A law firm that's outgrown the two spaces it occupies downtown will soon relocate to the Great Northern Town Center -- for now.
Partner Leo Berry said the firm of Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry and Hoven will move in two stages. The firm's 10 employees currently working from the Gold Block will move at the end of this month, while the bulk of the firm, the 40 who occupy the Goodkind Building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and the Walking Mall, will move north by the end of the year.
BKBH will occupy parts of the first and second and all of the third floor of the Expedition Block, directly south of the Silver Star Steak Co.
Continued growth of the firm spurred the move.
"We were looking at the prospect of having people in Helena in three different locations and decided that was not functional for us," Berry said. "We looked around at a lot of different spaces, and there's not a lot of space for an entity of our size around."
Berry said the Great Northern will provide a solution "on a short-term basis" -- likely a few years anyway -- while the firm considers a more permanent home in town.
The firm was formed in 1982 and took its current name in 1985. Originally specializing in government relations, BKBH now also works in the commercial, environmental/regulatory and general litigation arenas. In addition to 50 employees in Helena, the firm has a 10-person Missoula office and is in the process of opening an office in Bozeman.
The Goodkind building is owned by the four named partners, and Berry said they'd like to find a tenant and lease the three-story building.
"The firm grew up here. It's been our home for 25 years and it's certainly difficult to leave," he said.
Pedestrians may know the firm best for the rotating displays of work from local artists showcased in the first-floor picture windows. For several years, artists have taken turns every six weeks showing off their paintings, sculptures and other works, and Berry said the space is booked for the next three years.
Wingin' It: The Pizza Hut WingStreet on North Montana is getting some company. The two other Pizza Hut locations in Helena, on Euclid Avenue and off of Prospect Avenue on the east side, have each been remodeled and turned into WingStreet stores.
According to a release from Great Falls-based High Plains Pizza, which owns the local franchises, all three stores will offer the complete Pizza Hut menu. The North Montana store will also feature the complete Wing Street menu and the Euclid and Prospect stores will offer complete Pizza Hut menus and Wing Street's chicken wings.
The North Montana store, which opened in late 2006, was also remodeled.
E-mail your Open for Business ideas to john.harrington@helenair.com.
Posted in Business on Sunday, August 17, 2008 12:00 am
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