{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-25/stancraft-boat-kalispell-office-return","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-25/stancraft-boat-kalispell-office-return.md","title":"StanCraft Boat Returns to Flathead Valley","headline":"StanCraft Boat Opens Kalispell Office and Rebuilds Kelly Rae's Gas Station in Batavia","description":"StanCraft Boat opened a Kalispell office and began rebuilding Kelly Rae's gas station in Batavia, hiring more Montana staff while building boats in Idaho.","section":"Expansion","published_at":"2026-10-25T13:33:47+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-25T13:33:47+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["StanCraft opened a new office at 141 Main Street in Kalispell, Montana, returning to the Flathead Valley after more than 40 years away.","The company's first Flathead Valley project is rebuilding Kelly Rae's, a Batavia gas station that burned down in January 2025.","StanCraft has around 300 people in its construction companies and 80 more in its marine division, with plans to hire a couple more Montana employees."],"companies":[{"name":"StanCraft Boat","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000efdx/stancraft-boat","website":"https://www.stancraftboats.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Yahoo","title":"Construction group, boat manufacturer StanCraft returns to the Flathead Valley","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/construction-group-boat-manufacturer-stancraft-130400316.html"},"other_sources":[{"publisher":"Express.co.uk","url":"https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2260101/major-update-450m-new-center"},{"publisher":"American City Business Journals","url":"https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2026/10/22/2026-most-influential-leader-chuck-whittall.html?ana=brss_6222"},{"publisher":"Fortune India","url":"https://www.fortuneindia.com/real-estate/omaxes-6200-crore-hotel-expansion-to-be-funded-by-project-sales-says-md-mohit-goel/166069"},{"publisher":"Construction Mirror","url":"https://constructionmirror.com/ganpati-group-announces-%e2%82%b9250-crore-investment-in-lucknow-hotel-partners-with-sheraton-hotels-and-resorts/"}],"tags":["Expansion","StanCraft Boat"],"body_markdown":"[StanCraft](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000efdx/stancraft-boat), the boat manufacturer and construction group founded on Flathead Lake in 1933, has returned to the valley with a new office in Kalispell, Montana, and its first local project is rebuilding Kelly Rae's, a Batavia gas station that burned down in January 2025. Yahoo [reported](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/construction-group-boat-manufacturer-stancraft-130400316.html) the return on October 25, 2026.\n\n## StanCraft's Kalispell Office and First Project\n\nZach Schermerhorn, who oversees Montana market development, said a wooden boat stood outside the new office during its open house earlier this fall. \"People wanted to come by and meet us and tell us about the StanCraft that they knew and loved way back when,\" Schermerhorn said.\n\nJosh Horvath, president of StanCraft Construction Group, said the rebuilt Kelly Rae's will be more modern, with better egress in and out of the parking lot near U.S. 2, more gas pumps, a larger interior and a bigger beer cooler. \"It's really cool that we had the opportunity to build this, just because it is so well known in the area,\" Horvath said.\n\nStanCraft still builds wooden boats in Hayden, Idaho, where Jason Stirtz, vice president of operations, said each project takes about 6,500 hours. \"It truly is a labor of love,\" Stirtz said. The company has around 300 people associated with its construction companies and an additional 80 in its marine division, with offices in Hayden and Pend Oreille, Idaho, besides Kalispell.\n\n## StanCraft's Boat Business and Company Records\n\nAccording to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), StanCraft was founded in 1933 and has been making hand-crafted wooden boats for over 90 years, now in its fourth generation of family boat makers. The records show the company grew from three boat builders in a 2,000-square-foot shop in 2003 to over 100 employees, and it operates a manufacturing facility of more than 45,000 square feet in Hayden, Idaho. Third-generation owners Amy Bloem and Robb Bloem returned to Coeur d'Alene in 2003 to take over the company, according to the same records.\n\n## Other Construction and Hospitality Expansions\n\nCenter Parcs completed the A7 junction for its new £450 million Scottish Borders village, a milestone for a resort set to open in summer 2029 with around 700 lodges, Express.co.uk [reported](https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2260101/major-update-450m-new-center) on October 24, 2026. Unicorp National Developments is planning a $1 billion transformation of the former Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive, a project expected to span seven years, American City Business Journals [reported](https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2026/10/22/2026-most-influential-leader-chuck-whittall.html?ana=brss_6222) on October 23, 2026.\n\n## StanCraft's Montana Hiring Plans\n\nHorvath said StanCraft plans to hire a couple more Montana employees in the coming months, starting with Schermerhorn. The company's Kalispell office is at 141 Main Street, and more information is available on its [website](https://www.stancraftboats.com).\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}