Page 9 - B2B Fall 2018

AMC PC SERVICES | PAULETTE AND BERNIE ADAMS
Paulette Adams owns and manages AMC PC Services in Helena. The company provides IT support to individuals and to small and medium- sized businesses; computer sales and repair, virus removal, data backup and recovery. They take pride in being “Your Personal IT Department.”
Paulette Adams was born and raised in Billings, and obtained her degree in Mathematics- Statistics, with a minor in Business Marketing, from Montana State University in 1979. She moved
to Helena to take a job with the State. She and her husband, Bernie, met here, were married in 1982, and are proud parents of two children. Bernie Adams is a Sidney, Montana native; he also went to MSU and graduated with a degree in Computer Science in 1976. After working for one year in Boise, he moved back to Helena to work for the State of Montana, spent a couple
of years as an independent consultant, then went on to work for a local company as a computer programmer. When this company closed in 2002,
PLACER MOTORS | ERICK ANDERSON
Erick Anderson is the fourth generation owner of Placer Motors. He grew up in Helena, and remembers his mother sending him over to the store to help out when he was around 10 to 12 years old and it was his father’s store. After graduating from high school,
he spent 3 to 4 years working for the Department of Highways on a survey crew, where he enjoyed spending his work days outdoors. Erick decided to go back to college, and nished his degree in Business, with concentrations in Marketing, Finance and Economics, at Carroll College. When he started working for the family business in the summers of his teenage years, he was
a lot attendant. Years later, when he came on full-time, he gained valuable experience as he moved through most of the departments; he was Service Advisor in the Service Department, spent time as the Service Manager, was the Finance Manager for twelve years, and in 2005, was given the opportunity to operate the store when his father,
Paulette and Bernie decided to start a business of their own. They were able to procure contracts with longtime customers and continue providing computer tech support and service in the Helena area. Paulette dove head rst into learning how to run a business. In 2006 they were delighted to move to their current location behind Walmart.
In addition to the services they provide locally doing business as AMC PC Services, Bernie and Paulette run Automation & Management Consulting. AMC serves clients across the country with custom programming and systems integration services. In the niche market of parking revenue control, AMC has earned a solid reputation for its years of continuous quality work.
Paulette is continually challenged
to keep up with the changes on the Human Resource side of the business for her ve employees. By attending classes and utilizing local services, she is able to keep up with employment laws, wage and tax changes and
Dave Anderson, decided it was time to step down after 39 years. In 2015, Erick o cially took over as owner of Placer Motors. Erick has been married for
21 years, and has two children, both boys. The family spends a great deal of time outdoors, shing, hunting, hiking, and snowmobiling; the boys are both involved in athletics, which keeps the family busy and active.
Placer Motors was founded by Erick’s great-grandfather, who was part owner of a grocery store in East Helena. At
the time, there was nowhere in Helena to buy a new car; around 1917, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He took a train to Detroit, where he purchased a car, drove it back to Helena and promptly sold it. On his second trip, he took a group of people with him and purchased 10 to 12 cars; on the way back, several broke down. He made it back with 7 or 8 cars, which he sold straight away. Eventually, he was able to buy trainloads of cars to
PAULETTE & BERNIE ADAMS
worker’s compensation. The rewards of owning a small business far outweigh the challenges. It is exceedingly satisfying when a customer offers complimentary feedback and when a new customer comes their way through word of mouth. The business gives back to the community by donating to local charities, discounting labor for local churches, non-pro ts, including the YMCA, and to people with special needs who are living independently in the community.
ERICK ANDERSON
sell, and Placer Motors was founded, originally as a Chevrolet/Oldsmobile franchised dealership. Of course, today Placer Motors is where we go to buy a Subaru, and Erick is marching the family business forward with the 33-34 employees who are like family, some of whom have been working for the business for much of his lifetime.
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