Page 35 - Flathead Beacon // 7.29.15

TRANSACTIONS
WEEKLY BUSINESS BRIEFING
WHITEFISH CREDIT UNION ADDS NEW OPERATIONS CENTER IN KALISPELL
One of the largest credit unions in Montana continues to gain ground as Whitefish Credit Union announces the addition of a new operations center in Kalispell.
The center, located at 1845 U.S.
Highway 93 S. at Southfield Park,
will help accommodate the rapid
growth at WCU, and as a way to
lower overall costs and increase
efficiency for more than 58,000 members, according to Eldon Tilley, WCU vice president of marketing.
“After four years of rapid growth, we’ve simply outgrown our cur- rent facilities,” Tilley said in a prepared statement. “This move will allow us to bring together various operational and administrative departments to work more closely together. We expect our new facility to translate into lower costs and more efficient loan originations and loan processing for our members.”
The expansion will also accommodate the expansion of the credit union’s burgeoning member business lending department, which has experienced record growth in the last four years.
For more information, visit www.whitefishcu.com or call 406-862-3525.
Opening, moving or expanding a business in Northwest Montana? If you would like to be featured in “Transactions,” please email information to [email protected]
the positions in our warehouse and our laundry,” he said. “We perpetually have positions open.”
In Whitefish, McGarry’s Roadhouse is short staffed, according to owner Sandy Nogal, who has had to leave her post as the restaurant’s iconic bar- tender to help in the kitchen.
“Out of four line positions (in the kitchen), we’re two short,” Nogal said. “Like most restaurants in this val- ley, we’re all running short staffed. It’s mostly in culinary help, in kitchen help, the folks who usually are looking for work are not looking for work.”
Nogal said the restaurant has “help wanted” ads that go unanswered for months, despite raising pay to entice workers. She said the construction boom has likely pulled most of the sea- sonal workers to construction sites, but otherwise can’t understand where the workers are.
“This is not minimum wage. The market will determine what it takes to get folks’ attention, and we are all pay- ing,” Nogal said. “These are all good- money jobs, even in kitchen help. We are paying top dollar.”
In Kalispell, Bill Nelson, manager of the Flathead Job Service, said the script has flipped from the one most employ- ers were used to during the recession when work was scarce and unemploy- ment was skyrocketing, when any job
was better than no job.
Now, workers have a choice, Nelson
said, and many are likely waiting until a good-paying job with a relevant skillset becomes available. As of July 27, there were about 700 job opportunities at the Job Service, Nelson said.
Unemployment in Flathead County rose to 5.2 percent in June, up from 4.7 percent in May, meaning roughly 2,340 work-age people are unemployed. Nel- son said that is likely an indicator of more unemployed people starting to look for work again who are now being counted in the unemployment rate.
And at LC Staffing in Kalispell, branch manager Janie Hunter said all of the companies LC Staffing works with are searching for employees.
“The available work force is work- ing,” Hunter said. “At this point it’s about luring the people away from a job they’re currently working.”
Hunter advised employers to look at what makes their jobs attractive, and make them more so. That’s what Nogal said her restaurant has tried to do, but she is still stuck in the kitchen making up for a lack of staff.
“If you had told me 12 years ago when we opened that there would not be a con- tinuum of culinary help looking for work, I would have said you’re crazy,” Nogal said. “So the question is, where is everybody?”
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SWAN BUCKS AUGUST 1-15
Use your swan bucks on on all perennials
customer appreciation Day August 1
In-House specials
serving pulled pork with all the fixings
175 Swan River Road, NEXT TO ECHO LAKE CAFÉ Bigfork MT, 59911
Open 7 Days a Week
Mon-Sat 9-5:00, Sun 10-4
PHONE (406) 837-3375
FAX (406) 837-3376
E-MAIL [email protected] WEBSITE http://www.swanrivergardens.com
JULY 29, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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