Xanterra giving Columbia Falls a shot in the arm

Over the course of three months, Xanterra Parks and Resorts has transformed the former Pamida store in Columbia Falls to a warehouse and laundry for its Glacier National Park operations.

The front half of the former discount store serves as a warehouse, storing everything from T-shirts to dishes. The rear half has been transformed into a laundry, handling tons of laundry a day for the major lodges and motels in Glacier Park.

Xanterra, operating locally as Glacier National Park Lodges, won the concessioner bid to run the Park’s lodges, camp stores and Red Buses last year.

The company had to get the warehouse and laundry facility up and running quickly, noted Amy Dempster, director of sales and marketing for the company. It only had about three months from closing on the property to when it had to have the facility ready.

“The contractor did a great job,” she said.

The laundry is state-of-the-art, with EcoLab equipment that automatically adjusts to the type of laundry being washed. The giant washing machines, more than six feet tall, can handle loads up to 275 pounds at a time, although typical loads are about 200 pounds.

The machines also use less water, noted manager Aric Bethke. The last rinse cycle of each load is used in the next load’s first wash cycle, saving about 30 gallons a load.

The dryers handle about 125 pounds per load. Bed linen goes to an automatic folder that presses, irons and folds sheets. A smaller folder handles other items. The bed sheet folder’s roller iron is heated to 350 degrees. The machine irons out wrinkles, and puffs of air folds sheets as they run through the machine.

Each day, trucks arrive from the Park’s east and west side delivering laundry and recyclables, like glass, cardboard and aluminum cans. They haul back clean clothes and linen along with needed supplies from the warehouse, Bethke explained.

About 15 employees work at the laundry, which will typically operate from May until October. Overall, Xanterra employs about 50 full-time and 600 seasonal workers in its Glacier Park operations.

Xanterra also takes pains to purchase local products and goods, Dempster said. Montana Coffee Traders Coffee, for example, is sold at all its concessions in the Park. Xanterra also purchases produce from local farms.

There’s still work to do in Columbia Falls. The smaller building south of the warehouse, which was also a Pamida store, will house the company’s local office workers. Remodeling there should be completed this fall.

Xanterra also plans to build a new garage and storage facility for the Red Bus fleet in the Columbia Falls area. The fleet is currently housed in a hangar at Glacier Park International Airport. Maintenance work on the buses is done at an area garage.

Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia said Xanterra’s investment here has been welcome. She noted that company officials specifically wanted to build here when the Park concession contract was awarded.

“It speaks volumes for our community that they chose to be here,” she said.

The hope is Xanterra’s presence will attract more business to Columbia Falls, which has numerous vacant commercial spaces.