Gallatin’s Greatest Community Choice Awards MEET THE WINNERS!
The Gallatin’s Greatest Community Choice Awards were established by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle in 2021. Recipients of the awards are completely determined by a multiple round voting process that is open to everyone in the Gallatin Valley.
The first phase of the award process is a nomination round. During the nomination round, all community residents are invited to submit open nominations for any business they wish in 152 different categories that encompass Beauty and Health, Dining, Entertainment and Leisure, Home, Home Services and Finance, Kids and Education, People and Places, Services, Shopping, Sports and Fitness, Top Employers, and Vehicles, Dealers and Services.
During the 2024 nomination round, over 59,000 nominations were received.
Once the nominations have all been tabulated, the top 5 nominees in each category move forward to the voting round. Over a period of a month, the community is again invited to vote for their favorite from the top 5 in each category. These results are again tabulated, and the winners and two top finalists in each category are named. Winners receive plaques that are displayed in many businesses throughout the Gallatin Valley, and the top finalists also receive certificates.
In the next few pages, the Chronicle invites you to read the stories of 18 of this year’s amazing Gallatin’s Greatest recipients.
HELTON HEARING CARE
Winner of the Best Hearing Aid Center, Best Customer Service, and Best Audiologist in Montana awards in 2024, Helton Hearing Care is a familyowned business that has served the Bozeman area and its surrounding communities for more than 40 years.
The practice’s three board-certified doctors of audiology have special training in the identification, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hearing conditions. The staff takes pride in treating every patient’s hearing concern as unique and worthy of customized care.
“Our goal in this practice was to find out everything that everybody was doing wrong and to fix it and do it better,” said co-owner Dr. Will Helton, who bought the clinic in 2009 with his wife, Gee. “That’s what we did, and that’s why we have people here who are super happy to come to work. It’s why we have five solid stars on our Google reviews. And it’s something we continue to improve upon every year.”
Helton doctors see more veterans than any clinic statewide, and private-pay patients receive free demonstrations of cutting-edge hearing technology devices, hearing and listening counseling sessions, and aural rehabilitation.
“Our reputation speaks for itself. We set out to be different
and we are different in every way. We’re happy to go the extra mile for our clients,” Dr. Helton said. “That translates into people bringing us donuts, cakes, flowers, all the time. So it just works. What we’re doing works. It takes an awful lot of time and effort to do what we do, but what we’re doing works.
FIRST SECURITY BANK
In the heart of Gallatin County, First Security Bank stands as a cornerstone of community service with more than 100 years of dedication. The longstanding institution has earned the Best Bank award for 2024 – a testament to its enduring commitment to the region.
“We are truly honored to receive this recognition from the people of Gallatin County,” said Kalli Ryti, the president and CEO of First Security Bank. “It’s a privilege to be part of a community that trusts and supports us, and we are committed to continuing our service to this area for many years to come.”
Founded in 1919 by local entrepreneurs A.G. Berthot, H.S. Buell, and W.N. Purdy, the bank began with the goal of creating a trusted financial resource for the area. The original location was in the historic John Kopp butcher shop at 110 East Main Street. After a major renovation, the bank officially opened its doors as Security Bank and Trust Company.
As the business grew, the need for a larger space led to the bank’s move in 1960 to its current location at 208 East Main Street, just a short distance away. Today, First Security Bank has expanded to include nine branches across Bozeman, Belgrade, Big Sky, Three Forks, and West Yellowstone, and in
2018, it merged with the Glacier family of banks.
“We are proud to offer a comprehensive suite of financial products and services, helping individuals and businesses reach their financial goals, today and into the future,” Ryti said. “As the region’s leader in community banking, First Security Bank is committed to serving the people of Bozeman and beyond.”
SHANNON LESTER
Named Best Family Physician this year, Shannon Lester, FNP-BC, is a family nurse practitioner with the Bozeman Health Internal Medicine Clinic. She has worked for Bozeman Health for 18 years and has served in the Belgrade Clinic since 2021.
“I am very honored to have received this award and I would like to thank everyone at the Belgrade Clinic,” Lester said. “I am so lucky to work with such a great team of people – from the front desk crew to Pamela, Dena, Kara, Danielle, and Nick, to name a few.”
Lester has worked in various specialty areas, including oncology, bone marrow transplants, family medicine, infectious diseases, and geriatrics. She currently is involved in internal medicine.
“My most rewarding role has been working on the Health Care Connections bus, providing free care to people in the Gallatin Valley,” Lester said.
Lester holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Carroll College and a Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of Northern Colorado. She was a primary care provider for several Colorado nursing homes before moving to Bozeman in 2005.
“I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 years old, when I visited my grandfather, Ernie, at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital after he had a heart attack,” Lester said. “I asked my mom who the women in the room taking care of him were, and she said they were nurses. I knew that was what I wanted to be and I never second-guessed my choice.”
“I am so lucky to work with such a great team of people”
THE SPRINGS AT BOZEMAN
The Springs at Bozeman – winner of this year’s Best Retirement Community and Assisted Living Facility awards – provides a community for older adults to experience independent living, assisted living, and memory care.
“It really feels like one big family here. Our residents and staff make this community so special, and this is a testament to the feeling we hope everyone gets when they walk through our front doors,” said Allie Urbasich, the director of community relations for The Springs at Bozeman. “We know that it is not most people’s dream to move into an assisted living community, but it is our mission to do everything we can to make their experience the best possible.”
Part of 1996-founded The Springs Living company – which is headquartered in McMinnville, Oregon, and includes locations throughout Oregon, Washington, and Montana – the Bozeman location offers an “enriching culture of promise.” Residents are surrounded by an attentive team that follows a continuum of care model, helping people transition to their next levels of care as needed.
“We really are so lucky to be able to spend our days with the most magnificent people.
Working at The Springs has showed all of us that we never stop learning from one another,” Urbasich said. “The most important thing for us is the quality of care we provide to our residents, making sure they are seen and respected. I believe I can speak for most of our employees when I say we leave work every day hoping we have made a difference to at least one person.”
SCRUBBY’S CAR WASH
For four consecutive years, Scrubby’s Car Wash –launched in 1982 as a family-owned, locally-run business – has been named Gallatin’s Greatest Car Wash.
Originally founded by Steve and Carol Green, the business was passed on to their youngest son, Chad Green, following the heartbreaking loss of Steve in 2010. Since then, Chad Green has worked tirelessly to keep the car wash thriving and to help maintain the cleanliness of Gallatin County.
“Scrubby’s is committed to supporting and giving back to the community,” Chad Green said. “Our mission has always been to deliver the cleanest cars possible, paired with exceptional customer service, thanks to our dedicated team.”
With three locations, Scrubby’s offers a touch-free tunnel wash, hand washes and towel drying, and self-serve bays to accommodate all types of vehicles. Throughout the years, the company has continually upgraded its wash systems to conserve water. The team recently added a pet wash to their North 15th Avenue location in Bozeman called the Scrub Spaw, complete with a heated room, shampooing to treat fleas and ticks, and an air dryer.
“We remain devoted to serving Bozeman, and now Livingston, for all your vehicle cleaning needs. The most
rewarding part of running Scrubby’s is seeing the smiles on customers’ faces as they drive away in a spotless car,”
Chad Green said. “We are deeply grateful for the continued support from the Gallatin community, which has enabled us to reinvest in local organizations year after year.”
