MISSOULA — Saturday, Montana Knife Company celebrated the grand opening of their sharp new facility in Missoula. Crowds from across the valley, the state and even the country came to get an inside look.
“It truly is the American dream,” Montana Knife Company’s chief operating officer Josh Smith said. “To be able to let them into the building, to give them tours, to show them what they helped us build. And you don't see that in manufacturing. Most people close their doors and you don't get to see behind the walls but, for us, it's built in public and we want to give people a chance to see it for themselves.”
Some people came from as far as Maine and Georgia. The festivities kicked off at 6 a.m. on Saturday with free gift bags for the first 50 people. But some tried to line up on Friday night and a line was already formed by 3 a.m.
Check out the grand opening here:
“I think there were 60 people in line at 2 a.m. and then, when I got here, there was just shy of 500 people in line before 6 a.m. It was absolutely crazy,” Smith said. “We have more people than I could have ever imagined would be here for it, so it's pretty cool.”
They got an inside look at the company’s new headquarters, including the factory store, Black Rifle Coffee Company’s coffee shop and the manufacturing facility. There were tours, raffles, food, bouncy houses and even a special guest from the skies: a Black Hawk helicopter.
“The first thing I did was get blasted by sand from an incoming Black Hawk helicopter, so that was fun,” said attendee Cory Rhoads. “You just kind of feel like you really are a part of the company, right? It feels like one big family.”
Rhoads is from Eureka, but came to support Montana Knife Company and its owners. He bought his first knife directly from them, back when the company was run out of a garage. Now, they are in a 51,000 square-foot factory.
“‘You want a knife?’ ‘Yeah, sure.’ ‘Here's the box,’ you know, ‘here's my phone, scan your card,’ and that's what it started all for me,” he said. “It's absolutely surreal.”
Rhoads has been a customer since attending a company veterans event in 2021. He has stayed in contact with the owners ever since.
“When I deployed to Syria in ’22, ’23. I always maintained contact with them. They sent me a care package when I was there,” he said. “I mean, I talked about them so much, even during deployment, I started being known as the Montana knife guy.”
The company hopes the new facility will be a hub for people from near and far. Smith hopes to continue expanding.
“Seeing people lined up around the building and across the parking lot for something that we built here in Missoula, Montana,” he said. ”Small Western Montana town, in the scheme of the of the country, and it shows that you can build a major brand in a rural place like this, you don't have to be in the big cities, and we need more of this in America.”
