Jennifer Ingraham manages Marketplace 3301, a 44,000-squarefoot antique mall that has been open a little more than two years.
Jennifer Ingraham manager, Marketplace 3301 “Antiques Roadshow,” “Storage Wars” and other reality TV shows have spawned a cottage industry in which modern-day fortune hunters comb garage sales, estate auctions and even sales to clear abandoned storage units in hopes of unearthing valuable treasures. Jennifer Ingraham, manager of Marketplace 3301, sometimes has to remind customers to adjust their expectations, even when they’ve been told that their stuff is rare and valuable. One man came in with a barbed-wire collection that had been appraised at $16,000 by an “Antiques Roadshow” expert, Ingraham said. While she didn’t try to discourage him from trying to make a profit, Ingraham told him that his collection could very well bring that much money in other parts of the country, but he might have trouble getting full value in a town like Billings. “The Internet and TV shows like that have really changed the market,” Ingraham said. It’s been a little more than two years since Marketplace 3301, a 44,000-square-foot antique mall, opened in the former Holliday Furniture store. Ingraham has seen hundreds of pieces of merchandise come through the store, but so far she hasn’t seen any eye-popping discoveries such as a genuine Ming vase or an Andy Warhol painting. Still, Ingraham sees a lot of interesting merchandise. One of her favorite items was a first American edition of the “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ingraham sold the book on the store’s Billingsbusiness
new eBay page, which has succeeded at putting merchandise in front of a larger audience. “We’re the middle man between vendors and the public,” Ingaham said. “We have more than 100 booths. People bring in things on a weekly or daily basis. We sell it for them and manage the public coming in.” The store sells a lot of antiques, but some of the more popular merchandise is what Ingraham describes as “shabby chic” and “repurposed, classy second-hand” items, such as used furniture made from real wood that still has plenty of life left. With the store’s eBay page, “We’re trying hard to embrace the Internet age,” Ingraham said. Describe how you got where you are in your work today. Creativity. There is only one way a career or a business can survive, and that is thinking outside the box and then following that imagination. What’s the toughest challenge that you have faced in your business? I love my family more than anything. However, sometimes the greatest challenge of running a family business, ironically, is that you are with your family...all the time. What did you learn from that challenge? We have all learned that we must each have an individual role and passion within our business. For me, I have found my niche and passion running our eBay and Etsy stores. For my
Age: 23 Family: Married, one child First paid job: Busing tables What I’m reading: “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Liked this movie: “2016” My theme song: “Home” by Michael Buble How I relax: Curl up with a good book and a cup of tea husband, it is working with the vendors and customers, etc. If you could make one positive change in Billings, what would it be? I would love to see Billings become more attractive. I feel that we are the major hub of Montana, and I would love to see some of our major entrances become prettier. For example, I drive in the King Avenue West/City Center exit every day. The median is huge, industrial and boring. I wish the city would consider doing some landscaping and adding some trees and flowers. Aside from profit and loss, how do you measure success in your job? How happy your job or business makes you, and as a result, how happy your job or business makes your customers or clients. Which living person do you most admire? My brother-in-law, Jed. He has a crippling disease known as Freidrich’s Ataxia and uses a wheelchair. However, he is still the happiest, funniest person that I know. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? Running a business and a family at the same time, especially considering I take my baby to work with me. I’m happiest when I’m… Doing something fun with my whole family.
Heidi Jensen is the first woman to serve as chief administrative officer for Laurel.
Heidi Jensen chief administrative officer, city of Laurel A little over two years ago, Heidi Jensen was hired to be the planner for the city of Laurel. But just two months into the job, a new opportunity came her way. “When the chief administrative officer’s job came open, they offered me this position to try out on an interim basis, and after a couple of months it became permanent,” said Jensen, who is the first female to serve as Laurel’s chief administrative officer. Jensen set out to prove herself, and two years later, she believes that Laurel is on the right track. “Every day I’ve learned an immense amount of stuff,” she said. “The job isn’t physically exhaustive, but my brain is tired at the end of the day.” Encouraging signs for Laurel include recent commercial development with the opening of the new O’Reilly’s auto parts store, an Auto Zone store and Pitt’s Pizza. Fiberglass Structures, which manufactures tanks and other vessels out of fiberglass and composite materials, is running round the clock to keep up with demand from the Bakken oil boom, Jensen said. “Commercial growth is the best kind to have,” Jensen said. “We’ve heard of the possibility of a half-dozen other commercial businesses coming in.” Jensen enjoys working with the city council. “They’re very progressive, and they’re interested in moving Laurel forward,” she said.
Describe how you got where you are in your work today. After high school I attended college at Montana State University. I graduated with a master’s degree in public administration, a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in business administration. Fortunately, I graduated during the construction and population boom in Gallatin County, and when I saw the opening for a planning position with the City of Belgrade I knew it would be a perfect fit with my interest and degrees. I worked for the city of Belgrade for four years before having the opportunity to be the city-county planner for the City of Laurel. I was offered the position of chief administrative officer with the city and have not looked back at the fantastic opportunity to grow in government experience and provide excellent service to the Laurel residents. What’s the toughest challenge that you have faced in your business? The city of Laurel experienced significant damage during the flooding of 2011 and I have been learning how to navigate the process of acquiring federal funding through permits and applications. I also deal with the day to day challenges of managing 64-plus employees. What did you learn from that challenge? Persistence, and that taking small
Age: 31 Family: Single First paid job: Basketball referee at Helena YMCA What I’m reading: “The Racketeer” by John Grisham Liked this movie: “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” My theme song: “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys How I relax: Water skiing steps toward a large goal makes things seem much more manageable. If you could make one positive change in Billings, what would it be? I would like to see increased recycling opportunities for plastics, steel, newspaper and glass, with easy accessibility and pick-up for residents. Aside from profit and loss, how do you measure success in your job? Public satisfaction. Being in the public sector, I am here to serve the people, and Laurel is a very vocal and participant-oriented community. I will receive many calls when residents are upset or disagree with a decision that has been made, but the one call I treasure is the thank you. Which living person do you most admire? My parents. What do you consider your greatest achievement? I think that since we are all under 40, our greatest achievements are still to come. I am proud of being Laurel’s first female and youngest CAO. I’m happiest when I’m… At the lake with my family. February 2013
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