Missoula Business April 2021

Inside: new French-inspired bistro at Old Sawmill District

new gym features rooftop deck, beer and wine

Spring 2021 Vol. 2 Issue 2

Top o' the world: Rooftop bar set to open at new downtown Missoula hotel

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Economic indicators 2021

$425,000

Median sales price of all homes sold in Missoula County between January 1 and March 31, 2021, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors.

2020

$325,000

$325,000: Median sales price of all homes sold in Missoula County in between January 1 and March 31, 2020, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors

$31,897 Per capita income between 2015-2019 for Missoula County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

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Missoula sees $243M worth of new construction in 2020; many projects slated in 2021 DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com

The pandemic didn't stop a big rebound in construction and development activity in Missoula in 2020.

The total market value of construction of building permits issued in calendar year 2020 hit $243 million, which is $14 million more than 2019 and $19 million more than 2018.

However, that's still short of the record $277 million worth of development in 2017 and the $249 million in 2016.

"We've been very busy," explained Jeremy Keene, the city's public works director. "We're seeing a lot of development both at the subdivision level and at the building permit level. There was no pandemic lull. If anything, it's accelerated development in Missoula."

A total of 7,176 building permits were issued. Of those, 554 were for residential

Index:

Economic indicators Growing Missoula: Rooftop bar 8 Boxcar: New french-inpired bistro New VRTX Fitness, Apex Bistro Industry focus: Fair housing In the works: Hellgate village housing Tech check: LMG Security remote work Chamber update: poised to leap forward YMCA virtual memberships PayneWest Insurance

housing, an increase of 86 more housing permits than were issued in 2019. Still, Missoula is facing a severe shortage of housing, and the number of housing permits issued in 2020 was far below the 775 recorded in both 2016 and 2017.

Eran Pehan, the director of the city's office of Community Planning, Development and Innovation, said the pandemic was hard on her office and this year looks to bring more of the same.

"In fiscal year 2021 we face significant staffing and capacity issues," she told the City Council in March. "We entered the pandemic with several key vacancies in our department."

The level of development was overwhelming, she said.

"The sheer pace of development activity in Missoula has created ongoing capacity issues," she said. "This is not a bad problem to have, especially in a community where we are facing

6 12 14 18 20 22 25 26 28

a significant housing shortage. And the good news is we know how to fix it, and we'll have a plan to share with council in the coming weeks."

It looks like 2021 will bring lots of new projects as well, according to Alicia Vanderheiden, the business manager for the development services office.

She noted that a 48-unit residential condo unit is planned on South 4th Street, along with 36 senior living apartments on 9th Street and a 68-unit apartment building on Majestic Drive.

Many new affordable housing units are also scheduled to be built, including a 130-unit Trinity apartment building on Mullan Drive and 200 units at the Villagio Apartments on the Northside.

A new O'Riley Auto Parts building is slated for construction on West Broadway, and Community Medical Center has plans to add an addition to its emergency room.

On the cover:

Developers, owners and staff of the new AC Hotel gather on the rooftop where the 7R Bar will be located. Photo byTom Bauer

Publisher Advertising Business editor

Jim Strauss Toni LeBlanc David Erickson

For questions about news or pitches, contact David Erickson, david.erickson@missoulian.com, 406-523-5253.

For advertising information, contact Toni LeBlanc, Toni.leblanc@missoulian.com, 406-523-5242.

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MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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Growing Missoula

Top o’ the world:

Rooftop bar set to open at new downtown Missoula hotel

The new AC Hotel is part of a revitalization of the intersection of East Main and North Pattee streets. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

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The lobby of the new AC Hotel. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com

T

here have been some decent attempts at opening a rooftop bar in Missoula over the years, but the first one that truly qualifies as the very top of the building will open at the AC Hotel downtown at 175 N. Pattee Street sometime in June.

The 7R Bar is so named because you have to take the elevator to the 7th floor, which is the rooftop of the sixstory hotel, to get there. When the doors open, you walk outside to wide-open sights of the entire city and valley.

Only the infrastructure of the hotel and the elevator shaft prevent a 360-degree view. But the nighttime lights of Missoula, the sunrises and sunsets, fireworks from the baseball stadium and almost everything else will be

visible to those sipping beverages on the patio.

