ESSEX (AP) -- Brian Kelly fell in love with Montana when he first visited the state 22 years ago.

He came out from Chicago to visit a friend who was going to the University of Montana.

''I had a wonderful trip and it just never left my mind,'' said Kelly, who now calls Montana home, along with his wife and their four children.

They made the move to Montana possible by purchasing a number of businesses near Glacier National Park.

Three years ago the Kellys purchased the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex just south of the park and Eddie's Cafe in Apgar Village inside Glacier. In January, they bought the Glacier Village Restaurant in East Glacier.

The Kellys bought a summer home on Flathead 10 years ago, and ever since looked at ways to make Montana a permanent home.

''I spent seven years literally looking at business opportunities,'' Kelly said. ''I was getting close to 40, and I said, 'if we don't do it now, it's never going to happen.' ''

He wanted something that was well established to make for an easy transition.

''I'm not afraid of hard work, but I do like stability,'' Kelly said. ''We didn't rush into anything.''

The Izaak Walton Inn and Eddie's both fit what he was looking for.

Even though the businesses were stable, it was still a risk for the Kellys to take.

Kelly, a Chicago native, most recently worked as a blacksmith for the Chicago Fire Department. He walked away from a pension there and a steady income.

Kelly didn't come to Montana with deep pockets. He made some good real estate decisions in Chicago when he was young, which made it possible to purchase the businesses. For upgrades, he's had to borrow against one business to finance a remodel of another.

Just last week, he opened six brand new cabins at Izaak Walton. The hotel has a couple family rooms, but he thought cabins would be better for families with young children.

Last year, he added on to Eddie's to make room for an ice cream parlor. He's looking at adding a rooftop deck to the restaurant so patrons can enjoy their food while looking out on Lake McDonald.

After buying the Glacier Village Restaurant, he completely remodeled it.

''My wife says I need to slow down,'' Kelly joked.

''Every year we just constantly take on projects,'' he said.

While Kelly has been doing some face-lifts on the old inn, he's not adding phones in the rooms or cable television. He doesn't want to take away from the nostalgia of the building.

Kelly makes a point of hiring local contractors and using local materials. The wood for the new cabins was milled near by and the log furniture inside was made by a woman from Whitefish. He also tries to hire Native Americans for the Glacier Village Restaurant, which is located on the Blackfeet Reservation.

When he first bought the business, Kelly found that the Izaak Walton Inn was disconnected from locals. He tried to change that by hosting events and inviting local residents. He also donates to the community.

One of the major challenges of Kelly's businesses is staffing. Among the three locations, he employs about 125 people.

Eddie's closes for the winter, and finding seasonal workers can be hard. He hires college students as well as foreign students for both Eddie's and Izaak Walton.

The Izaak Walton Inn is open year round, and Kelly established a good full-time team there. He increased the workers' pay and added vacation and health benefits -- things that make employees feel wanted. He also remodeled the workers' dorm housing at the inn.

He recently hired an operations manager to help oversee the three businesses. He didn't hire someone for that position earlier because he wanted to get to know the businesses on the ground. In a family business, it's important to jump into every role, from waiting tables to lighting pilot lights, he said.