Reynolds Receives Facelift

Customers and the community have seen many changes this year both inside and outside of Reynolds in Glasgow. Not only did the inside receive a complete facelift, but the parking lot has been extended and signs were put up to make the area more visible for drivers along Highway 2. In addition to the constructional changes, staff changes have also occurred with the team at Reynolds welcoming Manager Steve Semancik and Assistant Manager Sam Bassett.

Semancik arrived in May from Naples, Fla., and has worked in the grocery retail industry for 30 years. Though he admits he has worked and lived in larger markets, the area isn't totally out of the norm as he grew up ranching and farming. "It's a different way of living. It's nice to sit on the patio and have it be quiet. I can sit out and hear the geese and the odd train to break up the monotony," he stated.

His journey within the grocery retail industry started when he was a kid, admitting it was an industry that he gravitated towards. "The smell of cardboard and bananas are comfortable," he explained. He took a slight detour when he joined the military and went to boot camp on his 17th birthday. "It was the family business, but after awhile I decided I did not want to be involved in that. I did law enforcement for a while, and just became a jaded person with that," he explained. The grocery industry called him back and he has worked within it ever since. He explained many of the people he came up with in the business wasn't motivated to go to college and decided working in the supermarket field would work for them to be able to make a decent wage and benefits. He continued to pursue managerial roles and saw that it wasn't overly stressful and there is great job retention. "You receive middle to upper middle income. The industry would take care of you," he explained. Even though having a college degree was never a benchmark or requirement, Semancik received his bachelors of business from UCLA as part of the military study program.

Bassett started at Reynolds in January and moved from Salem, Ore. His decision to move to the Hi-Line and start with Reynolds actually started with finding a house in Nashua and then worked backwards with establishing himself with the area. "My wife and I were looking to buy a bigger house and were looking to move out of state. The wife was looking online and found a house in Nashua with property. So, we started exploring and looking at jobs and then started applying," he explained.

Along with Semancik, working in the grocery industry is not new for Bassett as he worked five years within the industry while in college pursuing his business management degree. "I was the primary cashier and receiving clerk at a small grocery chain, not very different from Reynolds. It gave me really good training in customer service and I learned different ropes," Bassett explained. "I really enjoy this job as I don't just sit at a desk all day. I'm getting exercise and moving around." Prior to moving, he worked as an office manager as his dad's medical office so he admits he gets to put his managerial experience and grocery experience into practice in this position.

Both Bassett and Semancik pride themselves in continued and improved customer service. "It's about serving the customers. I have seen Reynolds is known for excellent customer service, great deals and they have a great reputation for those things," stated Bassett. Semancik also wants to build upon what Reynolds is already known for. "The biggest piece I want to continue is providing the best customer service, and be the premier to shop in town. My goal moving forward is to build our team with younger team members to eventually take over for those who retire," explained Semancik.

Customer service is also a pride of Reynolds as a business, which was the reason for the recent remodel. John Reynolds, president of the company, stated it has been a long time since a remodel was last done and the goal was to try and design things for the long term.

"A lot of customers choose a particular grocery store because of produce so we really put a heavy emphasis on that. We placed very high priority and invested a lot of money for the customer experience and have a natural flow of shopping in an organized manner," Reynolds explained.

While not managing the store, Semancik enjoys sitting on the porch and traveling to enjoy music shows. "Right now we are just homebodies while we are accumulating to the new area. I will probably get into hunting and maybe some snowmobiling," he stated. While Bassett enjoyed snowboarding, nowadays he is trying out different home projects. "We bought chickens and built chicken tractors, chickshaw, which allows easy clean up. I have done so many things with fixing things and I also like podcasts and books. I'll listen and read lots of different things while cleaning and tinkering."

Both Semancik and Bassett stated the community has been very welcoming and they are excited to continue their journey with Reynolds and the community. "With the location, being able to beautify the community, showcases what Glasgow is about. Even though we are in the Middle of Nowhere, we have a great community of people and we can show off what we can do together," said Semancik. "This store seems spread out, so it's been great seeing people coming in to chat with others and have the ability to just hang out," said Bassett.

In addition to the facelift, Reynolds has also expanded their grocery pickup abilities. In addition to being able to pick up groceries in Glasgow, the service is now being offered in St. Marie and Fort Peck. The pickup time is from 12 to 1 p.m. and orders must be made by 5 p.m. the previous day. It will be available in St. Marie on Tuesday at the St. Marie City Hall Parking Lot and in Fort Peck on Saturday at the Fort Peck Theater Parking area. This will be available seasonally from May to September with a $15 delivery fee. To place an order, go to shop.rosieapp.com/Reynolds_market_glasgow. When checking out, choose LOCAL PICKUP and select either St. Marie or Fort Peck.

Bassett, Semancik and the team at Reynolds welcomes the community to come celebrate Reynolds Market's grand re-opening this weekend. Friday, Aug. 19 there will be food and a cash bar starting at 5 p.m. with entertainment by Central State at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 20, free doughnuts and refreshments will be available starting at 8 a.m., followed by the flag raising and ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. There will also be a free lunch with kids fun in the sun event starting at 11 a.m.