It seems some shops are looking for skilled mechanics; not so sure they're looking for skilled parts people. We have an independent guy here in Butte who used to own the Honda/Polaris/KTM dealership. He and his wife divorced, and she got the business. That was awhile ago and part of the deal might have been a non-compete agreement that may have expired. Anyway, his name is Matt Kurshl and he has now opened an independent parts/service shop here in Butte called Two Wheelz. I stopped last week to buy some Stabil from him and asked how business has been. He said, "Just terrific. I could work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." I asked if he was reluctant to add personnel. He said, no, he would if he could find someone good and qualified. But I think he's looking more for a hands-on mechanic/assistant, than a parts specialist. But I think Matt expects the parts side of the operation to grow, too. He's been very good to me on tire prices. I take him the best price I can find on the Internet and he's been getting within $20-$30, then doing the mount and balance at $30/pair, off the bike. Who knows? There might be a synergy to be exploited.
Anyway, wishing Gary the best in these challenging times. (Part of the problem at Mon-Dak, I'm sure, is the price of oil going from $144/barrel to $75; Sidney is in the heart of the Williston Basin oil patch and when they're drilling and pumping and writing royalty checks, there's a lot of money around.)
