GREAT FALLS – Do you ever wonder what it’s like to walk the halls of your high school?
Now imagine being the lead steel contractor for a project that same high school is working on.
That’s exactly what Duane Anderson had the chance to do on Wednesday.
“44 years ago, I walked out those doors thinking I’d never be back and not knowing what my life had in store for me,” Anderson said.
Anderson owns WMK Fabrication and Western States Steel Erection. The company is currently working on the project at Great Falls High School that will connect the two buildings.
“It’s really a warm feeling coming back to a school that gave me so much,” Anderson said.
His crew surprised him by painting his name and graduation year on a steel beam that will forever leave a mark on the building.
“They all knew that this job was special and meaningful to me. It was a surprise to drive up and see my name on a beam and class of ’74,” Anderson said.
Anderson tells us that even his mom graduated from Great Falls High School.
He says when GFPS approached him about the job, he was more than happy to accept it.
“We were excited about the scope of the project and the nature of the project. I told my team members that that’s definitely a job we want to do,” Anderson said.
WMK has about 150 workers and they are looking to establish an office in Great Falls.
“We see Great Falls as a community that’s always been very steady and stable and probably poised to have some growth here. We look to be a part of that,” Anderson said.
Reporting by Elizabeth Transue for MTN News
