Page 15 - 2019 HC Relocation Guide

“Helena, overall, is a quiet success story–it’s going to grow. That story is really going to unfold in the next 10 years.” TIM MELDRUM, PRINCIPAL AND PARTNER, SMA ARCHITECTS
Dick Anderson
Dick Anderson Construction
Dana McCoy Holzer
Montana Bones
Steve DeMers & Brad Marten
Spy High Mounts
Tim Meldrum
SMA Architects
Max Pigman
Lewis & Clark Brewing Company
Scott & Rayna Bouma
Ca eic Co ee Roasters
On November 15, Accelerated Startups held a Demo Night to celebrate its first class of entrepreneurs and highlight some of Helena’s previous business success stories.
Anna Kazmierowski, president and CEO at A2Z Staffing Solutions, attributes the success of her business to the compassionate and supportive nature of Helena’s community.
“The competitive advantages are that we have access to collaborate with other small businesses in the area and support one another, and that’s what makes it a large success story for everyone,” said Kazmierowski. “We all want to live in a great community with a strong economy and happy people because happy people live their dream and want to support your business.”
For Max Pigman, owner of Lewis and Clark Brewing Company, Helena offered a smaller but more hospitable community in which to start and grow his business.
“There’s certainly places I could have started this brewery that I would be a much richer man right now,” said Pigman “But those aren’t the places I wanted to live, those aren’t the places I wanted to raise my children and experience all that Helena has to offer and so I never looked back.”
Dick Anderson, founder and president of Dick Anderson Construction, passes along this wisdom on entrepreneurship: “If you don’t love what you’re doing, if you don’t really want to do this, don’t get into it thinking, ‘Well, I’m going to get in and make a bunch of money.’ You know, you might make some money, but you do it because you love doing it—and then the rewards come because you love what you do.
While Helena has its fair share of successful veteran entrepreneurs, a new class of business owners are rolling out their products and
expertise. One of Accelerated Startups inaugural graduates in 2018 was Brad Marten with Spy High LLC. The company, which manufactures a trail camera mounting system, benefited from the wealth of information gained through the program.
“The program (Accelerated Startups) was very, very informational,” said Martin. “It gave us access to a lot of professionals, that were able to ask questions, and presentations that were informative and allowed us to make business decisions before we made mistakes.”
“Being in a group of other people having a similar experience helps validate what you’re going through, but it also helps you to advance because no one feels sorry for you,” said Dana McCoy Holzer, owner of Montana Bones clothing company and 2018 graduate of Accelerated Startups. “They want to push you because they want you to improve. That’s the main gist of the program—really pushing you to improve and just ripping o that band aid and saying, ‘Ok, how do we get to the next level’?”
From the ambitious miners of the late 1800s to the modern entrepreneur, Helena continues to nurture the dreams of small business owners. With the Accelerated Startups program, budding businesses now have a local support system and education hub to help them realize their goals.
“The successful man is the one who had a chance and took that opportunity and made it work for them,” said Kazmierowski. “So that’s what I did...I think I’m a person that recognizes the opportunities out there just like right here in Montana.”
“Helena, overall, is a quiet success story—it’s going to grow,” said Tim Meldrum, principal and partner at SMA Architects. “That story is really going to unfold in the next 10 years.”
Anna Kazmierowski
A2Z Sta ng Solutions