About 45 minutes into our Monitor Breakfast on May 2 with Sen. Steve Daines, I finally asked him the question: “So how’s your relationship with Jon Tester these days, given that you’re trying to get him fired?”

Senators Daines and Tester of Montana are one of the few remaining “odd couples” of Congress’ upper chamber – one a Republican, the other a Democrat. And as chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign committee, Mr. Daines is indeed working hard to defeat Mr. Tester in November. Control of the Senate, currently in Democratic hands, is on the line.

But in response to my question, Mr. Daines insisted all was well. “Oh, we get along just fine,” he said. “It’s two Montana guys.”

Then Mr. Daines suggested perhaps a bit of tension. In 2020, he said, when he was up for reelection, Mr. Tester had tried to get him “fired.”

It’s kind of like high school football, he said. “You’re wearing one color jersey, and your opponent’s in the other color jersey. You’re taking hits against each other.” Afterwards, “you say ‘good game,’ and you move on.”

Indeed, both men are affable Montanans. Mr. Daines had a career in the private sector, including six years in China working for Procter & Gamble, before going into politics. Mr. Tester is a third-generation dirt farmer and former schoolteacher, first elected to the Senate in 2006. I once ran into him at Costco (here in Washington, not Montana) – he’s hard to miss with his distinctive flattop – and we had a nice chat.

But there’s no denying the yin and yang of their relationship. At our well-attended May 2 breakfast, Mr. Daines was soon taking another dig at his state’s senior senator: “It’s almost as if there’s two different states represented, truly. If you look at Jon Tester’s voting record, it’s 95% with Joe Biden.”

And, Mr. Daines added for good measure, “I’m pretty sure by the time we get to November, Montanans will have a very clear view of what his voting record has been like.”

Maybe this Montana odd couple’s days are numbered. But with six months to go before Election Day, the game has just begun.

Watch the full video here. Read our coverage here. 

Montana
has its fair share of unique roofing challenges. Seasonality limits
timelines, while the varying landscapes and climates demand resilient
roofing systems. However, the expansive state also faces challenges that
roofing contractors everywhere understand.

Labor shortages
continue to hamper roofing companies, compounded by the difficulties of
recruiting younger generations more interested in being “influencers”
than climbing onto a roof. But in the Treasure State, two gems are
shining in the Montana Roofing Association’s crown, which indicates a
bright future for the industry.

At its 35th annual convention in
January, the MRA chose Morgan Thiel and Rachel Hoover as its president
and vice president, respectively, marking the first time in the
association’s history women held both roles. The move represents the
association’s desire to see the next generation lead the way and an
increased effort to make roofing more inclusive.

“I feel like
we’re in a unique space where we’ve both come from companies that have
really championed women – about half of my company is women,” Hoover
said. “I think that we’re seeing the desire to have more women in the
space because of the unique things we bring.”

Madams President and Vice President

Thiel
is a third-generation roofer — her father and uncle co-own Thiel Bros.
Roofing in Sidney, Mont., and she grew up working at the family business
during summers, something she continued to do in college. After
finishing her post-secondary education, she returned to work full-time
in 2018.

Her official title is project coordinator, but she dons
several hats in the company, whether handling project paperwork, running
machines or working on a roof.

“I felt very welcomed at every
level in this industry. And I think that’s a really good sign moving
forward,” Thiel said. “I know a lot of women did push through more
uncomfortable times for us to kind of get where we are, but yeah, I
think that’s a really positive direction that the roofing industry is
going.”

Thiel Bros. Roofing is also a founding member of the
Montana Roofing Association. As a result, Thiel attended MRA conventions
as a child, especially when her parents ran the events. Two years after
joining the company full-time, some of the members asked if she would
join the MRA’s convention committee. She took them up on the offer,
continuing a family legacy.

A year after that, Thiel became vice
president of the MRA, a position she held for three years until she
became president in 2024.

Hoover’s journey into roofing began two
years ago when she joined Ace Roofing in Wilsall, Mont., as its director
of marketing. However, it’s not her only connection to the industry.
Hoover’s grandfather owned a roofing company in Montana, which was also a
founding association member.

“It was really fun [connecting] with Morgan’s dad and uncle and hear stories about my grandpa,” Hoover said.

Ace
Roofing’s founder and president, Jake Magalsky, had served as president
of the MRA. In 2023, he asked Hoover if she would serve on the
association’s convention committee. Hoover was glad to step into the
role, where she worked alongside Thiel. When Thiel became president,
Hoover was elected vice president and chair of the convention committee.

Her
experience with event marketing, sponsorships, developing growth
strategies and community involvement through Ace Roofing have made her
an asset to the MRA.

“I’m not the one putting roofs on, but it’s an important role and something that I really enjoy doing,” Hoover said.

Although Thiel and Hoover may be a minority in the roofing industry, the duo’s rise to the top leadership positions is no fluke.

“I
think that the members that voted us in obviously see the value in
having some newer people that maybe are a little bit more innovative or
looking at [how] we can change things to make things better,” Hoover
said.

