| Quality Supply first opened in 1965 as Quality Wholesale, a partnership between Clarence Peterson and a business man from Bozeman, MT. Clarence's wife Eunice worked with him through much of the 1970's. In November of 1972, Dave Peterson returned to Missoula to work with his father at Quality. In 1975 Clarence bought out his partner and renamed the store Quality Supply. In 1980 Suzanne joined the business after she and Dave married. While Dave oversaw the store operations, Suzanne's job was to develop a clothing department. About this same time, Clarence decided to semi-retire.
In 1984, Dave and Suzanne bought the store from Clarence and proceeded to open the second Quality Supply in Dillon, MT. Although it was three hours from Missoula, Dillon was a logical second location because many of the "Big Hole" and Dillon area ranchers were already customers of Quality Supply. Store two opened in July 1984.
Business in both stores grew steadily over the next 7 years. In 1991 plans were made to build a new store to replace the Missoula store. It would be more than twice as many square feet and more outdoor display and storage space than the existing store. The new store opened on July 27, 1992. Business continued to grow. Two years later, a new store was built for the Dillon location. This space went from a building with about 9000 square feet to one with 20,000. The Dillon store flourished with the expansion.
In September 1995, the third Quality Supply was opened in Hamilton, MT. There was a large customer base in the Bitterroot Valley, so it was an easy decision to open the third Quality Supply there. During the same year, the Missoula store was expanded to accommodate the growth it was experiencing, and to serve as a distribution center for the branch stores.
When Dave and Suzanne looked for another location for a store, they decided to go to Butte, where Suzanne grew up. The fourth store opened in May 1997. Business there has grown steadily since the store opened.
Each store is somewhat unique as it is adapted to serve the particular market where it is located. All stores have large clothing departments; three of the four stores have Service Centers for Outdoor Power Equipment repair; and one store, Missoula, has a saddle repair shop. The Missoula Store still hosts the distribution center for the branch stores. As space became a premium in Missoula, the Administrative Offices were moved off-site to provide adequate space for them and to allow for adequate office space for the store.
On any given day, you might run into Dave or Suzanne in any one of the stores. They pride themselves on having a "hands-on" approach to running their business. They want to meet and visit with their customers, and they want to get to know their employees. They believe that one reason for their success is the quality and dedication of their employees. Without good employees, the best businesses struggle to survive. Dave oversees all day-to-day administration for the stores, and Suzanne has taken over Human Resource Management for the stores. She also keeps watch over the growing and ever-changing clothing departments. Together they work to nurture the business that has been very good to them.
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