Kati Eve, CPA
Area business achievers
Commercial Loan Officer
YBGR names board president, Employee Benefit Management Services adds account manager PAGE D3
2900 Central Avenue Billings, MT
Assistant Vice President
406-869-6715
Sunday, October 15, 2017 | billingsgazette.com | SECTION D
LittleHornStateBank.com
Seeking to survive a disaster? Costco sells a $1,000 food kit that lasts 25 years DETROIT FREE PRESS
LARRY MAYER PHOTOS, GAZETTE STAFF
Dan Kleinsasser of the Golden Valley Hutterite Colony near Ryegate looks over hardware in stock Valley Steel, LLC.
From
lentils to lintels After centuries of farming, Hutterite colony expanding into building construction
ROB ROGERS
rrogers@billingsgazette.com
RYEGATE — Last spring, members of the Golden Valley Hutterite Colony plowed under their lentil field and on the land began construction of a manufacturing plant. The structure, now nearly complete, is all steel and concrete and will produce custom steel trim, siding and roofs for
Josh Kleinsasser checks a processed piece of steel as the Golden Valley Hutterite Colony opens Valley Steel, LLC. The new venture builds custom commercial and residential use, steel siding and roofing products. putting the colony in competition with big companies like manufacturing is a leap of faith different from what the colony Bridger Steel. for the colony. Until now, the has done for generations was Named Valley Steel LLC, it’s colony, like farmers and ranchers scary. “For several years we’ve talked all professional and top-of-the- all across Eastern Montana, has line. been an exclusively agriculture about it,” Kleinsasser said. But starting last year they felt “It’s going to be right or we’re operation, producing wheat and not going to do it,” said Dan lentils, milk, eggs, chickens, hogs they had to do something differKleinsasser, the Hutterite leading and, just in time for Thanksgiv- ent. Over the years, wheat prices ing, turkeys. the operation. The move into steel product Moving into something wholly Please see HUTTERITE, Page D2
DETROIT — Capitalists have a solution to everything, even surviving the end of the world. Take Costco’s 1-year emergency food kit for $999.99, including shipping. It is made up of nearly 100 cans — 1-gallon each and making 6,200 servings of food — of wheat, rice, granola, apples, bananas, peaches, strawberries, potatoes, carrots beans, onions, corn, beef, chicken, milk, sugar and salt. The cans, the company said, will last up to 25 years. The Issaquah, Wash.-based warehouse club declined to offer much more about the items — or on how many people are buying the kit. “We don’t normally give out sales data,” the company said in an email to the Detroit Free Press. “The idea came about making a great starter kit for a family who wanted to prepare for any kind of disaster. This is a great value with shipping included.” Obviously, the disaster would have to be catastrophic for someone to need that much food, but entrepreneurs have long found ways to profit from people’s fears, especially when they involve an apocalyptic scenario: being wiped out by a massive hurricane, getting caught in clashes among groups with fanatical beliefs and facing fallout from a nuclear war. How much of a market is there for these emergency kits? “Right now, it’s too small of a trend to track,” said Jeff Gelski, associate editor of Food Business News in Kansas City, Mo., who has been writing about the food industry for more than a decade. “But, if Costco’s in it, it might be something that’s about to pop.” There are smaller and larger emergency food kits for sale, too. Please see FOOD KIT, Page D3
Billings Gazette readers, meet the new Billings Business DARRELL EHRLICK
Gazette Editor
Every Sunday in The Billings Gazette you read about Billings business in this section. But many of you may not have read our monthly Billings Business magazine. Let me explain: For years, The Billings Gazette has published a stand-alone monthly publication, “Billings Business,” that was distributed throughout Billings. The business in the magazine was different than the business in The Gazette. Not anymore. We’ve decided to merge the two publications into one expanded
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business section every month. For those readers familiar with Billings Business, you’ll notice a familiar logo at the top of those pages. You’ll also notice some recurring features that have carried over from the monthly publication (more on that in a moment). It will look familiar with just a slightly different format. Yet, for the majority of readers, you’ll notice a larger-than-normal business section that has several new features. That’s exactly why we’re making the switch. Staff here at The Gazette put in a lot of hard work producing the monthly publication. So much,
in fact, that we believe it’s time to share it with a wider audience. For many, this monthly “Billings Business” will be an expanded business section that will have more local content.
New features
In addition to being a bigger section, Billings Business will contain several other features. The first feature is a graphic that charts Billings-area business trends. “By The Numbers” tracks economic indicators monthover-month. It will be an easy snapshot of what is happening in our local community. We will also feature listings
important to business, including building permits and bankruptcies. This “news of record” information expands the type of local information normally found in The Gazette. We believe there’s great utility in the information, which can now be found in a consistent section of the newspaper. Finally, we’ll be featuring a regular special advertising section, “Construction Zone.” Construction Zone features profiles on new business construction. This handy recurring feature walks readers through new businesses and new buildings, while also highlighting those contractors and vendors
who helped make the new site a reality. By expanding the number of pages once a month, The Gazette is also able to bring more business content, which includes more local achievers and more regional business content available from other sources. The Billings Gazette business section, powered by Billings Business magazine, will be found on the third Sunday of every month. Take a look around and it’s easy to see that business in Billings is booming. Our expanded local business section will help capture that growth and strength.