Page 40 - Flathead Beacon // 11.25.15

PEOPLEINBUSINESS
Plum Creek Grant Helps Fund Three Habitat Homes for Kalispell Families
A grant from Plum Creek Foundation will help Habitat for Humanity of Flat- head Valley (HFHFV) bring homeown- ership to Kalispell families who need a ordable housing.
The $2,500 grant will be used to com- plete three houses in HFHFV’s Spring Creek Estates A ordable Homes Project in Kalispell. Envisioning a world where everyone has a decent place to live, Hab- itat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
“The lack of safe, decent housing for low-income families in the Flathead Val- ley is a signi cant problem that impacts the stability of the workforce and the health and wellbeing of working families here,” says Erin C. Falcon, HFHFV exec- utive director. “We estimate that over 1,000 families in the Flathead Valley are currently living in substandard housing and probably could qualify for a Habitat home.”
Families who receive a home from HFHFV must demonstrate that they have the ability to pay a 30-year, no-in- terest mortgage and complete a rst-time homebuyer education course, a nan- cial counseling course, a credit coun- seling session and invest a minimum of 500 hours of sweat equity on their home to prepare for the responsibilities of homeownership.
The oldest Montana a liate, HFHFV has served low-income families for over 25 years and has signi cantly increased its building capacity from one to four homes per year. HFHFV has built 44 total homes with a zero foreclosure rate.
For more information about HFHFV, please visit www.habitat athead.org.
The ZaneRay Group Recognized Among Best Places to Work
The ZaneRay Group has been selected as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work 2015. This marks the third time ZaneRay has been awarded the selection in the last ve years. Each year, Outside recognizes the top 100 companies in the United States that help their employees strike the ideal balance between work and play. These companies encourage employees to lead an active lifestyle, are eco-conscious, and prioritize giving back to the community. The entire list of win- ners appears online at www.outsideon- line.com/dreamjobs.
“Having a great place to work here in White sh is reward in itself, but getting the Outside Magazine Best Place to Work award is certainly a welcome treat for running our company the way we think all companies should be run, ” said Reed Gregerson, president and founder of The ZaneRay Group.
Established in 1994, ZaneRay o ers
world-class solutions in both design and e-commerce arenas. Primarily serving the outdoor industry, ZaneRay has found success as a design and technology ser- vice provider in the Web industry, han- dling large business-to-consumer and business-to-business needs of compa- nies. Their vast working knowledge pro- viding responsive web design solutions, crafting custom shopping experiences and formulating progressive brand- ing, has led ZaneRay to work with such brands as Patagonia, Nixon, Lands’ End, Skullcandy, evo.com, Buck Knives, Jack- son Hole Mountain Resort, and Filson, to name a few.
Learn more about ZaneRay at www. zaneray.com.
Immanuel Lutheran Presents Philanthropic Awards
Immanuel Lutheran Communities is honoring the philanthropic e orts of community leaders with two awards.
Local attorney Ken Kalvig has been named Philanthropy Leader of the Year for his generosity and outstanding min- istry to Immanuel Lutheran.
Kalvig, a former member and imme- diate past president of the board of directors, is a long-time supporter of Immanuel Lutheran Communities. Most recently, he chaired the commit- tee organizing Immanuel Lutheran’s fall fundraising event, featuring a screening of the “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” doc- umentary, as a bene t for the Memory Care Garden at Bu alo Hill Terrace. The screening of the lm also aimed to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
“Ken has devoted time and talent to serve sel essly in support of our mis- sion,” said Ronalee Skees, director of mis- sion advancement. “His dedicated e orts and leadership in the area of philan- thropy have been notable and demon- strate a spirit of giving, which has sus- tained and improved life in our commu- nity. We thank him for his commitment and for making a di erence.”
Immanuel Lutheran also is recogniz- ing one of its supporting churches, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Columbia Falls, as Mission in Ministry Partner of the Year, for the outstanding work of its many volunteers over the years.
Immanuel Lutheran Communities is a nonpro t organization o ering res- idential living, assisted living, rehabili- tation services and skilled-nursing care in Kalispell. For more information, call 406-752-9622 or visit the website at www.ilcorp.org.