"We'll have string lights, some speakers and sort of a mix of seating," explained Andrew Gault, a senior project manager with HomeBase Montana, the development group that built the hotel. "Some soft seating, a communal table, a little firepit. I think it's going to be a really dynamic space and pretty much the best views in town."

MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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Rooms at the AC Hotel. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

The hotel secured a full liquor license, and the ground-floor AC Lounge and the 7R Bar will be open to anyone regardless of whether they are staying at the hotel. You also don't have to be a guest to use the hotel's valet parking service, although there are two public parking garages nearby on Front Street.

The staff of the hotel is putting the finishing touches on the rooftop space right now. There'll be huge planter boxes with flowers and a drink rail to prevent people

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from being able to set their cups too close to the edge.

"We're hoping that this will be open around Memorial Day or a little after, so we'll be having a grand opening in June," explained Lacy DeQuattro, area director of sales for the AC Hotel and the Residence Inn

by Marriott next door.

Nearby, Plonk has an outdoor cocktail and eating area on a lower roof, but it's not located at the top of that building. The new VRTX Fitness center on Russell Street has a rooftop deck for its Apex Bistro that's

available to the public. Other restaurants and businesses in Missoula have decks and rooftop patios, but not all of them are fully open to the public. The 7R Bar promises to be a place where tourists and locals can mingle and take in the sights of the surrounding mountains and the Clark Fork River.

The new Missoula Public Library just a few blocks to the east should be open by summer, and the new Wren hotel across the street is expected to be open sometime in 2022.

One of the signature items of AC Hotels is a machine for fresh-cut prosciutto. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

The AC Hotel has a basement tenant space that could eventually be used for a "speakeasy-style" restaurant and bar in the future, but there's no solid plans for that yet, Gault said.

No part of the $25 million hotel was built using public money, but the Missoula Redevelopment Agency did use $1.8 million in Tax Increment Financing to demolish the old building on the site, salvage materials, remake the sidewalk, add street trees and install lighting, among other things. The money will be paid back by the new property taxes generated by the hotel.

Ellen Buchanan, the director of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, noted that the AC Hotel is the first large commercial project constructed under the new design excellence standards adopted by the city.

"This intersection is rapidly being transformed from a completely dead area into a hub of activity through the private investment being made on three of the four corners," she said. "The construction of Conflux, renovation of the old hotel on the southeast corner into a 65-room boutique hotel (the Wren) and the construction of the AC by Marriott is going to energize

this part of downtown in much the same way that Front Street has been and continues to be transformed."

The aging CenturyLink building on the northwest corner of the intersection of Pattee and Main is also due for a change, Buchanan noted.

"It is likely just a matter of time before the CenturyLink building becomes too valuable for its current use and we see a new redevelopment on the last corner," Buchanan noted.

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Boxcar: New French-inspired bistro and bar to open in Old Sawmill District DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com One of the few things the Old Sawmill District neighborhood in central Missoula has been missing until now was a place to have dinner and an adult beverage.

That has now been remedied.

Boxcar, a French-inspired bistro that will serve beer and wine, is slated to open in the space behind the Dog & Bicycle Bakery and Cafe at 875 Wyoming Street at the end of April.

"In our vision for the neighborhood, the goal was to always have more options so people could live, work and play," explained Leslie Wetherbee of OSD Development and Wetherbee Group Real Estate. "We have 500 people living in the neighborhood now, and we wanted to have a coffee shop and a restaurant. It's also a desirable place to come visit for the rest of Missoula."

Restaurant manager Ben Burda said Boxcar will be designed as a nod to a time when the Old Sawmill District was a bustling lumber yard with trains running through.

"We're gonna kinda do a throwback to the '20s," Burda said. "We're focusing on a French-inspired bistro, but obviously that goes with a grain of salt as we adapt to what Missoula is going to want, being it's in a neighborhood. So, attracting who's already here as well as bringing people from the rest of town."

There'll be outdoor seating, so people can catch the sunset over the Bitterroot mountains.

Inside, they've got antique-style chandeliers and mirrors along with a bar that looks like it belongs in a speakeasy or a train car. They found special marble, which Burda said they found out "wasn't easy to get."​ "The backbone influence will be a throwback to where the mill boss would want to visit on a date night in the '20s when this place was active and hoppin' like it used to be," he said. "We want to give it that 'Roaring '20s' vibe. We'll have a strong French wine program and a French beer program and then from there branch down to more relevant to now, so not stodgy French."

Leslie Wetherbee said the interior's inspiration comes from dining cars on older trains.

Executive chef Jess Wrightson's grandmother was a chef at the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

"We'd stay with her over the summers and she'd teach us to cook," he said. "We had a very spoiled childhood.

I was very lucky to have a lot of amazing teachers."

He and his staff will prepare dishes like salmon en papillote (parchment paper) and sardine rillettes.

"Very simple and sexy is what we're going for here," he said. "It will change with the season. We want to do

12 MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

Ed Wetherbee, Leslie Wetherbee, Ben Burda, Bridget Baxter, Jess Wrightson and Rob Hummer, from left, stand in the still-under-construction Boxcar, a French-inspired bistro slated to open in the space behind Dog & Bicycle Bakery and Cafe at 875 Wyoming Street. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

farm-to-table and as fresh and local as we possibly can."

Leslie Wetherbee said they've been doing some tastetesting and her review so far is that the food will be "amazing."

The beer and wine license will allow Dog & Bicycle to serve alcohol for lunch, she noted.

Ed Wetherbee of OSD Development said the site's history is important.

"Everything we do out here has got some connection to industrial, to history," he said. "Our slogan is 'new neighborhood, historic heart,' so we're trying to play off everything around us and one of the key aspects to this whole area is the railroad. So when we got to thinking about how to be unique, it was to play off that and it's consistent with everything else we do. I'll call it approachable high-end and neighborhood-like."

Dog & Bicycle and Boxcar will complement each other so people can have a place for breakfast, lunch and

dinner, he said. The capacity for the restaurant will be about 45 people, but they've completely remodeled the kitchen to serve both Dog & Bicycle and Boxcar.

"Everything's brand-new," Burda said. "It's double in size with the renovation. Everything has gone bigger in scale to accommodate now both operations. It's a small space but it's a big kitchen for us."

A new building to house fast-growing tech company Cognizant ATG is underway across the street, and Wetherbee said the restaurant will hopefully be a community gathering spot.

"A lot of things are very complementary," he said.

"You've probably noticed we do everything in relatively small numbers, just because we like it intimate. It fits the neighborhood. We've got an awesome team here, and none of this happens without Jess and Ben to pull it together to make it happen."

An opening date of April 30 has been scheduled, but things could change.

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The rooftop deck at VRTX Fitness will be open to the public. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

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New VRTX Fitness, Apex Bistro features beer, wine and public rooftop deck DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com With a rooftop deck open to the public, a ground-floor patio and a beer and wine license, VRTX Fitness owner Rene Nazelrod hopes to create a community gathering space that's much more than just a gym.

"Basically I've been in fitness for a long time and I've researched wellness," she explained. "People gathering is just as equal to fitness in importance to mental health. I wanted to create a place where people can gather, socialize, meet people, work out, see people and also have a very healthy menu."

Nazelrod got the idea for a fitness center with a public bistro and bar when she traveled to the island of Bali in Southeast Asia.

"That's something people want to do — a long bike ride or have a good workout, then have a beverage," she said. "I wanted us to have that option for the clients and the public."

So, the Apex Bistro inside the building at 255 S. Russell Street is open to the public. They'll serve light fare like avocado toast, smoothies and acai berry bowls. They'll also have an assortment of local craft beer, hard seltzers, ciders and wine. The ground floor patio has outdoor seating, and their indoor gathering area features a fireplace, couches, televisions for sports and free wireless Internet.

Managing director Skyler Anderson said the rooftop deck will feature a server and will be open to the public,

The VRTX Fitness gym is for members, but it's a no-contract facility. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

probably Thursday through Sunday.

They'll serve beer and wine on the deck and will have full food service.

"The patio downstairs and the rooftop deck have been awesome," she said.

"We have incredible views of Missoula and our goal is to start having live music, like say a Saturday night in the summer."

They'll still hold group fitness classes like rooftop yoga.

The VRTX Fitness gym is for members, but it's a no-contract facility

so people can put monthly payments on hold at anytime. They'll have events like a cornhole league, Griz football viewing parties and bottomless mimosa brunches.

"A lot of people like to sip an adult beverage after working out or doing yoga, so why not do it all at the same place," Anderson said.

