It was 1982 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pete Rysted found himself unemployed and in the midst of a major economic recession. For more than twenty straight years—since he was 11 years old—he'd held a job. But after a second layoff, Pete decided he didn't want a job anymore. He wanted his own business.

"That major spell of unemployment was the best thing that could've ever happened to me," he explains. "I needed that kick in the pants."

That weekend, Pete picked up the Sunday paper. Instead of going to the "Help Wanted" ads, Pete skipped straight to the "Business Opportunities" listings. Clear as day, Pete can still remember the ad headline: "Whole Wheat Bread Bakery For Sale." Pete didn't know much about baking, but he sure did like the sound of Montana. Being an avid climber and outdoorsman, Pete had already put 10,000 miles on his car in six weeks of driving back and forth between Minnesota and the Rocky Mountains.

So the very next day, Pete Rysted called the owners of the little Great Falls bakery. Pete Rysted scheduled a meeting with Pete & Laura Wakeman for that Thursday, drove out to Montana, and six weeks later, the bakery was his.

Pete remembers being scared to death at the proposition of baking bread and running a bakery. "It was like being thrown into the deep end of a pool," he recalls. But after his first week of training, Laura and Pete W. agreed: Pete Rysted was born to bake.

Bread has always been #1 in Pete's mind and in his business. From the beginning, he felt the Great Falls Great Harvest had a mystique, a reputation to uphold. He wanted to maintain a bakery "where bread reigns supreme." Indeed, bread still does reign supreme in the Great Falls Great Harvest! Great Falls is known for some of the best bread in the franchise system, and Pete's passed on the tradition by having taught the craft to countless current bakery owners.

Pete enjoys the lifestyle that the bakery has provided him over the years. Pete explains, "Owning this bakery has really opened the world to me. It's changed my life in ways I never would have thought possible."

“When I was a girl, I didn’t play dolls, I played restaurant,” jokes Erika Boland. Now she is living her childhood dream as the owner of a Great Harvest bakery with her husband, Ray. Erika’s kids now get to play their own pretend games amongst bread racks and barrels of honey.

The Boland’s gave up their corporate lives (Erika in medical sales and Ray at Coca-Cola) to bring unique and exceptional bread, sweets and sandwiches to their loyal customers in Duluth, GA. “People think we’re crazy for giving up our careers to open a bread store,” admits Ray. “In big business, you’re just another cog in a much bigger wheel and can forget about what’s important in life.”

Living a healthy lifestyle, which includes a well-rounded diet, regular exercise and a balanced approach to daily living, is important for Erika and Ray. With a college degree in nutrition, Erika began her career as a registered dietician. When she found Great Harvest as a customer, she recognized immediately the value of fresh-milled, whole grain breads rich with the vitamins, nutrients and fiber. Now she helps educate her own customers about the importance of whole grains in a healthy diet.

The Boland’s Great Harvest bakery is a lively, happy place where people come to enjoy great smells, fun music and a hot, free slice of bread. If you stop by, you’ll probably see Ray or Erika chatting with a customer in the lobby or kneading a loaf of bread. “We’ve always wanted to own a business together, and to have more control over our destiny,” says Erika.

Swapping sneakers and a basketball for a rolling pin and flour mill is not your everyday series of career moves, but for Greg Baughn of Murfreesboro, Tennessee it was a smart move. Greg and his wife, Jill, opened their new Great Harvest Bread Co. bakery in September, 2006.

Greg and Jill were first introduced to Great Harvest when living in Owensboro, Kentucky, where they frequently enjoyed fresh bread from the local Great Harvest bakery. For the Baughn family, it was love at first bite and they often discussed the idea of opening a bakery of their own someday. Greg’s business background includes sales and accounting, but his love for education led him to earning his master’s degree before continuing on as a teacher and basketball coach for nearly a decade.

In 2004, Greg and Jill started searching for a way to make their lifestyle more “family friendly.” Like many young families, they were feeling stretched to the limit between ballgames, work schedules, church activities and school events. Greg looked to his friend and running partner, the owner of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Great Harvest bakery as a possible role model and started doing research on the Great Harvest franchise. Greg says, “It didn’t take long before Jill and I had fallen in love with the core values, the philosophy, the mission and most of all the people of Great Harvest. We learned quickly that Great Harvest was more than just a store; it was a way of life.”

When their bakery opened, Greg went from teaching kids the game of basketball to teaching employees how to knead and bake bread. Greg’s commitment to young people and making a difference in their lives ties in well with the spirit of Great Harvest’s philosophy of doing business. The bakery’s eclectic employees share his kind-hearted, hard-working spirit.

“Great Harvest is all about making the best tasting products in a fun-loving atmosphere with generous people,” says Greg. “I want my friends and neighbors to be able to experience this energy when they step into the bakery.”

Setting goals and achieving success are common practices for Karen and Arnold Morgado. As lifelong residents of Honolulu, their journey prior to owning a Great Harvest bakery taught them many valuable skills they can utilize in operating their bakery.

Outstanding customer service is something Karen knows all too well from working for Aloha Airlines as a flight attendant for 32 years. Her focus has always been on creating a memorable experience for each and every person she comes into contact with. Slicing fresh, hot bread for every customer that walks into their doors is second nature to her. Karen’s warm and gentle smile has a way of making everyone feel welcome in the bakery.

Arnold has spent much of his life building strong teams. As a former running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, he understands the importance of team work. As he rallies his troops in the bakery, he utilizes many of the skills he learned on the football field. After he retired from football, he was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives for two terms and to the Honolulu City Council for three terms. Hanging up his political hat led him to a position with Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor. His diverse background has given him the opportunity to understand all aspects of operating a small business.

Building strong community ties and creating life-long relationships have also been an area of focus for Arnold and Karen. They were both very involved with their kids’ school and sporting activities. Arnold has a passion for coaching and spent many years as a pole-vaulting coach for a high school girls’ track team.

When it comes to operating their bakery, Karen and Arnold focus on executing the fundamentals well. From bread quality, to accounting and numbers management, to outstanding customer service, to managing employees, to marketing their business; all of this has been an exciting transition for them.

After their kids were raised, they considered owning their own small business. A good friend of theirs was in the process of selling his Great Harvest bakery – and the rest, as they say, is history!