SUPERIOR — Superior Meats is becoming a nationwide name.
So much so that the U.S. Small Business Administration named Owner Jerry Stroot as the Treasure State's Small Business Person of the Year.
With the Montana Meat Processors Association annual convention in Missoula, busloads of interested meat industry members drove over to see how owner of Superior Meats, Jerry Stroot, does it.
"I was born and raised in it, so it's what I do," Stroot said.
One attendee even traveled from the East Coast.
"Came in all the way from Pennsylvania for the install of the Kerres House at Superior Meats," said Bill Mahonski with Kerres USA.
A special smoker was installed to upgrade Superior's capabilities.
"We're able to help the meat industry in Montana and across the country," Manhonski said.
Almost 30 years ago, Jerry Stroot had an idea for meeting business goals in Mineral County. He decided to build a facility where Montana meat matters most.
"Getting it local is a big thing now and the only way you're gonna get that is through plants like this," Stroot said.
Between processing, products, and running a storefront, Stroot said he's dedicated to supporting the Superior community.
"We've got 23 employees now. We're closing in on close to a million dollars in wages that a year that we're putting out. You know, just providing the jobs for the young people and families in the area," Stroot said.
That's why the Mineral County Economic Development Corporation nominated Stroot as the best small business person in Montana.
"I thought, well, what the heck we'll do it, and here I am," Stroot said. "It's not so much for the meat itself, it's just the jobs we've created here."
Stroot's not stopping there. He's developing a way to make his business greener.
"We've got a digester out here that processes the waste off of the animals. There's only 2 of them in the United States operating, so, rather than taking everything to the landfill, we're turning it into a soil amendment product that is great for the environment," Stroot said.