Because of social distancing, they've spent a lot of time putting up signage about masks and making sure exercise equipment isn't too cramped together.

"It's about just creating really open spaces so people don't feel confined," she said.

During events, they'll have a rotating assortment of local food trucks on hand.

The downstairs meeting room and rooftop deck should be available to rent for private events as well.

Anderson said they put thousands of dollars into upgrading equipment. The gym used to be known as The Source.

Nazelrod said she'd been thinking about building a fitness center, possibly

MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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The Apex Bistro inside the VRTX Fitness building at 255 S. Russell Street is open to the public. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

in another country, when she got called out of the blue by the previous owner asking if she'd be interested.

"I told my husband, we've done a lot of volunteering and helped with building different places like Watson's Children's Shelter and we've worked with Loyola High School, but let's do something different," she said. "And

16 MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

during March my grandmother passed away. (Former property owner) Dallas Neal called us the day after the funeral and asked if we were interested. And then Covid hit March 15."

They've spent a lot of time, effort and money remodeling the interior of the building to get it the way they want it.

"We want to run VRTX Fitness as the

intersection point to health and fitness," she said. "Apex Bistro is the summit, the top, to fuel the mind and body combined."

Nazelrod was born and raised in Missoula and went to Big Sky High School before attending college in Bozeman. She's traveled a lot, but glad to be back home doing something

she loves. She's donated some of the proceeds already to Five Valleys Land Trust, Watson's Children's Shelter and Western Montana Mental Health Center. She hopes VRTX and Apex will become a community hub for people of all ages.

"It really comes down to a place to gather," she said.

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Industry focus

Jim Bachand, CEO of the MOR

Shannon Hilliard, President of the Board of Directors of the MOR

Missoula Organization of Realtors supports fair housing and opposes discrimination

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SHANNON HILLIARD and JIM BACHAND

The profession voluntarily makes a commitment under the Realtors Code of Ethics to truly serve the public interest, and not merely those served by Realtors. Our clients entrust a real estate agent to help with one of the biggest life decisions, homeownership. As a result of this enormous level of trust that develops between a Realtor and a client, the profession, dating back to the early 20th century has developed a code governing our obligations.

In 2014, Article 10 of the Code of Ethics (known as Duties to the Public), was amended to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. “Realtors shall not be parties to any plan or agreement to discriminate against a person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The Missoula Organization of Realtors has long been a community advocate for affordability and attainable housing in Western Montana. We continually support efforts to reduce property taxes and protect the rights of property owners. Today’s issue of discrimination against our family members and friends of different religions, gender identity, and sexual orientation are no different.

As a Realtor trade association

that supports equality for all, we’ve done our part to make sure that our employees will be protected at work. But several bills in this year's state legislative session would harm our team members, their families and our clients as they navigate daily life and utilize services and opportunities that should be available for everyone.

We know that these laws make it difficult for us to recruit the most qualified candidates for jobs and place substantial burdens on the families of our employees and members. Legislation promoting discrimination directly affects our businesses, whether or not it occurs in the workplace.

Many businesses, both national and local, are speaking out against these discriminatory bills in our state. The Associated Press estimated similar laws in North Carolina would have cost their state $3.76 billion in lost revenue over 12 years.

The Missoula Organization of Realtors as a business leader of our community chooses to speak against any legislation that goes against Fair Housing principles or our Code of Ethics. Montana House Bill 112, Senate Bill 215, House Bill 427 and Senate Bill 280 are forms of legislation that will foster exclusion and discrimination in our community.

(Missoulian note: HB 112 would require public school athletic teams to be designated based on biological sex, SB 215 would revise laws related to religious freedom,

HB 427 would prohibit surgical procedures for the treatment of gender dysphoria in minors and SB 280 would revise birth certificate designation rules for people who have had a sex change by surgical procedure.)

Our members are business leaders who are decision makers who facilitate crucial, complex decisions about where people invest and live in our community. We do business in Montana for several reasons, but for many of us, it comes down to this: we love this state. We choose to live and work here, and we want to keep providing good-paying jobs and opportunities to the wonderful people who also live here. However, we will not compromise our values

and stay silent regarding legislation that will negatively impact our employees, our customers, our competitiveness, and our communities.

The Missoula Organization of Realtors remains committed to fair housing and against discrimination.

