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John Olson’s story is a classic American tale, from a not-so-perfect childhood, to owning one of the most successful businesses in the country. With a lot of hard work and exceptional management skills, and probably a bit of luck along the way, Olson grew Blue Rock Products from a single building facility in Sidney, to a multi-location business also serving Williston, Plentywood, Glasgow, Miles City and the surrounding areas. Olson was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Born in 1939 i...
Lance Averett has come a long way with Blue Rock, from mowing lawns to Vice President and general sales manager. He started in 1967, working part-time through high school mowing, trimming trees and loading trucks. After graduating from college in 1975, he became assistant manager at the sales center in Plentywood for a few months, then manager for 4 ½ years. He relocated to Sidney in 1979 as sales manager. “I can’t imagine working for better people than John and his family,” Averett said....
When Tracy Hagen talks about Blue Rock, she is as enthusiastic today as she was in 1981 when she joined the company. She truly loves her job, and the people she works with. Hagen started in the office, just when Blue Rock was beginning to computerize and do their own data entry in house. “It was wonderful,” she said. “It was my introduction to the computer world and I loved it. We would do data entry for hours every day. It was a good education on the computer and the company itself.” The Sid...
Ron Messmer has worked for two companies in his life – Mon-Kota Fertilizer in the summers during high school, then Blue Rock beginning December 7, 1979. The Fairview native started as a warehouse worker. After about a year, he started doing routes part-time and then full time as a route salesman, delivering soft drinks and beer. In 1985, he was promoted to sales center manager in Glasgow, a position he held for six years. 1992 saw him back in Sidney taking over Les Pierce’s job as a sales center...
Blue Rock Products Company, also known as Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, was established in 1913 at Fairview, Montana. At that time, the town of Fairview was a trading center for area farmers in the Yellowstone Valley and the dry land hill country. During the first years of its existence, the company was primarily a beer distributorship with soft drink sales accounting for a much smaller portion of the total business. Both beer and soft drinks were shipped by rail to customers in outlying areas...
Tim Feeley worked for Blue Rock in Sidney from 1973 until his retirement in December of 2011. He started as sales manager when the company had three facilities - Sidney, Plentywood and Williston and since added two more facilities – Glasgow and Miles City. He was promoted to general sales manager and then general manager as the company grew. Feeley knew John Olson from way, way back, when Feeley was a student and Olson his teacher in Hysham. “My family had a high regard for John,” Feeley state...
Cpl. C.O. Johnson is expected to arrive in Fairview this weekend from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he has been discharged from the army after two years and seven months of service. “Brub” as he is known by most Fairview people began his hitch in the army at Camp Beale, California. After the initial phases of army training he was transferred to ASTP and was given special courses at the university in Salt Lake City, Utah. Later, Corporal Johnson was placed in the artillery and subsequently trained at Little Rock, Arkansas, and Camp Gordon, Georgia....
Lois Frank came to Sidney in 1963 from Ennis, MT to join her fiancé Bob who was teaching school. She worked at Sidney National Bank which was located where the Cheerio is now. “There were no computers back then,” she laughed. She then joined Blue Rock as an administrative assistant and stayed for 20 years, retiring in 2004. “Each gal in the office is responsible for the book work for each plant,” she explained. Frank took care of Sidney Blue Rock Products (pop), then Blue Rock Beverage...
Jill Hill knew when she walked in the door that Blue Rock was where she wanted to work. “It was the feeling and the people,” she said. That was over 20 years ago, after Hill moved to Sidney from Billings. She started as an office bookkeeper and administrative assistant to John Olson. In January of 2011, she was promoted to Controller for the company. “It’s been a great ride,” she said. “I’ve been treated so wonderfully. It’s like a big family. To be part of this team is fantastic, espe...
Karen Olson Beenken, Executive Vice President of Blue Rock, delivered the key note address to the 2013 Leadership Class at their graduation in April. As a former graduate who also was Sidney Chamber President, Karen praised the efforts of the program and encouraged the graduates to get out and make a difference in the community. Karen also gave a brief history of Blue Rock Companies and spoke of some of the keys to their success. Following is an edited version of her address that day. How does...
Connie Tabbert of Fairview joined Blue Rock August 18, 1981. “There were four of us. We worked in the warehouse, sorted bottles and helped with the bottling,” she explained. She worked part-time at Blue Rock until 1993. After moving full-time into the production department, Connie currently makes syrup, runs the RO system and other tasks as needed. “I like the people,” she said of her years at Blue Rock. “Especially the ones who have been here as long as I have.” Connie is justifiably...
Mark Hauge began his career with Blue Rock in 1981 in Williston loading trucks and then becoming a service tech. Blue Rock had purchased Wildwood Beverage in Plentywood in the early 1970s. “In 1982, John and Tim (Feeley) asked me to relocate there. They had a new manager and needed a dedicated service guy.” Wildwood was an old established soft drink manufacturer and distributor. The building was old and decrepit, but nine or ten months after Hauge’s move there, Blue Rock built a new facil...
The Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Sidney, bottlers and distributors of Pepsi-Cola, Orange Crush, Hires Root Beer, Cliquot Club mixes and a full line of Blue Rock flavors, is also the distributor for Pabst Blue Ribbon, Blatz and Lucky Lager beers and is one of the leading firms engaged in its special field in this part of the country. The operators of this firm have always produced quality products to the retailers that have been and is excellent in every respect. The sale of soft drinks has...
For those who like to plant and grow their own vegetables, the current conditions may be causing a late planting. With this decreasing the amount of growing time, some gardeners may choose to get their seedlings started indoors and transfer them when the weather allows. Just about any container will work for this, whether it be a soda bottle, a plastic tote, a 5 gallon bucket or just a plastic cup. Just fill them up with soil, plant the seed and find the most sunlight you can find. To improve...
Although it doesn’t feel like it, May is just around the corner which means so is paddlefishing season. People flock from all over the country to ‘fish’ for this unique species. Paddlefish, which are considered to be a prehistoric fish, can grow up to seven feet and as much as 200 pounds. Although they have cartilaginous bodies like a shark, they are not related. In fact there aren’t any other animals in North America like it. The name paddlefish is rather obvious when you look at the fish. Scie...
Montana State University Extension and the Schutter Diagnostic Lab are offering new online courses covering plant anatomy and the diagnostic features of 32 state-listed noxious weeds. The free courses are offered to assist early detection of noxious weeds in Montana and provide pesticide applicator credits. The three-course series has been designed to assist with early detection and rapid response (EDRR) across Montana. The goal of EDRR is to recognize high priority plants and take action to manage them while populations are still small. Often...
State regulators are reminding Montanans to call 811 before beginning outdoor digging projects this spring. April is recognized as national “Safe Digging Month” and Public Service Commission Chairman Bill Gallagher said a quick call to 811 two days before a digging project will help protect people from injury and prevent damage to underground utilities. “After a long, cold Montana winter, many people are excited about the opportunity to finally put away the snow shovel and get to work planting shrubs and making other yard impro...
According to the US Coast Guard, half of all recreation boating fatalities happen in calm water and almost three-fourths of fatal boating accident victims drowned ~ 84% were not wearing a life jacket. For more information go to: http://www.uscgboating.org Pay Attention When Children Are Near Or In The Water: -Always keep a watchful eye on your children when they are in or near water even if they know how to swim -Don’t be distracted by others, phone calls, text messages, or reading when your children are in or near water -Children should w...
As the number of people in the area rises, so does the number of family pets. With spring slowly setting in, pets of all sizes are getting cabin fever. On an average, High Plains Vet Clinic in Sidney has 10 dogs brought in to the pound each month. When a dog is running loose, the police department drops it off at the vet clinic. Although they legally only have to keep the dog for 48 hours, High Plains works to find an adoptive family or the rightful owner. Sometimes they hold onto a dog for a...
When Cindy Mead moved into her new home on Sage Lily Drive in Sidney three years ago, she knew she would want to make some changes. Inspired by her native Kansas and her love of sunflowers, Mead has redone what was once a dark and inconvenient kitchen into a sun-filled, convenient space. The kitchen is also the path to the basement and Mead found it congested whenever she had guests. Eliminating an island and moving the sink created an open, efficient kitchen, and a clear pathway. Mead’s p...
Most people when they move go house shopping and decide on a new house, but for Dean and Shelley Hayes it was a little different. Instead of picking out a house, they pictured their ideal home and built it. When Dean and Shelley of Alexander, sold the farm and bought their business in town they needed a place to live. With 20 years of experience in building houses between Arizona and North Dakota, Hayes decided to build the house himself. They drew up their own floor plans, bought their own...
Be prepared for fun! That’s the advice from Dutch Deick, manager at Coates RV in Williston. Making sure your RV is properly maintained and ready for travel can prevent something catastrophic when you’re camping. Providing the RV has been properly winterized, some simple tasks should make your RV ready for a weekend at the lake. Flush water lines, sanitize the water system, charge the batteries, fill the propane and plug in the unit to make sure everything works as it should. Lights, jacks, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers should also be...
(BPT) - It's time to think spring which means fresh home updates. Spring home improvement projects will help you update your home, add comfort and save more of your hard-earned paycheck. "You can save time, money and stress by planning ahead," says Kathy Krafka Harkema, Pella Windows and Doors expert. "Seek out expert advice, research product options and schedule home remodeling projects now, while you have the time to plan it and get on the schedule of contractors." A well-planned remodeling project can: 1. Add curb appeal to your home 2....
