Mangold, Rexford: Pistol style spray head. 9,586,750, March 7.

Mary E. Bellizzi of Missoula; David A. Betebenner and Todd W. Rockway, both of Grayslake, Ill.; Jean C. Califano of Whitefish Bay, Wis.; William A. Carroll and Daniel D. Caspi, both of Evanston,

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May 2017

Billings Business 401 North Broadway

Billings, MT 59101

Grill with natural gas; it’s always ready when you are.

1-800-638-3278 Montana-Dakota.com • clean • abundant • affordable • efficient • reliable • safe • domestic • environmentally friendly •

In the Community to Serve®

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS Addition

Inc., $35,700

Inc., $409,500

1445 Main St., Valley Federal Credit New Office/Bank New Warehouse/Storage Union, Fisher Construction Inc., $700,000 1241 S. 31st St. W., Jones Construction 411 N. 17 St., Collum, Richard Alan, 3004 First Ave. S., Christian Brothers $167,500 Real Estate, Empire Insulation Company Inc., EPC Services, $2,408,177 New Parking Lot/Non-Building Struc925 S. 44th St. W., $167,500 LLC, $10,000 3429 Briarwood Blvd., The Briarwood, 3050 First Ave. S., Christian Brothers ture 2715 11th Ave. S., Roman Catholic Bishop Aldrich Lumber LLC, $280,962 Real Estate, Empire Insulation Company Of Great Falls, LGI Construction, $120,000 LLC, $7,500

Demolition

Remodel

New Other

1524 Main St., Town Pump, Cucancic 411 N. 17th St., Collum, Richard Alan, Construction Inc., $35,000 $100,000 925 S. 44th St. W., Kincaid Land LLC, $100,000 Fence/Roof/Siding 1636 Main St., McDonalds Real Estate 3004 First Ave. S., Sundling, Dan O., Co., Langlas & Associates Inc., $1,720,000 Empire Insulation Company LLC, $12,000 3050 First Ave. S., Sundling, Dan O., New Restaurant/Casino/Bar Empire Insulation Company LLC, $12,000 1524 Main St., Town Pump Of 2 S. 29th St., Montana Rail Link (Lessee), Bruce Tall Construction and Design Inc., Townsend, Cucancic Construction Inc., $975,000 $107,000 1301 Division St., Atwood. Scott, Empire Roofing Inc., $21,000 New Store/Strip Center 3209 Grand Ave., Calmont Limited Li921 Shiloh Crossing Blvd., Shiloh Crossability Co., Hulteng Inc., $50,000 2916 Second Ave. N., Thrifty Rooter ing Partners II LLC, Langlas & Associates

2929 Third Ave. N. Doggett Ranch, Dick Anderson Construction, $164,447 2900 12th Ave. N., Sisters Of Charity Of Leavenworth, Capital Development Inc., $150,000 401 N. 31st St., Billings 401 LLC, Hardy Construction Co., $10,000 411 S. 24th St. W., RZA Land LLC, Perfect 10 Roofing & Construction, $60,330 1500 University Drive, State Of Montana, Norpac Inc., $350,000 3178 Gabel Road, Copper King Resources Inc., K&N Construction Inc., $30,000 1916 Fourth Ave. N., Braun-Ayers Properties LLC, Air Controls Billings Inc. $1,000 2825 Third Ave. N., Miller Trois LLC, McBride Mechanical Inc., $1,480 2323 Minnesota Ave., Full Moon Enterprises, $4,000 124 N. 29th St., McDonald Land Holdings LLC, Jones Construction Inc., $11,000 1236 Ave. D, Shawn Shahan, Tight Lines Carpentry Of Montana LLC, $24,000

3928 Victory Circle, IRET-Olympic Village (MT), $23,000 3924 Victory Circle, IRET-Olympic Village (MT), $23,000 103 N. 28th St., Yurko Properties LLC, $1,000 223 S. 27th St., John Skauge Revocable Trust, John Skauge Properties, $1,000 2223 Montana Ave., 2223 Montana LLC, Diamond Construction Inc., $75,100 1509 Monad Road, Sysco Food Services Of Montana, Langlas & Associates Inc., $160,000 1105 First Ave. N., Rookhuizen, Edward J. & Dianna, Jeff Engel Construction Inc., Remodel - Change In Use $10,000 1528 24th St. W., Larson And Carpenter 1649 Main St., Wal-Mart Real Estate Partnership, AHB Construction, $6,000 Business Tenant, $10,000

BUSINESS IS LOOKING GOOD. TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 406-657-1298

Billings Business 401 North Broadway Billings, MT 59101

May 2017

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Wayne Nelson

Tim Ludewig

Darrin Maas

Helping our Billings community

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King Ave Branch Manager

Heights Branch Manager

Business Checking | Business Loans | Lines of Credit Cash Management | Online & Mobile Banking SBA Preferred Lender

Pam Doherty

Phil Nelson

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Shiloh Branch Manager

Downtown Branch Manager

Grand Ave Branch Manager

King Avenue 655-2700

Hilltop & Main 896-4800

Shiloh & Grand 655-3900

prosper and grow

Downtown 655-2400

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May 2017

stockmanbank.com

14th & Grand 371-8100