Meet our management team! These six hands-on, talented
team members are truly experts in their fields. They
strategically steer the direction of the franchise while
working closely with both bakery owners and the
25-member Dillon crew. Whether in bakeries, at industry
gatherings, or researching ways to better our business,
they're the real thing: great leaders and great people
too.
Mike Ferretti,
President and CEO
Janet Tatarka, Director
of Franchise Services
Mark Peterson, Director
of Bakery Operations
Michael Basile, Chief
Financial Officer
Debbie Huber, Director of
Development
Kate Ord, Director of
Marketing
If you've had
a chance to check out some of the other pages on
this site, you're probably thinking the same thing I
was back in 2001. What a cool company. What cool
people. What a philosophy. Wow!
For years, I had envisioned an environment where
people worked to make a difference in the world, and
were still able to make a living. I'm a dad too, and
I wanted to show my kids that you can be a
responsible corporate citizen and still operate a
professional, high quality company. Great Harvest
was it. In June of 2001, I jumped in and never
looked back. I've served as President & CEO of Great
Harvest Bread Co. ever since.
One of the things I'm most proud of is our Great
Harvest mission statement. To paraphrase, it says
life is too short to not have a good time. If you're
going to do something, take the time to do it right.
Treat people with respect. Make some money to fund
the things that matter to you. Take care of the
people and things around you. These aren't ideals
that we put down at the end of the day. That really
is who we are.
How did I get here? I spent quite a few years as a
franchisee of a different system to learn how to
operate a small business firsthand. I also spent
some time consulting for that same franchise
company, later acting as their chief financial
officer. This combination of franchisee and
franchisor experience has allowed me to bring a
unique, and hopefully fair, perspective to Great
Harvest.
Life before franchising was pretty different. I was
a tax accountant with Price Waterhouse, specializing
in the financial institutions business. I went to
college at the University of Virginia, and earned my
MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
In my free time,
you'll find me hanging out with my wonderful wife,
Eadie; our cool kids, Peter and Michael; and our
dog, Benji. I love spending time on my bike and
crave moments on the open road. I've completed
over 40 bike rides of at least 100 miles, many of
them as a volunteer coach for the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. In a
somewhat questionable move, I recently decided to
expand my exercise horizon and enter the multi-sport
world of triathlons. I'm starting to think riding a
bike for 100 miles is a whole lot more fun when I
don't have to swim before - or run after - the ride.
See you in Montana, the bakeries, or somewhere in
between...
Mike 
Experience
Small business is in my blood! Growing up, my
parents owned and operated both a 19-unit motel and
managed the county airport. I learned owning your
own business is the most rewarding job on the planet
– but it takes a load of hard work and focus to be
successful. I started my career in Denver, Colorado
at National Jewish Center for Immunology and
Respiratory Medicine as a supervisor in their food
service. I joined Great Harvest in 1991 as a
“generalist”. Over the years my job experience
included being “The Wheat Lady,” convention planner,
customer service trainer at new store openings,
extranet webmaster, newsletter editor and numerous
other responsibilities. In 2000 I became the
Director of Franchise Services. The Franchise
Services Department trains new stores and oversees
group purchasing, nutrition, web strategies,
convention, testing and distributing wheat, and
research and development of new products and
processes.
Competencies
Give me the idea, I can make it happen; keeping
projects and goals on track; balancing many balls at
once – and being in control of the balls! Foodie.
Education
B.S. degree in Food Systems Management from Montana
State University. Minor in Business Management.
In My Free Time
Family: My husband and kids are a gift I try hard to
appreciate and enjoy every day. Cooking: I love it!
It’s the way I relax. I’ll read any cooking magazine
I can get my hands on, and try the recipes I find.
Walking: It’s my favorite form of exercise (rumor
has it I can walk faster than some runners!)
Reading: I’m the program co-chair for our local
Shakespeare group – a book club that started in
1895. Music: I’m secretary of the Southwestern
Montana Arts Council. This group brings 10-12
musical events to the community of Dillon each year.
Favorite Aspects of Great Harvest
Giving out big, thick, fresh hot slices of Great
Harvest bread over the Breadboard. Being a part of
the training team for new store openings. I love
helping others realize their dream of opening their
very own business!
Experience
All of my work experience has been with Great
Harvest, starting in June of 1991 and working
happily ever after. Brought in as an "Administrative
Generalist", things progressed quickly due to
internal needs for bakery field support. Over the
next seven years, I held several positions including
opening trainer, bakery manager, field
representative, and franchise candidate selection.
Since 1998, I've been our Director of Bakery
Operations. Our department is responsible for
supporting and advising each and every bakery in the
core areas of their business, from bread quality and
menu development to improving bakery efficiency and
troubleshooting equipment problems.
Competencies
A natural people person. Excellent team builder and
team player. I love to teach and coach, and believe
you must do both side-by-side to have a happy staff.
Strong at prioritizing and juggling many balls, I
get things done and stay balanced at the same time.
Education
B.S. degree in Biology from Concordia College. Minor
in Psychology.
My Favorite Aspects of Great Harvest
I really love the people and the bread. It's also
allowed me to experience our great country, coast to
coast.
Family
I have a wonderful family. I married my high school
sweetheart, Kathy, in 1991 and have never looked
back. We have two children, Andy (born in 1992) and
Kelsey (born in 1994). When away from work, the four
of us spend most of our time adventuring in
Montana's great outdoors: playing sports, hunting,
fishing, and camping.
Belief
We get one shot at this little game called life, so
you might as well have fun. Life's too short to
spend all of your time working and worrying about
money. Get out, be active, live your dreams, and
enjoy the people around you.
Experience
I began my professional career in 1987 in the
Portland, Oregon office of KPMG, one of the few
remaining international public accounting firms.
After seven years with KPMG, I moved to Bend,
Oregon, to take the Treasurer position with Consep,
Inc., an ag-biotech firm. Two years later, in 1996,
I accepted the Controller position with Great
Harvest and my wife and I moved back to our home
state of Montana. My pre-Great Harvest experience
included SEC reporting and disclosure, financial
statement audit work, and mergers and acquisitions.
At Great Harvest, my primary responsibility is to
keep the financial affairs of the company in order.
Education
B.S. degree in Accounting from Montana State
University. I'm also a licensed CPA in the state of
Montana, and received my Masters in Business
Administration degree from Colorado State
University.
In My Free Time
I coach Little League Baseball, enjoy running, play
softball, ski, and spend time with my wife, Shauna,
and our three kids, Alex, Matt, and Madi.
What Keeps Me Going at Great Harvest
Definitely the people: both here in Dillon, and in
our franchise community. I can't imagine working
with a better group of individuals!
Credo
Gather all the facts, express an opinion based on
those facts, and know the difference between the
two. (Not sure if this is really a credo, or exactly
what it means, but I think it's pretty cool.)
Experience
Joined Great Harvest in 1991, fresh out of college.
Started by working on legal projects, squeezed into
a small office with Hans Wendt (now a Great Harvest
owner in Bellingham, Washington) and the mailing
table. After a few years, moved to the operations
side of the company and have done new bakery
tracking, training, openings, visits and special
projects. Managed several different Great Harvest
departments over the years. Presently serve as
Director of Development, with responsibilities
ranging from franchise candidate selection and
territory definition to location hunting and
franchise agreements.
Education
B.A. degree in Economics from Amherst College.
Master of Business Administration degree from the
University of Montana.
In My Free Time
I hang out with my husband, Jim, and two young kids,
Nick and Lindsey.
My "Finding Great Harvest" Story
I was finishing college in Massachusetts and
frantically job hunting all over the West. My
husband (boyfriend at the time) saw an ad in his
local paper for a job in Dillon, Montana. My first
reaction was, "That's very sweet of you to try to
help with my hunt, but there can't be a 'real' job
in Dillon, Montana." On a whim, I called the 800
number and was greeted by the nicest person on the
other end of the line. She sent me a packet of
information and I was shocked to learn what a cool
company this is - and that the job sounded very
challenging and interesting. Long story short, I got
the job and still love Great Harvest!
Credo
Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling
five balls. The balls are called work, family,
health, friends and integrity. And you're keeping
all of them in the air. But one day you finally come
to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you
drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls –
family, health, friends, and integrity – are made of
glass. If you drop one of these, it will be
irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.
And once you truly understand the lesson of the five
balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in
your life.
Favorite quote
"Those who give up freedom for security deserve
neither security nor freedom." ~ Ben Franklin
Experience
I’ve spent more than 15 years working with some
really fantastic Fortune 500 companies, arts
organizations, national nonprofits and high-tech
start ups. I’m a former executive with Seattle-based
public relations and advertising agencies The Rockey
Company (now Hill & Knowlton) and The EvansGroup
(now Publicis). My favorite clients include
Starbucks, Disney, Nickelodeon, the Seattle Art
Museum, Seattle Opera and a Boeing-sponsored
organization called Communities In Schools. In the
course of my career I also had the honor of
providing media relations support to a former U.S.
president, and to a personal hero of mine, Marian
Wright Edelman, president and founder of the
Children’s Defense Fund. One of my most enlightening
and enriching life experiences was in teaching
kindergarten at a highly diverse Title I grade
school in Ballard, Wash.
Competencies
Developing and managing public, employee, community
and customer outreach strategies; brand management;
major event coordination; market research; print,
video, CD and online communication production.
Experience in virtually all aspects of both
traditional and online marketing.
Education
I have a bachelor’s degree in communications with a
minor in psychology from the University of
Washington; K-8 Elementary Education Certification
from the University of Washington, Bothell.
In My Free Time
I look for every opportunity to relive my childhood
through my turbo-charged, super-silly son James. I
also follow current affairs, especially as it
relates to political, environmental and educational
issues. I enjoy bike riding, skiing, hiking, fly
fishing, traveling and spending time with my family,
including my Sheltie (dog) Jorge and Maine Coon
(kitty) Zoe. I also love inventive gourmet cuisine
in its many forms and cannot say “no” to chocolate.
Favorite Aspects of Great Harvest
Where to begin? The company philosophy embodies the
things I believe to be essential to a happy,
satisfying and fun career. I am very proud of how we
provide customers with tasty, healthy alternatives
to eating over-processed, nutritionally barren food.
I’ve been an enthusiastic customer and advocate of
Great Harvest for many years and now I have an
office wafting distance from the test kitchen. My
friends in corporate America are so jealous!
Favorite quote
Success
To laugh often;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a
healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social
condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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