Heaven Scent Solutions Receives Rural Business Development Grant
Heaven Scent Solutions has recently received the Rural Business Development
Grant from the Food and Drug Admin- istration. RBDG is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas.
Heaven Scent Solutions will be using the grant for the purpose of rebranding. It is working with Six Pony Hitch out of Mis- soula, Montana and Portland, Oregon for the redesign of its website, graphics and branding. New growth within the com- pany, as a result of the grant, will require the addition of two new employees, one in sales and one in human resources.
Heaven Scent Solutions was estab- lished in the Flathead Valley in 1998, and is a cleaning company, which also man- ufactures and distributes a line of bulk, all natural and re llable cleaning prod- ucts throughout Montana and the West. Its products are available locally at Third Street Market in White sh and Moun- tain Valley Foods in Kalispell. Its full line is available at their new location at 1060 Meridian Road in Kalispell. Manufac- turing and distribution of their products will soon be out of Missoula at Blue Mar- ble Biomaterials.
Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Acquires Cañon National Bank in Cañon City
Glacier Bancorp, Inc. announced the completion of its acquisition of Cañon Bank Corporation and its subsidiary Cañon National Bank, a community bank based in Cañon City, Colorado. Cañon National Bank provides banking services to individuals and businesses in south central Colorado, with nine bank- ing o ces located in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Pueblo West, Cañon City, Colo- rado City, and Florence. The branches of Cañon National Bank have merged into Glacier Bank and become part of the Bank of the San Juans banking division.
Glacier Bancorp, Inc. is a regional bank holding company providing commercial banking services in 88 communities in Montana, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Wyo- ming and Colorado. Glacier Bancorp, Inc. is headquartered in Kalispell.
Montana Neighbor Award Nominations Sought
Gov. Steve Bullock, along with a group of Montana-based organizations, is seek- ing nominations for the “Montana Neigh- bor Awards.”
The awards give recognition to land- owners who work collaboratively with their neighbors to enhance Montana’s sense of community.
The group is seeking nominations of landowners from across Montana. Win- ners will receive specially printed and framed Montana Neighbor Award cer- ti cates signed by Bullock and awards
committee members.
The Montana Neighbor group includes
Artemis Common Ground, The Nature Conservancy of Montana, Montana Coun- cil of Trout Unlimited, Montana Asso- ciation of Land Trusts, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the O ce of the Governor.
Nomination forms can be obtained from any o ce of the participating orga- nizations and from FWP regional o ces. Send nominations to: Montana Neighbor Awards, C/O Jennifer Bond; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701; or email to: jeb- [email protected], or to Brian.Kahn@earth- link.net.
Kalispell’s Oldest Glass and Window
Company Gets Major Facelift Under
New Ownership
As the economy continues to pick up steam in the Flathead Valley, the con- struction industry in particular is show- ing healthy vital signs. This includes not only area contractors and building com- panies, but also the vendors they use for speci c home-building goods. Aluma Glass, the Kalispell area’s oldest glass and window company, is undergoing a major remodeling project of both the indoor showroom and a completely new exterior.
Opening in 1954 under the original name Aluminum Products, Aluma Glass has been seeing clients walk through the same threshold located at 32 First Ave. W. in downtown Kalispell. Its story has seen several great chapters over the 61 years of its existence with its newest chapter start- ing in August of 2014. Then-owner Bill Morton had approached a local trusted contractor and friend Curtis Bartel about purchasing his company as Morton was preparing for retirement after owning Aluma Glass for the last 37 years. Bar- tel was honored to be approached by his friend (and former window/shower sup- plier) and accepted the opportunity.
Under new ownership since August 2014, Aluma Glass began building on the great history and legacy of a solid small business. And one year later, Aluma Glass is embarking on the next stage of the busi- ness’s history: a full-scale remodel and facelift of both the showroom and build- ing façade. Bartel chose local friend and former employer Z-Works to head up the overhaul. Aluma Glass’ new Director of Operations Eric Robbins learned of the City of Kalispell’s façade improvement grant program and applied for the $5,000 matching dollar grant funds, which were awarded and got the project moving for- ward full steam ahead.
The progress of the remodel can be seen in person or on the company’s Face- book page (facebook.com/alumaglass). A grand reopening will soon follow. The company can be reached at 406-755-5234 or by email at [email protected].
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NOVEMBER 25, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM