Flathead students take on responsibility at family businesses

By Kristin Hopkins

As many students worry about securing summer work in yet-to-be-discovered settings, a few FHS students are finding summer employment closer to home — in their parents’ businesses.

Junior Ben Smith, who bakes and delivers bread for his parents’ 17-year-old franchise “Great Harvest Bread Company,” has had free reign of the store since he started working at age nine.

“When I was younger, maybe 10 or 11, we didn’t have the heaters on (in the oven). My brothers and sisters and I all got in and were going around and around,” said Smith. “There was a little bit of gas going, though. It kind of got to us — we were a little woozy.”

Many students have been involved in their parents’ workplaces since grade school. Senior Matt Nerdig works in printing, customer service, and as an editor for his parents’ magazine, Northwest Montana Plans Exchange, which lists jobs for bid by contractors.

Nerdig said he has been working there “forever — I don’t even remember how long. Probably since fifth or sixth grade.”

As he’s matured, Nerdig has taken on more responsibilities in the magazine than when he was young.

“Before, I used to clean up everything,” said Nerdig. “Then (my responsibilities) grew to what they are now.”

Junior Justin Pitts makes wood carvings and resin castings for his family’s business, Taber’s Pond, which makes artistic duck decoys. Pitts carves out rough forms of ducks, then his mother paints on the fine details.

“I’m not artistic,” said Pitts. “My mom does all the major artistic work.”

Junior Tracey Kemp paints crafts along side her mother at their store, This n’ That Crafts and Gifts.

“That’s what Mom and I have in common, is the painting,” said Kemp.

Besides the satisfaction of working alongside parents, many students also receive pay for their work.

“My parents pay for my car, insurance, gas, oil and maintenance,” said Kemp. “That’s what most kids spend their checks on anyway. .”

Often when working for parents, students’ tasks run the gamut of odd jobs. In two years working at his parents’ gas station on Main Street, junior Scott Berry’s tasks have varied from running the till, making lattes, cleaning at night and pumping gas for older people.

In their long reigns in the workplace, those students workers also run into some unusual visitors. Kemp had to refuse a crafter trying to rent a display case for products tried to pass as homemade, though the goods were still in their original boxes with price tags on them. On the job, Berry was surprised by a lawman on the run.

“One time, the cops had to hide in our back room,” said Berry. “Someone was after an undercover cop and we had to hide him — I thought I was in trouble.”

But other than the strange run-ins, Kemp admits most customers’ requests are more mundane.

“We have the usual crying kids and we have suckers for them,” said Kemp. “Most of our crafters are friends, so we’re close to them.”

Kemp said one benefit parents have with their kids working for them is accountability.

“It’s not something punks would want to do,” said Kemp of the craft business. “It’s not an arcade.” 

Nerdig said his schedule is flexible and he can get time off easily working for his parents, but he is also always on call to go work for them.

“There’s probably more expectations,” said Nerdig. “They expect me to work when they need me.”

Nerdig said regardless of mistakes he makes in the workplace — including shredding original blueprints in blueprint machine and ripping documents in a laminating machine — it is not likely he will lose his job.

“I’ve done quite a few bad things,” said Nerdig. “I’ve done most of the things that would make them fire me.”

Smith said his parents also were understanding when he fumbled at work.

“I dropped some money in our wheat bin. It went through the grinder and came out all flat and squished together,” said Smith. “My dad got mad, but he was laughing, too.”

As students work side-by-side with parents, they also learn if they do — or don’t — want to follow in the footsteps of their parents.

“It seems like too much pressure,” said Nerdig. “I’m sure there are plenty of other things I’d like to do.

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