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By Rena Desmond
Montana Women
Monday, February 02, 2009
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As this story unfolds, my only hope is that you feel the joy, excitement, and challenge these two dynamic women are experiencing as they undertake the task of putting together a plan to construct a professional building. As I reviewed their diverse backgrounds, I could not help asking myself just exactly why Nancy and Carol decided to undertake such a complex project. It did not take me long to figure out the answer. Carol said, I wanted to move out the basement. Nancy said, Carol wanted to be on top of the world. It was her vision. She had looked at this property before, but it just was not in the cards then. Because she thought we would make a good partnership she contacted me and asked if I would be interested.
Carol and Nancy met after their families moved to the valley through their husbands who both worked with Semitool, Inc. in Kalispell. They share a number of interests including a love of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a highly social and intelligent toy breed. Nancy has one Cavalier and Carol is the proud mother of three that she shows in agility competitions. These two long time friends have now formed a business partnership and Carol's top of the world dream will soon become a reality.
Since 1986, Carol Ann Scranton, DDS, PC has practiced family dentistry in the Flathead Valley. She is committed to excellence in her practice, recently adding laser dentistry and Invisalign (clear, removable teeth aligners that are an alternative to traditional metal dental braces) to her professional cache. Carol's present office location is in the Two Medicine Building on the lower level . . . better known as the basement. Originally from New Jersey, she completed her undergraduate studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private research university located in Troy, New York. She is an aeronautical engineer by education. She worked in this field for five years at General Dynamics in San Diego and then with Martin Marietta in Denver. With a decision to make a change in her life, she enrolled in the dental school of the University of Colorado in Denver. After earning her degree, Carol and her husband Dana, who is also an engineer and a native of Wyoming, decided on another major life change. They knew they wanted to leave Denver for a less metropolitan area. They literally drew a circle on a map of the area they would consider calling home. In 1986, they relocated to Kalispell with their infant son, Keith, who returned to Colorado and is attending law school in Boulder. Their relocation was a five-year plan for deciding if Kalispell was the right place. . . 23 years later they are still happy with their decision.
Nancy Gordley, her husband, Jim, and her daughters Amy, and Megan, relocated to the Flathead Valley in 1989 from the northern suburbs of Illinois. Since moving to the valley, Nancy has been a Jazzercise instructor and a cheerleading advisor at Whitefish High School. She served on the Flathead Valley Community College Board for 13 years and presently is serving on the Alpine Theatre Project Board. Shortly after the unexpected death of her husband, a very dear friend suggested that she look into purchasing The Great Harvest Bread Company in Whitefish. Nancy said, It sounded like a good idea at the time. The business would be similar to the floral shop she ran and operated in Illinois for 15 years. Similar in that I would be required to manufacture a product to fill orders on a daily basis. It would involve cooking and creating new menus, which is something I always enjoyed. My daughter, Amy, who has a degree in business, agreed to handle that end of the business. I knew going in that the Whitefish store had been losing money every month for over two years. If we took it over, we would have to bring it out of the hole and turn it into a money-making business. I also knew up front that for the business to succeed I had to move back to Kalispell while continuing to operate in Whitefish, so I returned to Kalispell, its original home for some twenty years. Amy and I took on the challenge and by August signed new lease papers for a space in Kalispell. We kept both stores going for as long as possible but eventually the retail rents in Whitefish got the best of us. We lasted for three years running both locations.
Nancy said, I knew the business would be supported by the Kalispell customers, and our loyal Whitefish customers would follow us and be willing to travel. She was right; the store is always busy. Because of the support of the valley's customers, the store is prospering. In general, people are aware of the need for maintaining a healthier diet. With the increase in allergies, especially in children, Nancy is often asked to assist families with special baking needs to meet specific dietary restrictions.
The first Great Harvest Bread Co. in Great Falls, Montana was founded by Pete and Laura Wakeman, a couple of college kids who baked amazing whole grain bread to help pay their tuition at Cornell University. Word spread about their wholesome, delicious bread and in 1978 they established Freedom Franchise, a unique franchising structure that offers franchisers the opportunity to create their own neighborhood bakeries, thus encouraging individuality. The first great harvest franchised bakery opened in Kalispell, Montana.
Thank you, Nancy, for bringing it back home!
Now, back to the discussion of the construction site where Carol's vision is becoming a reality. Even though I missed the ground breaking on May 12, 2008, I was excited for these two dynamic women. One of the first things we discussed in this interview was their design team selections. Kalispell's Hammerquist Casalegno was chosen as their general contractor. Nancy spoke up, saying, I worked with Hammerquist Casalegno before when I built the interior of the Kalispell Great Harvest. I was very impressed with the way they handled things, especially their integrity. I have nothing but good things to say about them. We wanted to use local businesses, so in addition to our Kalispell based contractor, we decided to enlist the architectural expertise of Jackola Engineering. Their original plan was to build a 10,000 square foot professional building. But when they interviewed with Hammerquist Casalegno, they were informed that there was a local group of attorneys looking for more space but didn't want to construct an entire building. Nancy and Carol followed up and contacted the group. They learned that the attorneys needed approximately 6,000 square feet, so they expanded their original plan to 16,000 square feet. The Hammerquist Pre Construction Service along with Jackola Engineering worked with us to provide us with a well laid out plan.
In response to my question about the rental status of the building, Nancy said, Basically two thirds of the building is filled. The group of attorneys has the main level and part of the upper level. Carol's office space will occupy the rest of the upper level. The large windows offer her and her clients an unobstructed view of the mountains. The lower level is still open and unfinished.
I then asked, When you interviewed with Hammerquist Casalegno did you have a design in mind? Nancy answered, No, the design was developed to fit the site. Obviously, we wanted to get the most space out of the building so that is why a rectangular shape was chosen. One of the neat things is an open walkway with heated concrete floors all the way into the building. We will not have to worry about ice and snow. Parking will be available at both levels with about 25 spaces at the upper level and 26 spaces at the lower level. The main lobby will be open, highlighted with a skylight.
Carol and Nancy met often with the construction team. Carol said, We were all connected via e-mail during the whole construction process. Nancy added, I really liked that; it kept everyone on the same page. Construction completion appears to be on schedule with occupancy taking place in late February. Carol will be moving out of the basement. Her new address will be; Commons Loop Professional Centre, 145 Commons Loop, Kalispell, MT, 59901.
Carol is delighted. Nancy says, My only regret is that I won't be moving into the building.
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