Joyce Mitchell and her husband Dan moved to the Flathead Valley in 1989. They bought a place on Flathead Lake just north of Yellow Bay, a piece of property she wishes she still owned today. By 1992, Joyce had earned her Montana real estate license and was actively working at the Eagle Bend Realty office. That building now houses the Chamber of Commerce on Hwy 35 next to the Old Town Shopping Center. Having been in real estate for more than a decade, Joyce has seen a lot of changes. She has also made a lot of friends. Joyce's philosopy of business is to treat everyone who becomes her client as if they are her friends. As a result of this philosophy, she has created a network of friends who turn to her when they are looking for real estate. In fact, the couple who has gone into business with her, Doug and Amy Deaton, started out as clients.

The Deatons moved from North Carolina to Bigfork almost a year ago. Doug has roots in Montana. His mom grew up on a sugar beet farm in the Sidney area and he has other relatives that are scattered throughout the state. Doug's sister has a vacation home on the Swan River that was sold to her by Joyce. Doug's wife Amy came out for a visit a couple of years back and fell in love with Bigfork, so when the Deatons decided to make Montana their new home, it was Bigfork that they chose and Joyce became their real estate agent. In the real estate business, it is all about networking and no one understands that better than Joyce. Joyce has been dedicated to raising the level of professionalism in the real estate business ever since she became an agent. She has been actively involved in both the Montana Association of Realtors and the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors and has been the President of the Montana CRS Chapter since 2004. This year she earned the honor of being named Montana State Realtor of the Year.

Joyce started her Bigfork real estate career working for Mike Felt at Eagle Bend Realty. "It was a great way to start in the business, Mike was a visionary and a strong leader that I still have so much respect for." Joyce later went out on her own, running a one person office called Locations Montana from her home on the Swan River. "It was a very successful one person company until my Dad became ill. When I had to take time to care for my family, my one person business just couldn't function. I determined then, that I needed a support group that acts as a team so that if something came up again, I could continue to serve my clients regardless of what might happen in my personal life."

Joyce joined Tom and Katie Brown when they struck out on their own by purchasing the Eagle Bend Realty name from Mike Felt. Their timing and the size of the business they envisioned was perfect for her. That situation changed some when they merged their company with Trails West Realty. Joyce has spent the past six years with Trails West Eagle Bend Realty, first in the downtown office and then the past two years as managing broker out at the Harbor Village office. "One thing I learned early in my career is that real estate is an evolving business, nothing remains the same for very long, and you have to continue to evolve and learn in order to provide the service your clients expect. As the Trails West Eagle Bend office continued to grow, it grew out of my comfort zone and I realized that it was time for me to take on the challenge of creating my own agency. I wanted to put my personal touch on all aspects of the agency, but this time I wanted to make sure I had a team with plenty of support so that no matter what, the business could continue to function and perform."

All of us are familiar with the word synergy and that is exactly what happened shortly after Joyce made the decision to strike out on her own. "I envisioned a classic real estate office in a lovely cottage type setting with a company name similar to the ones on the east coast. The Tuscany building was vacant and I looked at it through new eyes and thought about what a perfect setting it has. It's a charming building, right in the village and it even has parking. I knew there would be some challenges and, of course, some resistance to having another real estate office in the village, but I also knew that when Doug and I were done transforming the building, it would be a great spot."

The old Tuscany's restaurant has been beautifully transformed into the new home of Mitchell Deaton & Associates. Inside is a warm cottage-like environment that gives the office the perfect setting for a personal real estate transaction.

Walter Kuhn was very open to having something besides a restaurant in the location so we were able to strike a deal very quickly. Right around this time, the Deatons were planning their own real estate careers. They had completed the remodel of their house on Landmark Lane and had successfully completed real estate school and earned their licenses. They were ready to start their new careers in Bigfork real estate just at the time that Joyce was looking for partners. Joyce had already established a great relationship with Amy and Doug and thought they would be a perfect fit for the new company. The Deatons were delighted to join Joyce in her new company.
During our interview, Doug explained it this way. "Joyce had everything we felt was important in a partner, a total commitment to customer service, integrity, extensive knowledge of the market, experience and also a willingness to share her knowledge. Joyce is a great teacher, from our point of view, it was a win - win situation. We were delighted when Joyce felt the same way."

Doug's background has always been in customer service. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he went to law school at Wake Forest. Upon graduation from law school, he practiced real estate law until he joined the family business. "Supreme Inslulation Inc. was started by my parents and when they decided to expand, they asked me to help them grow the company. I worked for Supreme for 20 years and helped to grow it into a major business with 12 locations around the country and in Canada. At Supreme, we were all about customer service, it was the foundation of our business because we believed so strongly that it was the only way to build a successful company. Two years ago, our primary competitor came to us with an unexpected offer, after due consideration, we decided the offer was just too good to refuse. At the time, I was Vice President in charge of operations and business development, a position that required considerable travel and took me away from my family quite a bit of the time." Doug and Amy have three children, twin girls Kelly and Shelby who are 13 and a son William who is nine. "Both Amy and I really wanted to be able to spend more time as a family and to enjoy the kids before they were all grown up."

"Bigfork was a logical choice for us, because we both liked the atmosphere of the community and the beauty of the surroundings. There are so many things that make this a special place in our minds, the way the elves gather to decorate the village at Christmas, the 4th of July parade and the family oriented carnival in Sliter Park. The volunteer spirit and the community activism are what attracted us to this area. We are delighted to be here and to raise our kids in such a family oriented environment."

Joyce is excited about having the Deatons for partners in her new business. "They will add so much to the community because they just naturally want to get involved and they are such down to earth and friendly people." The team that they have put together includes Christie Sherman, the Client Services Manager, a Bigfork native and a Bigfork High School graduate. They intend to keep the office small and personal, focusing on developing long term relationships with their clients and paying careful attention to the details so that each transaction goes as smoothly as possible.

Joyce explained it this way. "We all love this community and the people in it, this is a unique and wonderful little town and we want to keep it special. Growth and change are inevitable, but retaining the character of our community through its various changes is not an impossible task. It just takes that extra measure of dedication and a commitment to attracting others of like mind. Helping good people is what brings joy to my life, I think this is what makes real estate agents valuable, their experience, knowledge and willingness to guide people successfully towards their goals. To realize the potential of a property and perhaps make some dreams come true in our little corner of the last best place."

Congratulations to Joyce, Doug, Amy, and Christie on their new venture. Mitchell, Deaton and Associates is sure to be a winner because of their dedication to the community and their sincere desire to build lasting relationships with their clients. The Deatons realize that it will take time for them to build a network like the one that Joyce has, but they are committed to making their new careers in real estate as successful as their previous business. Welcome to the community and I know that I speak for Journal readers when I say welcome to both Mitchell, Deaton, and Associates and the Deaton family. Thanks for making the future in Bigfork brighter with your caring attitude and positive outlook.

Call Mitchell Deaton & Associates at (406) 837-1800

Or visit their office on Bridge Street in the Bigfork Village