MISSOULA — The American dream is alive and well one of the owners of the co-founders Montana Knife Company said as he stood near the shovels that would ceremoniously break ground on a new era.
Co-founded by Josh Smith and Brandon Horoho, the company celebrated a significant milestone Wednesday morning — the groundbreaking ceremony for a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
This state-of-the-art facility — which is set to include corporate offices, a coffee shop, and a viewing area to observe the knife-making process — marks a notable evolution from its humble beginnings in a two-car garage.
“This day is a really big day for us, because it’s four or five years now we’ve been in the process of building this company and building the American Dream. We’ve done this entirely bootstrap and through one knife sale at a time," Smith said.
The expansion from its previous site near Frenchtown promises not only to enhance production but also to create jobs, with plans to employ between 150 to 200 people manufacturing knives for various purposes, including hunting, professional cooking, and tactical use for law enforcement and the military.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think Montana Knife Company would come this far," said Montana Knife Company Operations Manager Tristan Richter whose personal story is intertwined with the company’s success.
“I was a senior in high school and ended up getting a job with Josh and Brandon just for the summer on a gap year and ended up never going back to school. I put a lot of trust in them. Saw that they had something really special going on. I’ve gotten to see Montana Knife Company grow through every phase of its life,” he recalls.
Situated just west of Missoula at the Wye, the new site is expected to spur further development, including more retail shops and housing, cementing Montana Knife Company as a cornerstone of the community’s growth.
“Growing up in Lincoln, Montana. It’s a tiny little logging town. Never could I have imagined having 75 employees and knife-making becoming such a big part of what we do," Smith observed. "It’s going to be a place where people can walk in and witness that the American dream is still alive and real.”
The Montana Knife Company site is located on the former Five Valleys Livestock yard.
