Spotlight on Business: Kings Motel

and

Flatline Outfitters

and Guide Service

307 S. Main St.

Twin Bridges, MT 59754

Phone: 406-684-5639

Web site: www.kingsflatline.com

e-mail: kingsflatline@yahoo.com

Owners: Don, Marsha and Matt Greemore

Motel’s motto: Hospitality is No. 1.

Outfitter’s motto: A day of fishing is better than any day of work.

History

Matt Greemore enrolled in the Yellowstone Outfitter and Guide Academy right out of high school.

“I always enjoyed hunting and fishing with my father when growing up,” Matt said. “I didn’t want to live in the

corporate world or be behind a desk.”

Making the decision to become an outfitter was easy, but it took a lot of hard work for him to become a certified outfitter.

“I worked for a ranch in New Hampshire and, in return, they taught me about horses,” Matt said. He served as an apprentice guide for five years at an Orvis-endorsed fishing lodge. After he received his outfitter license, he moved to the Ruby Valley to start his own business.

When Matt was ready to start out on his own, his

parents, Don and Marsha Greemore, purchased the Kings Motel in Twin Bridges to have a base of operation together with Matt.

“We became tired of the corporate world and wanted to live in a small town,” Don said. Marsha has always dreamed of running a bed and breakfast and she was very excited for this new adventure.

Service

The motel offers 12 clean, comfortable rooms, 10 with kitchenettes. “Each room has been renovated since we bought the place in 1997,” Don said. They worked to improve each unit from the inside out, making each room a place where anyone can feel at home. Marsha believes

customer service is the most important part of their business.

“We like to treat everyone like family,” Marsha said. “That is why we have a lot of return customers, who bring their friends.”

The motel is a non-smoking facility and doesn’t allow pets. They also built a dining area to serve meals for fishing

packages.

Each package can include a boat rental, equipment rentals and homemade meals. Matt offers personal guide service on five blue ribbon fishing streams.

“I can’t guarantee that my customers will catch fish,” Matt said. He teaches how to fish the local streams, fly-tying and stream etiquette.

“We like to accommodate our customers,” Matt said. “But I like to keep to small

parties so I can give them my best.”

Matt thinks larger parties are harder for him to give his personal attention because it is his name they are looking for, and noone can guide the way he wants better than him. There are times when Marsha serves dinner at 8 p.m. because Matt stays on the water until dark. “My customers come to fish and that is what we do.”

Rewards

According to Don and Matt, they love the Ruby Valley area because it is a small, quaint area offering lots of outdoor recreation. Being in a small town helps their customers unwind and enjoy their

vacation.

“We like that our customers feel that they are family,” Don said. According to Marsha, they are family.

“We personalize everything and work hard to make everyone feel like they are home,” she said. When calling for a reservation, one of their regular customers asked for a poolside room. “He knew we didn’t have a pool,” Don said. “Matt went to the store and purchased a kiddy pool and put it outside his room just before he arrived. The customer loved it.”

Challenges

They biggest challenge for the businesses is the slowdown in the winter. The guide service focuses on summer outdoor recreation and the Ruby Valley doesn’t boast many winter activities. Matt works at a local ranch and Don and Marsha close half the units.

“We are still working on improving our rooms,” Don said. “Marsha is the unsung hero for this place. She takes care of the motel operation and cooking.” Marsha also believes the business is the best-kept secret in the Ruby Valley.

“Many don’t know that we are here and what we have to offer.”

Winter may be slow for their business, but they put together a great winter display through the holidays that only the locals know about. “I takes us quite of few days to put out all the decorations,” Marsha said.

Future

The future looks the same for all three of them. “We are not in this business to make money,” Don said. “We enjoy what we do and have a lot of fun doing it, even if it is a lot of work.” They want to continue to offer high quality service and a friendly atmosphere. According to Marsha, if it works, why try to change it.