The Missoula Organization of Realtors is a trade association, representing over 850 members in four western counties, dedicated to advocating for equal housing opportunities and private property rights. Chartered in 1947, MOR is committed to helping build a better Missoula and surrounding areas by providing superior service to members and the community.

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In the works

Nineteen under-construction homes in the Mullan/Hellgate Elementary School area are being sold by lottery without taking competitive bids. TOM BAUER, Missoulian

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Hellgate Village: Unique Missoula housing drawing attracts 50 applicants DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com On April 1, Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty in Missoula held a drawing for 19 under-construction homes in the Mullan/Hellgate Elementary School area for sale without taking competitive bids. The prices of the homes were set at between $389,000 to $439,000, depending on layout.

The goal, according to Glacier Sotheby’s real estate agent, Gillian Fetz Edgell, was to avoid the common Missoula housing market scenario where multiple buyers are bidding on the same house and the price gets driven up beyond what many can afford.

“Both of the builders we’re working with on this project, Edgell Building and Hoyt Homes, created this and planned this neighborhood to help the attainable housing inventory in Missoula,” she explained. “Dave Edgell has always had a workforce housing project going in Missoula. It’s near and dear to his heart, and my husband Mark has taken over the business and it’s in line with his goals as well.”

They want Hellgate Village to be a place where out-of-state investment companies don’t own the real estate, Fetz Edgell said.

“It’s an important thing for Missoulians,” she said. “All of us work so hard to become homeowners, and allowing these to get bid up by thousands of dollars over the asking price, by allowing multiple offers, would have been beneficial to us and par for the course. But it goes against the integrity of the neighborhood. I do think it achieved the intended purpose.”

Insulating the homes from bidding wars prioritized owner-occupied housing in the neighborhood, she said.

“We had about 50 buyers registered for the drawing,” she said. “We had 19 units in that drawing and we’re officially under contract on like 16 of them, and then kind of working through a couple more.”

The neighborhood will feature 86 homes eventually, built in phases.

Some buyers cried on the phone after learning they were selected, Fetz Edgell said.

“For sure people were excited,” she said. “Some had tears on the phone.

People were telling me what a hard year it’s been and they just needed some good news. Even people who didn’t get picked just were so gracious, even though they were disappointed. They said ‘thank you so much for what you’re doing, this is a wonderful thing.’ It was one of those moments that made me love my job.”

The median home sales price in Missoula County in February was $438,000, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors. ​ Tyler Currence and his wife are firsttime homebuyers in Missoula. He got one of the drawing slots at Hellgate Village and said they wouldn’t have been able to afford anything in town without one of those.

“Before we started searching, we had heard stories of bidding wars,” he said.

“Initially I was skeptical that the market could be as bad for buyers as others made it out to be, but the stories were real. We had multiple instances of being outbid and our offers were considerably over asking price. Each time we were outbid we were left guessing how much

the house sold for and where these buyers were coming from.”

He said the drawing felt like more of a fair process.

“They undoubtably left some money on the table with the (drawing) system and they didn’t have to do that,” he said.

Tom Burk, president of Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty in northwest and western Montana, said Missoula has a lack of housing options.

“The housing market is in very short supply and demand is extreme,” he told the Missoulian. “This has led to a significant increase in equilibrium pricing. The unique factor in this

development is that this product is targeted toward local Missoulians and not to investors or speculators.”

The buyers will be free from the stress that comes with trying to out-bid other buyers, Burk said. He knows the developers could have tried to squeeze every penny they could out of the homes, but that wasn’t their wish.

“Given the current activity in the market, the developers know that they could generate higher values for these homes, but their aim is to provide Missoulians with attainable housing at realistic prices and great value,” Burk said.

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Tech check

Sherri Davidoff, founder of LMG Security in downtown Missoula TOM BAUER, Missoulian

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Downtown Missoula tech firm LMG Security thrives with remote work during pandemic DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com The pandemic and the work-from-home revolution has "leveled the playing field" for one Missoula tech company.

Sherri Davidoff, the founder of cybertechnology firm LMG Security in downtown Missoula, said it was a game-changer when her company’s clients embraced the notion that security checks and events could be done remotely.

“It’s opened a lot of doors,” she said. “We’ve always invested heavily in tools and technology that enabled us to work remotely, but our clients were not ready for it. Really, our clients wanted to see somebody eyeball-to-eyeball and to have boots on the ground. And so, suddenly, we found that they were totally willing to have us do that.”

