Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/1457328
D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 32 Trecie Wheat Hughes BROKER (406) 579-5416 treciewheathughes@gmail.com Jackie Wickens BROKER (406) 451-3485 jackiewickens@gmail.com "Knowing Jim Harri- son lived there is pretty special," he says. "Hell, Anthony Bourdain ate in that kitchen!" While Brian and his family look forward to many happy hours spent at the Harrison Farm, it will also be enjoyed by friends, family, and colleague—in- cluding lucky Port X employees on corporate retreats. Although these sound like a far cry from ice-breakers and trust falls: "we trek into the wilderness about 8 miles with all of our gear and set up shop at a mountain lake," he says. "The connection with na- ture and disconnect from the rest of the world allows us to focus, plan, and execute." Some have dubbed these retreats "Montana boot camps," and they perfectly encapsulate what Brian loves about Montana—ruggedness, self-reliance, and big, bold action. At the retreats, he says, he spreads his own leadership gospel, hard-won and honed from years of experience: "make the plan, stick to the plan, and act with a 'why not us' attitude." But when he's not making bold moves, he's relaxing and en- joying Harrison Farm. "It really does have a soul," he says. "It feels so comfortable. A lot of years of hard work and I have my own 'farm.' It's something that I have always wanted and to spend time out there is truly awesome." The poet T.S. Eliot said, and forgive us for paraphrasing, that "...the end of all our exploring will be to arrive at where we start- ed and know the place for the first time." For Brian, life started on a farm. Now, a new chapter begins on a farm many thousands of miles away from that one. It won't feel any less like home for all that. Brian's exploring hasn't ended, far from it. Now in his mid-for- ties, Brian has no plans to stop, and at the rate he's going, he'll probably start a dozen more companies by the time he's fifty. He's just beginning. Brian is the rarest of creatures in big business—the visionary boss who also puts time into his relationships with his people. Who else would employ a full-time "Chief Heart Officer" to provide emotional support for his Port X team? Trecie Wheat Hughes noticed it immediately: "From the moment I met Brian, I trusted him and knew he was the real deal. Success hasn't changed the determined farm boy. But maybe that deter- mined farm boy can change what success looks like for us all." Still, it all begs one question: will he ever try his hand at raising a prize dairy cow again now that he has his own farm? "I would say slim. Dairy cows are a lot of work," he concedes with a chuckle. Because if he did, it's a pretty safe bet it'll turn out to be one hell of an animal. It's montana's ruggedness It's montana's ruggedness BRIAN LOVES MOST. HERE, HE SAYS, YOU CAN "CREATE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE AND DO WILD THINGS THAT MANY BACK EAST WOULD NEVER DREAM OF." BRIAN KEMPISTY BRIAN KEMPISTY