Baking dough, making dough: key ingredients of a Montana franchise.

• Author: Joyner, Amy
• Position: Great Harvest

Great Harvest Bread Co.'s new East Coast owners haven't changed much about the Dillon-based chain of bakeries.

The bread still tastes great, and free slices are still offered to customers at each of the 155 bakeries and 19 satellite stores. An open management structure allows individual franchisees to operate in the manner that best suits their individual businesses, and employees are encouraged to balance work and family so the job doesn't interfere with day-to-day life.

In fact, those are the very attributes that attracted the group of East Coast investors who bought the company two years ago, said Andy Bills, one of the owners and Great Harvest's executive vice president. "We loved the product. As we spoke to customers about Great Harvest, everybody had great things to say. It's almost cult-like."

"No changes were necessary, which was really encouraging," he added. "We loved the culture. The company and people in Great Harvest cared about each other, and cared about balancing work and life with family."

Though Bills keeps his home in High Point, N.C., he also manages the company from an office in Dillon. "We do a lot of traveling to keep the company in Montana," he said, and that has helped to calm fears the new owners would move Great Harvest out of the Big Sky State.

"I'm sure that was a huge fear initially," Bills admitted. Initially, the new owners held an off-site retreat to talk about the company's longstanding core values, which remain its foundation: "Be loose and have fun. Bake phenomenal bread. Run fast to help customers. Create strong, exciting bakeries. And give generously to others."

"We also have made a real commitment to Montana," he said. "We've really fallen in love with Montana. We love Dillon and the community. We will always be in Montana. That is where our wheat comes from."

Baker's Men

Great Harvest chief executive officer Mike Ferretti joins Bills in overseeing day-to-day management of the nationwide corporation. Ferretti previously worked for and owned a franchised sandwich shop. Through his franchise-industry connections, he learned that Great Harvest's founders, Pete and Laura Wakeman, were looking for potential buyers. Ferretti wanted a franchise that fit his "ideal list" and suggested to Bills that they investigate.

Bills' 20-year background in sales and marketing for a Fortune 500 company made him an ideal partner for the firm. Other key management members include board chairman Nido Qubein and board members Marcus Fariss and Bill Millis. Many of the investors...