Her clients realized that the work performed by LMG was of the same quality, it was easier, and the LMG staff had more time to dedicate to each project.

“And so now our consultants don't have to travel,” Davidoff explained. “They used to be on airplanes all the time. We used to have to take a day to go out to the East Coast and a day to fly back and then we multiply that by, like, you know 20 consultants, and all of a sudden, that's a huge amount of time that was being wasted on travel which now we can put to good productive work.”

The employees are spending more time with their families, have less jet lag and the company has fewer travel-related expenses.

The company performs security tests where they break into companies and then write reports about how they did it.

“Like the movie Sneakers,” Davidoff says, smiling.

They also perform vulnerability assessments,

price, and I think that's where Missoula-based businesses are really good,” she said. “It’s leveled the playing field for us.”

The pandemic wasn’t great for her company in the beginning because many hospitals delayed their scheduled cybersecurity checks to focus on providing health care.

“For us as a tech company I think we certainly had more staff available that could assist with the transition to remote than other companies so I feel lucky in that respect,” she said. “At the time we were slated to do quite a bit of work for health care organizations. So all of the sudden a large number of clients had to be rescheduled.

That was very stressful, but it opened a lot of doors eventually.”

LMG Security has a staff about 30 people now and Davidoff says the firm is on a “growth path.”

The shift to remote work, if it persists, might be beneficial to women in the industry, she said.

“There's always been this question of, how come there aren't more women in leadership positions in cybersecurity?” she explained. “And the reality is, it is so hard to go to a conference and as a speaker to leave a baby behind that I'm breastfeeding. There's no childcare at these conferences. I have to do that myself. And 68% of caregivers are women.”

That discourages women from attending remote events, she said.

“It's hard for caregivers to get on an airplane and leave behind either the children or the elderly that they're caring for, and so that creates these imbalances in educational opportunities and also in speaking

‘It's hard for caregivers to get on an airplane and leave behind either the children or the elderly that they're caring for, and so that creates these imbalances in educational opportunities...’

-Sherri Davidoff

network penetration testing and incident response after a company gets hacked.

“And when that happens, you need to get on a plane in six hours,” Davidoff said. “It’s exciting and fun but it really burns people out and now we can do that same thing remotely. We could the whole time but now clients are much more willing to work with us over video. We can help them faster.”

And because her office is located in Missoula, she’s able to charge her clients Missoula prices.

“We have very competitive rates because we're not paying for New York real estate so we can offer excellent world-class services at a very competitive

MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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Davidoff said employees are spending more time with their families, have less jet lag and the company has fewer travel-related expenses by working remotely.

TOM BAUER, Missoulian

and leadership opportunities,” she said. "So I would hope that my industry learns from this. There's a lot of cutting-edge training that was only offered at conference environments before, and I hope that we continue to make those available online, because that is how we will be able to achieve actual diversity.”

Natalie Adams, an events coordinator at the company, is still coming into the office quite a bit but said remote work has positives and negatives. She was taking care of a toddler at home and said it was

24 MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

extremely tough to find childcare in Missoula because almost everywhere stopped taking new applications in the pandemic.

She lucked out through a family friend, eventually.

“Otherwise it would have been extremely difficult, if I didn’t have that opportunity,” she said.

Working from home is also socially isolating, she noted, so it might be good for companies to still come up with a mix of at-home and in-office work when the pandemic subsides.

“I’m a very social person, so it feels a lot more lonely,” she said. “Just in the sense that, you know, you’re not coming to the office with everybody here, the lack of face-to-face, I definitely think affects just me personally because you don’t get to have that social interaction. And I think that comes hand-inhand with being a parent. You can’t do the things that you would normally do so it was very isolating.”

Missoula Chamber update

Kim Latrielle: Missoula poised to leap forward KIM LATRIELLE Spring is arriving in the Garden City.

This time last year we were all learning how to work remotely and thinking everything would pass within a few months. Now, a year later, we’re finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Not only is the weather getting nicer, drawing us all outside, but vaccinations are on the rise and soon it promises to be safe to start gathering in groups again.

