Fire Within: Award winners Veronica Van Voast-Wall and Joanie Agamenoni

The Refinery

Award: Aspire

Owner: Veronica Van Voast-Wall

Established: December 2020

Contact: www.therefinerycollective.com

Veronica Van Voast-Wall's favorite part of owning a business is the flexibility and freedom.

Van Voast-Wall, 39, worked as a hairdresser right out of college, but she went into early childhood education after becoming a mom. She continued to be an independent stylist during her nine-year tenure at the Ursuline Center.

Eventually, she decided she wanted to be her own boss and opened The Refinery, a salon and retail store that uses organic haircare and skincare.

The Refinery was a COVID baby, opening during the height of the pandemic. Van Voast-Wall's business model was perfect for social distancing, though. Her plan was always to keep the salon a mellow, relaxing place that wasn't packed with customers and staff.

Not only does Van Voast-Wall own her own business, she also helps the independent contractors who work out of The Refinery own their own businesses. She said the women she works with are amazing.

Van Voast-Wall was born in Great Falls and returned in 2005. She said she's worked in downtown Great Falls for the majority of her adult life, so opening The Refinery allowed her to improve a downtown storefront and continue being a part of that community.

"If you have a vision there are people who are willing to help you come to fruition,” Van Voast-Wall said when asked what she's learned as a business owner. She gave kudos to her landlord for being on board from the beginning and helping her to succeed.

Van Voast-Wall encouraged anyone wanting to start a business to find as much support as they can, particularly from the Great Falls Development Authority.

"If you have an idea and you want to go for it, there’s people to help you,” she said.

For now, Van Voast-Wall wants to keep her business small and sustainable. She has some improvements to the outside of the business to do, such as painting and a sign.

She also hopes that The Refinery will become a downtown destination for people looking to buy gifts for friends and family.

Agamenoni and Frank Court Reporting

Award: Inspire

Owner: Joanie Agamenoni

Established: Took over in June 2000

It seems Joanie Agamenoni was always destined to be a court reporter.

She said she's been around the business since fourth or fifth grade. She started court reporting when she was 20, and her mom was the office manager of the court reporting business that Agamenoni took over.

Agamenoni and Frank Court Reporting does mostly depositions for attorneys. They also report for public hearings and do transcription work: “Pretty much any time they want to take the spoken word and put it into writing,” Agamenoni said.

Agamenoni's office covers the Golden Triangle area of Montana, so her hours can vary from the nine-to-five. Agamenoni said she likes the variety and being away from the office.

COVID-19 hit the courts hard, Agamenoni said, slowing or stopping many court proceedings. When they slowly started up again, most of the hearings were done via Zoom, a platform Agamenoni said the business was previously only using once or twice a month.

Unlike many business owners, Agamenoni said she doesn't really like being a boss, so Agamenoni and Frank is more of a collaborative effort.

“I think it’s so important to treat your employees as part of a team, and they're just as important as you are," Agamenoni said.

Agamenoni said she's excited right now because she'll be mentoring a new court reporter who she hopes will someday become her partner in the business.

If you're going to own a business, Agamenoni said it's vital to find something you love and that fits your lifestyle. She said she likes being behind the scenes and getting to hear people's stories.

“It’s like you have a front-row seat to some pretty interesting stuff,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Fire Within: Award winners Veronica Van Voast-Wall and Joanie Agamenoni