Billings Biz CZ Jan 2018

Sunday, January 21, 2018 | D13

Billings Gazette

special advertising section

Strategic Retirement Plans FINDS WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE WEST END TARA CADY tcady@billingsgazette.com

Strategic Retirement Plans relocated from downtown to the West End at the corner of Central Avenue and 32nd Street West.

Gabe Lapito, owner of Strategic Retirement Plans, knows owning property is a better financial decision than renting. As a father to young kids, he also understands the importance of maintaining a worklife balance.

When it came time to develop office space in Billings’ West End came, Lapito relocated his business from downtown to the corner of Central Avenue and 32nd Street West.

Strategic Retirement Plans opened its new 3,348-square-foot location in early January.

The financial planning business’s new logo is backlit behind the front desk. Simplistic décor maintains a modern-yet-warm feel in the lobby.

Photo courtesy Miranda Murdock Photography

Congratulations to

Strategic Retirement Plans from your friends at

Brandi Lapito

Gabe Lapito

Strategic Retirement Plans Strategic Retirement Plans

Banks of Service since 1 1907 www.yellowstonebank.com

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Kevin Kraft Yellowstone Bank

MEMBER FDIC

NMLS#403398

Sunday, January 21, 2018 | D15

Billings Gazette

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Gabe Lapito’s office features natural lighting plus access to a private bathroom shared with a fellow financial advisor.

The office’s two conference rooms are named after Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Each can be transformed into large offices if Strategic Retirement Plans outgrows its space.

Photo courtesy Miranda Murdock Photography

Photo courtesy Miranda Murdock Photography

Owner Gabe Lapito’s bathroom includes a shower and closet in case he bikes to work, stops at the gym, or wants to quickly get to one of his kid’s sports games.

Conference room tables were custom-made by Jon Bgrown with Tight Lines Carpentry.

Photo by CASEY PAGE, Gazette Staff

Works from Montana artists are featured throughout the office, including these fish paintings

by Bern Sundell of Ennis.

Photo courtesy Miranda Murdock Photography

The lobby’s front desk features a brick backdrop, complementing the fireplace and mantle it faces.

Photo by CASEY PAGE, Gazette Staff

FLOORING & DESIGN COMMERCIAL DIVISION

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Curt & Jake Finnicum - Owners 6505 Trade Center Ave - Billings, MT 59101 Office: (406) 652-4599 Fax: (406) 652-4722

Providing Quality Concrete Production for over 40 Years Congratulations Strategic Retirement Plans

D14 | Sunday, January 21, 2018

Billings Gazette

special advertising section

Strategic Retirement Plans has rented space in the downtown Hart-Albin building since 1991.

But 2018 brought more than just the new year. A new location, logo and routine await SRP employees; and clients will benefit, too.

Owner Gabe Lapito stumbled upon the property in 2014 and began a two-anda-half year process to finance and build what would become business’ new home.

Since settling in to the space during the holidays, Lapito says he’s seen his wife and kids more in the last few weeks than he has in the last three years. He attributes this to the business’s close proximity to home, school and the gym. But that wasn’t the only reason for the relocation.

“It’s not always fun to go into a parking garage,” said Lapito’s wife, Brandi.

A communal bathroom wasn’t ideal for employees and clients either, so the new location at 12 Avanta Way has three bathrooms—one for clients, one for employees, and one for Lapito and fellow financial advisor Ryan Gomendi. The private bathroom, which connects Lapito and Gomendi’s offices, features a shower and closet so that they can maintain a work-life balance.

“I can go to kids’ baseball games right on the spot,” Lapito said.

SCENIC SPACE

When Lapito was given an estimate for interior design as being 12 percent of his overall budget, he tasked Brandi to try and design the office space with less. He considers the end result “the commercial version of Magnolia Homes,” comparing Brandi’s vision to well-known home designers Chip and Joanna Gaines’ construction company.

Brandi approached the design with clients in mind.

“Money’s stressful. We wanted it to be a safe haven,” she said.

Most of the office’s interior is inspired

by Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, including two conferences rooms named after the scenic destinations, plus local artist paintings, drawings, photography and coffee-table books. Brandi says SRP wanted to celebrate people in the community.

Lapito read there’s a 30 percent increase in employee productivity with more natural light, so he kept the building bright with windows throughout. Even an

interior room has a window that overlooks the hallway and peers into another office that has an exterior window.

The lobby features high ceilings with intricate geometric hanging light fixtures, plus a beverage bar in the corner below a flat-screen TV. Two studded leather chairs and a couch surround the coffee table, which sits on an animal hide rug.

A fireplace and mantle add to the homey feeling the room affords.

Just beyond the lobby is the Glacier National Park conference room with two flat-screen TVs and a custom light fixture.

“I feel like this represents us, who we are today, and where we’re headed into the future,” said Gomendi.

Lapito’s kids now want to visit him in the office; he says that never happened in the old location.

‘WORTH EVERY PENNY’

SRP first met with Studio 4 Architects in early January 2017 and broke ground with the help of Jones Construction in early June. Their goal was to finish the project by the end of the year, but it was completed two weeks early and under budget. Lapito says it was worth every penny.

“They were really wonderful,” Brandi said of all of the people involved in the project, like Blueline Engineering and Yellowstone Bank.

The building is 5,648 square feet in total, with 2,300 square feet for lease.

If SRP grows, conference rooms can transform into large offices and the adjacent space could be utilized.

Project manager Bryce Terpstra with Jones Construction calls it a unique building and a wise opportunity for a next-door tenant. His favorite aspect of the final project is the building’s entryway and height.

“The entry element and the height of the building definitely catch your eye when you drive by it,” Terpstra said. “It was a great project and a great addition to Billings West End along 32nd Street.”

An additional 1,500 square feet exists in the basement, in what Lapito calls a tall crawl. It’s intended for storage and SRP’s information technology management.

Lapito says that if the company expands, he doesn’t want to have to build again.

“We want to be intentional with the things that we do,” Brandi added.

Tall ceilings, natural light and wildlife photography keep the lobby area classy and comfortable.

Photo by CASEY PAGE, Gazette Staff

Owner Gabe Lapito’s bathroom includes a shower and closet in case he bikes to work, stops at the gym, or wants to quickly get to one of his kid’s sports games.

Photo courtesy Miranda Murdock Photography

Congratulations

Strategic Retirement Plans We are proud to be your general contractor!

Design / Build • Commercial / Industrial • Tilt-up Concrete 252-6298 • 123 Regal Street • www.jonesconstructionmt.com

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