As the number of active Covid cases decreases in the community, restrictions on gatherings can be loosened, allowing community events to resume and for a sense of normalcy to return. This is good news for Missoula’s accommodations industry. They have worked hard over the past year to create safe ways for guests to interact with hotel and event space staff to host events. As the threat of Covid infections declines, they’ll be able to return to hosting larger events, bringing much-needed outside revenue to our community.

Another industry that has seen significant challenges in the past year is restaurants and bars. All have worked to adapt to a different marketplace in order to keep their doors open, but increasing vaccination rates and lower transmissions will allow folks to feel comfortable dining out again. This means more business for restaurants as well as more jobs available for servers and cooks.

Missoula has always been bustling with activity during the summer months. From farmers markets, to festivals, to sporting events, there’s always something to do. It adds to the unique lifestyle of our community where “a river runs through it.” Soon we

could be enjoying concerts again and taking part in sporting events.

The perseverance shown by Missoula’s business community over the past year is nothing short of inspirational.

Businesses pulled together to support one another and find new ways to meet the needs of their customers. Some shifted gears to begin manufacturing hand sanitizer or PPE for medical professionals. Businesses adapted their operations to provide a safe environment for both their employees and their customers. Facing challenges none had seen in their lifetimes, many businesses found ways to keep moving forward.

Looking to the future, Missoula is poised to leap forward. Television and film production has found a home here and in surrounding communities, benefitting our local economy. A bill under consideration at the legislature could encourage the growth of that industry, increasing the benefit local businesses see even more. The Chamber has seen an increase in interest for people considering moving to our community. Some will bring businesses with good-paying jobs for local workers. Who wouldn’t want to live in a community with world-class venues, a plethora of outdoor recreation opportunities and a great university right in town?

The Chamber is looking forward to resuming networking events as soon as it’s safe to gather in large groups again.

We have begun looking at options and exploring new ideas to bring Missoula’s professionals together to network and catch up on the past year.

We are also thankful for the supportive community we live and work in. The past year has been difficult for everyone but the community as a whole

Kim Latrielle, president/CEO, Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce

has supported each other and recognized that we’ve all been facing it together.

The support of local businesses to help them get through this difficult year has been amazing and we’re proud to be a part of this community. The Chamber

is optimistic and excited about what the future holds. Spring is in the air and with it the promise of new opportunities and new adventures. We can’t wait to share them with you as they begin.

MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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Karlyn Roberts, the new associate director of membership and engagement at the Missoula Family YMCA, said the YMCA is starting to offer a virtual-only membership.

TOM BAUER, Missoulian

New YMCA engagement director touts virtual memberships 26 MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com Karlyn Roberts graduated from the University of Montana in the spring of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, so she knows how the world has changed because of the coronavirus.

As the new associate director of membership and engagement at the Missoula Family YMCA, she's excited about the recent launch of the nonprofit's new Virtual Y Impact Membership. For just $19 a month with no enrollment fee, anyone can access live-streamed classes and a library of on-demand workout videos taught by local instructors.

"It's a brand new virtual live studio, which is a place where members can access live and on-demand workout classes," Roberts explained. "We're starting to offer a virtual-only membership. We call it a virtual impact membership. So that gives our members full access to that online virtual live studio. So it's an awesome way for people to still be engaged with the Y community while still being able to stay home or travel or whatever they have going on in their lives. It's just a new way for us to engage with members in light of everything."

Although vaccinations are happening at a decent rate, the world is still a long way from being safe from the coronavirus. Roberts hopes that the new virtual membership will allow people to keep fit, get in shape and connect with friends and instructors without having to leave home. It will also allow people who travel to maintain their connection to the YMCA. And the virtual classes are also great for people who are just too busy to physically drive to the YMCA on South Russell Street in Missoula.

"We've even had a lot of members

who are saying they just have really busy schedules and they don't have time to come into the facility," she explained.

"And they really enjoy doing workouts from their own home, or they travel a lot for work and it's awesome because they can take it on the go with them.

So yeah, it's included with all of our memberships."

Heather Foster, the CEO of the Missoula Family YMCA, said the new virtual memberships give people flexibility to work out anytime, anywhere.

"As a member-based organization, we're constantly looking for ways to better serve the people who make our work possible," Foster said. "Most recently, our members have been requesting virtual fitness options. We're super excited about our new Virtual Y Studio, which launched April 1.

We're first and foremost a Missoula organization and it's important that we infuse a Missoula feel in everything we offer."

