By: Taylor Winkel- KCFW

NBC Montana

KALISPELL, Mont. - It's the third day of school for kids at Flathead High and one group of students is already knee-deep in their education.

Excavation began Thursday on an 1,800-square-foot home that students in the Flathead High School construction class are building. The property is on Corporate Drive in Kalispell.

While most high school courses focus on prepping kids for college, this class helps students develop skills so they can go straight into the work force after they graduate.

Flathead High teacher Brock Anderson says the program is especially helpful for kids who exceed in hands-on learning.

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Click here to see project details on our Hammerquist Casalego Website

By Ty Shanks, Western Building Center

Flathead High School has partnered with Western Building Center, Glacier Bank and Hammerquist and Casalegno to create a program for students to learn the construction trade. This partnership has evolved from the industries direct need for Middle-Skilled workforce.

According to the latest stats from 2012, 53% of all jobs in Montana are classified as Middle-Skilled. Between 2012 and 2022 50% of all job openings will be for Middle-Skilled workers. It is our mission to give the students of Flathead School Districts an advantage of learning valuable skill sets to give them a boost in the growing Middle-Skilled workforce.

Our Program will focus on those students who may choose to enter the workforce without the advantage of higher education. As our program continues year to year we will have a graduating class of students who have been trained in the growing construction industry. The combination of classroom learning as well as direct hands on training will prepare many young adults for the future employment in the growing Middle-Skilled workforce.

Flathead School District 5 has embraced the program and encircled it with direct funding of faculty, books, and teaching aids to focus on the development of the student carpenter. As the students break ground for construction, a group of private industry businesses have been preparing the lot, the building materials and the financing for the student built home. We have partnered with subcontractors who are prepared to lead the young men and women through the entire construction process.

The Flathead High School Construction Class will begin construction on the home September 1st, 2015 with a groundbreaking ceremony at 10:30 am. The jobsite will be 663 Corporate Drive. They will be bulding a 1800 SF 2 story home.

Kirk Hammerquist and John Casalegno established Hammerquist Casalegno LLC in 1989. The partners had both been working in the construction industry for nearly 20 years before deciding to combine their skills and experience and form the new construction business. Mark Casalegno, John's son and one of Hammerquist Casalegno's first employees, is also an owner in the company and part of the management team.

Initially offering general contracting services for smaller commercial projects, Hammerquist Casalgeno earned a reputation for delivering quality projects with integrity, on time and with budget. read more

Hammerquist & Casalegno has been selected for the 2014 Best of Kalispell Award in the Commercial & Office Building Contractors category by the Kalispell Award Program. Each year, the Kalispell Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Kalispell area a great place to live, work and play. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2014 Kalispell Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Kalispell Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Kalispell Award Program
The Kalispell Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Kalispell area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value. The Kalispell Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

Hammerquist Casalegno and GCCM makes for a win-win-win scenario when a projects reaches 100% completion with zero punch-list items. The Hammerquist Casalegno team takes great pride in delivering a zero punch-list project for one of our Clients. It is the proactive efforts of our staff working together with the designer and Client in planning, coordination, commitment, and execution of our work that allows us to deliver projects of unmatched quality on-time and in budget. These up front efforts afford us proactive opportunities to identify and resolve deficiencies early in the construction process and resolve them prior to close-out eliminating the need for lengthy punch lists. MacKenzie River Pizza Pub and Grill was no exception, this flagship restaurant reflects a vibrant and fresh look as part of their new branding theme for the company. The entire kitchen layout was redesigned to accommodate added equipment for their expanded menu. Hammerquist Casalegno maintained a close working relationship with MRP working through new exterior and interior finishing themes to ensure their vision for their new branding look was fulfilled. Working closely with the Client, our goal was to ensure their full satisfaction involving them in each phase of construction. The result, the New MacKenzie River Grill and Pub is an outstanding addition our local community. Most importantly, our efforts to achieve a zero punch list delivery eliminated costly delays that might have hindered our Client’s merchandising and a seamless opening. Activities that were also a high priority as a key project requirement established by the Client was a building ready for their move in, merchandising, start-up, and training program. MacKenzie River Pizza Grill and Pub opened at this north Kalispell location in early May, we encourage you to visit and experience this outstanding new restaurant concept and branding theme.