The Montana Roofing Association’s annual golf outing benefits its Cameron Sauter Memorial Scholarship. The program has granted more than $40,000 in scholarships since 1994.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

Changing
things for the better includes bringing more women into the workforce.
According to the National Roofing Contractors Association, in 2019,
women made up approximately 2% of the roofing labor force, one point
more than a decade earlier.

“A lot of people don’t really know
about it as an option,” Thiel said. “We’re from a small town in a remote
area, but a lot of people don’t really even know what we do or what
working at a roofing company looks like until they come and try it out.”

In
addition to the MRA initiatives, a Montana-Wyoming chapter of National
Women in Roofing is slowly but surely growing in membership. Thiel, who
heads the chapter, expressed that there can be difficulties bringing
people together in such a massive state, but the efforts are paying off.

“We
try to get a women’s lunch going at all our MRA events to grow that,”
Thiel said. “It’s incorporating those events to give women a place in a
[fairly] male-dominated industry.”

Thiel and Hoover emphasize
education as one of the cornerstones of their approach, drawing
inspiration from groups like the NRCA. Among their strategies are
reaching out to people seeking a different career and working with
schools to present roofing as a viable career path.

“Women are
really good with technical details and tend to be better at taking care
of paperwork and reports along with running a lot of the machinery we
operate that is more detail-oriented, so there are definitely companies
looking for women for specific roles,” Thiel said.

Looking to the Future

The
efforts go beyond gender. The MRA is pursuing ways to reach other
minorities in roofing and younger generations. This has included
bringing guest speakers to its conventions and seeking information and
resources from manufacturer partners.

“It’s shifting the
perception away from ‘it’s a summer job’ to a legitimate career path,
not just for women, but for men too,” Hoover said. “Most of the people
in our organization didn’t think they were going to go into roofing, and
they found a place and they made a good career out of it.”

Technology,
as a solution for making roofing more efficient with fewer workers,
continues to gain steam, though the construction industry is
traditionally a late adopter. Montana’s diverse landscape and remote
locations mean roofing companies vary wildly in what products they use,
whether on the roof or in the office, so making suggestions to MRA
membership isn’t one-size-fits-all.

“Everyone is struggling with
workforce issues these days, so this is just one way we’re looking to
solve that issue,” Thiel said.

Thiel admits her company might be
“behind the curve” in implementing technology but understands why —
companies with more extensive legacies have innate understandings of how
their operations work, so the urge to modernize can become an
afterthought.

“We’re pretty much always looking for something that
can work for us; it’s been a bit of a challenge finding programs that
will fit what we do, specifically us because, since we’re in such a
remote area, we do a lot of different things to serve our region,” Thiel
said.

By comparison, Ace Roofing has adopted various software
programs to streamline its operations. However, Hoover cautions that
companies must ensure they’re not bringing on tech simply because it is
new.

The duo points out that adopting technology is more than
using modern software and drones. The latest gadgets, tools and
equipment make roof applications easier than in past decades, and as
more advancements to roofing products hit the market, equipping crews
with them can make the job more appealing to those who perceive it as
grueling work.

“I think the other part of it, too, is I think
we’re all a bit unique. [Ace Roofing has] a fairly young team,
millennials and some Gen Z, so I think those generations are very eager
to implement new technology if it means working smarter, not harder,
which is great,” Hoover said. 

The association’s approach to
tackling all these issues is multi-pronged. For instance, Hoover said
the MRA’s political committee has been active, meeting with state
lawmakers and representatives as recently as last March to garner
support for the industry.

“I think we’re involved in things on
multiple levels, making sure we’re serving the roofers of Montana and
serving our industry the best we can,” said Hoover.

Of course,
it’s not all work and no play for the MRA. The association holds an
annual golf tournament to support its scholarship and is hosting its
third annual fishing trip at Flathead Lake in July.

As they lead
the MRA into the future, Thiel and Hoover are grateful for the
association and the support they’ve received from its membership. Both
readily seek advice to fill the gaps in their knowledge.

“We have a
lot of older members who have been around a long time and have a great
deal of knowledge, experience, and wisdom that guide us a lot,” Thiel
said. “We have a lot of people who have grown up, like me, [as] children
of founding members that are in leadership positions now, which is cool
to see, and then we also have quite a few new people stepping in … it’s
cool to see different perspectives from different groups.”

Hoover agreed that having that depth of information has been invaluable.

“I
feel like they’ve really kind of taken us under their wing; they’ve
been mentoring us and giving us advice on the things that work [and] the
things that haven’t, and it’s just been such an amazing wealth of
knowledge,” she said.

EBS STAFF

While we all find different reasons to give back to our community, Ryan Blechta’s gateway into involvement in Big Sky was his love for hockey. One of the founders of the Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association, Blechta has not stopped his public service, today serving on the board for the Big Sky Community Organization and Peaks and Prairies at Spanish Peaks Golf Course. Blechta truly believes that part of being in a community is giving back to it, which is one of the many reasons he, alongside his wife Sarah and their daughter, love living in Big Sky.