She noted that all of the virtual classes are taught by local instructors.

"So while a member might be on an out-of-state trip, they're still staying connected to our Y community," she said.

Like many people, our members are juggling lots of responsibilities and busy schedules, so we want to provide ways for them to easily incorporate fitness into their days.

As with the regular membership, virtual members can take hula classes, Barre classes, yoga, cycling and Silver Sneakers for seniors, just to name a few.

"And over the next month or so we're moving our strength and core classes as well as 'Body Pump' to that new online platform," she said. "So ideally, all of our classes that we offer will be found on that

virtual studio."

As with all YMCA memberships, financial assistance is available for those with budget constraints.

"I oversee all aspects of membership from sign-up member engagement, retention, everything like that," Roberts explained. "I also oversee the Financial Assistance Program, which is a super cool program that offers aid to anyone who is looking for it. The core value of the Y is to not turn anyone away due to an inability to pay, so financial assistance helps tons of people out throughout the entire community.​" The YMCA saw a big drop in usage

during the pandemic, but Roberts said they're requiring masks and cleaning and hoping people will also still come in and use all their programs and facilities.

They have a two-story indoor climbing wall, a fitness center, a walking track, a basketball court, pickleball, a swimming pool with aquatics classes and a drop-in childcare center. They also offer summer camps for kids.

"The Y is one of the largest preschool providers in the state, so we have a lot of preschool options," Roberts said. "We have a lot going on here. Our building is a bit deceiving when you see it from the street."

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MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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PayneWest Insurance CEO Kyle Lingscheit said there won't be many big changes for customers when the company is acquired by Marsh & McLennan Agency.

TOM BAUER, Missoulian

PayneWest Insurance acquired

by National firm 28 MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com With roughly 100,000 customers in Montana and surrounding states, Missoula-headquartered PayneWest Insurance has grown into one of the largest independent agencies in the nation since it was founded in 1992.

On April 2, the employee-owned company announced that it was being acquired by Marsh & McLennan Agency, a large agency based in White Plains, New York.

PayneWest Insurance CEO Kyle Lingscheit said there won't be a whole lot of big changes for customers. The company will still operate under the same name, and all of PayneWest's 700 employees will continue to work from its 26 locations across Montana, Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

PayneWest provides business insurance, surety, employee benefits and personal insurance services to companies and individuals across the Northwest​ "You know, we've worked a long time to get our reputation and our name out there in these four states and so we'll still be PayneWest and I still will be the CEO of PayneWest Insurance," Lingscheit said. "The only person who has a different boss in the whole deal is me."

Lingscheit will report to David Eslick, chairman and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Agency.

“Across both the Northwest and the insurance industry, PayneWest is recognized for the quality of their colleagues, their client service and their commitment to giving back to the community," Eslick said. "Attracting high-performing agencies like PayneWest amplifies our reach across the US and will continue to enhance the quality of our client offerings. We are excited to welcome the PayneWest team to MMA.”​ PayneWest Insurance was founded by local businessman and philanthropist Terry Payne, who is still the chairman of the company.

“We are excited to be joining MMA, an organization with people that share our same values," Payne said. "They are high performing, culturally oriented and community driven.”

PayneWest has about 60,000 customers in Montana. Lingscheit, a Great Falls native, said the merger will allow his employees greater access to training and other resources.

“As a growing company, we have been successful by always putting our clients, colleagues, and communities first," Lingscheit said. "Being part of MMA means our clients will have access to more resources and innovative solutions, and our colleagues will see continued opportunities for growth and personal development. PayneWest’s teams will greatly contribute to the ongoing evolution of this dynamic organization.”​

MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

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We have the tools to separate you from the competition.

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In this line of work, there is no “one size fits all”, so we customize every policy to make sure you have the right coverage.

Generations of contractors, developers and tradesmen trust us to make sure they can be focused on the things that move the needle in their business. That’s why PayneWest is Montana’s preferred insurance agency.

Call us today at (406) 532-5911.

PayneWest.com/Missoula 30 MISSOULA business ∙ SPRING 2021

2925 Palmer St, Missoula, MT

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in both commercial and residential Serving the Missoula community and surrounding areas since 1961 miSSouLa

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LeaderShip team

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owner, partnerS

Jeremy Schultz Branch Managing Broker

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