But seeing an opportunity the Kalispel Tribe has branched out the laundry operation with this Summer's opening a Kalispel Linen Services. This new business is located in a newly constructed 32,000 square foot industrial building immediately south of the warehouse at 202 S. Industry Dr . .The laundry operations inside the warehouse have now ceased ,although other Tribal departments continue to use that building.
The new Kalispel Linen Services building will allow for millions of pounds of laundry to be cleaned and dryed each year. In fact, with the additional space Kalispel Linen Services has also secured a contract with Providence Health System to provide laundry services for their area hospitals and health care facilities. The center will also continue doing the laundry service for Northern Quest and likely they will seek out more laundry contracts in the future to keep growing this new business venture.
The addition of this new business has also meant more new local jobs. At full staffing the Kalispel Linen Services plant employs 70, which is 50 more jobs then what they had at the small K-Wash operation next door. The new business is actually still hiring for some of these jobs and some have been filled by employees of Providence who came over with the move of their laundry operations to this plant.