Blechta is the senior director of ground and mountain operations at Spanish Peaks, and chatted with Explore Big Sky not only about his time with nonprofits, but also Spanish Peaks’ environmental efforts and his favorite part about work—watching those mountain sunrises on the golf course at 6 a.m.

This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.

Explore Big Sky: Ryan, tell me a little about yourself. What brought you to Big Sky initially and what made you stay?

Ryan Blechta: In 2005 I moved here from Minnesota to take a job as an assistant golf course superintendent. I was looking to get away from the big city life and Big Sky seemed to be a chill town with a lot of potential to grow. Originally my plan was to stay a couple of years, get experience and move on to a golf course superintendent job somewhere else in the west. After one winter of being here I met my future wife Sarah who had grown up in Big Sky and was back for the summer. Fast forward almost 20 years and now we are raising our daughter here in Big Sky, involved in the community and love what Big Sky has to offer for families.

EBS: What led you to your position today with Spanish Peaks Mountain Club?

RB: In 2011 when Spanish Peaks was going through bankruptcy, I had the opportunity to help a small team ensuring preservation of the course during those two years. In the fall of 2013 when CrossHarbor purchased Spanish Peaks I was promoted from my position at Yellowstone Club to the superintendent position at Spanish Peaks. We reopened the course in the summer of 2014 and it’s been such a great opportunity and experience over the last almost 11 years.

EBS: Tell me a little bit about what you do at SP and what your favorite thing about your position is:

RB: In my role I oversee all the grounds and mountain operations for Spanish Peaks. From the 18-hole golf course and the new par 3 course to the Nordic and member access grooming, there isn’t much I won’t help with around the club. You can find me all over the property, mostly outside if I have my way, and I really enjoy working with and getting to know our members and other associates. One of the things I love most about my job is managing people, teaching them what I have learned and it’s a real bonus watching the sunrise over the beautiful landscape and golf course at 6 a.m.

EBS: What other organizations or groups—inside of work or outside—are you a part of? Do you believe it is important for locals in Big Sky to get involved in some fashion?

RB: I first started getting involved in the community back in 2010 when Marty Pavelich got together with a group of us hockey guys to talk about getting a rink for Big Sky. It was then we created the Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association and my passion for giving back really began. It was such a great experience to help start a nonprofit from the ground up and see it through to the end, over 13 years we accomplished so many things I am proud of. In my own industry I became involved in the local golf course superintendent’s association called Peaks and Prairies and just finished my term as president. The organization I am focusing my efforts with currently is Big Sky Community Organization and I sit on the board of directors. I have served on the BSCO board for four years and am focused on the parks and trails programs as well as being heavily involved with the new park design. I truly believe that if you want a voice in Big Sky you should join an organization and get involved. I really care about our community and want to be involved in the community my family calls home. I think everyone who lives here should get involved in something they are passionate about, it can be as simple as helping on trail clean up day or as involved as joining a board. 

EBS: With no formalized government, local businesses such as SP have a strong voice in the way Big Sky operates—what responsibilities do you see SP holding in the community?

RB: I believe Spanish Peaks is an organization that has a lot of responsibility in the community through the Spanish Peaks Community Foundation. They have supported many employees and organizations in Big Sky. Through their efforts they have funded grants to local organizations and projects that help enrich the greater Big Sky community. This town is continuing to grow and is going to continue to need support through organizations like the SPCF with funding projects that help identify community needs. 

EBS: Are there any environmental initiatives SP is involved in when it comes to the ski area or golf course?

RB: One of the great things about working at Spanish Peaks is the environmental aspect of my job.  We just finished our Best Management Practices manual for Spanish Peaks last year and having this guiding document in place really helps us make the right decisions when managing our golf operations within this beautiful and sensitive environment we call home. We carefully use reclaimed water under approvals from the state to water the turfgrass and other areas at Spanish Peaks. This practice is widely used by golf courses across the county and allows us to reuse this resource in a beneficial manner. By using reclaimed water, it avoids the need to supplement that same watering need with valuable groundwater sources, allowing more groundwater to reside within the watershed that aids in the overall watershed function. Golf courses are also great wildlife corridors and managing these successfully makes me proud of what I do. We accomplish this by maintaining proper messaging throughout the SP community and ensuring that our staff is adequately trained to share that messaging to our members and guests. I am part of an internal wildlife working group, and we meet quarterly to find ways to improve our practices to manage the human/wildlife interactions within our community. More information can be found on wildbigsky.com. Utilizing these sensitive management practices on our golf course has been beneficial in my time at Spanish Peaks, and I hope we can be a model for others to follow within the industry. 

EBS: Anything else I missed that you would like to tell the Big Sky community, whether it be about your work, or yourself?

RB: When I am not at work, I love to spend time with my family. I have a 12-year-old daughter that loves soccer, so we get to travel all over to watch her play. In the summer months we love to hang out at Hebgen Lake and wake surf; I obviously love playing golf and try and get out as much as I can to work on my handicap. In the winter months I love to play hockey and nordic ski and we enjoy skiing as a family. I just love being outdoors, I will find something to do as long as it is outside.