For the past five years, Brad Bell has been one of the steady hands helping keep Flathead County moving, whether that means paving and chip sealing during the summer months or plowing snow through the long winter stretches in West Glacier and Hungry Horse.
Brad currently serves as a truck driver with the Flathead County Road Department, a role that perfectly blends his lifelong love of the outdoors with decades of professional driving experience.
Before joining the County, Brad spent years behind the wheel as a truck driver for Plum Creek and later worked part-time driving for the State of Montana in West Glacier. It was a conversation with Road Department Manager Travis Glidewell that ultimately led him to apply.
“Travis is a great guy and a great boss,” Brad said. “He knew my experience and encouraged me to apply.”
A Columbia Falls local, Brad has lived in the Flathead Valley his entire life and has no intention of ever leaving.
“Everything,” he said when asked what he enjoys about living here. “I don’t think there’s any other place I’d like to live. This is it for me.”
When he’s not working, Brad stays busy enjoying Montana’s outdoor lifestyle. He snowmobiles, hunts, fishes, and races motocross motorcycles, a passion he’s had since he was just four years old. His wife shares that love of racing, and the two have been married for 31 years.
Brad says the team culture within the Road Department is one of the things that sets the job apart.
“I feel really lucky,” he said. “I like everyone, and we all get along. Travis is the best supervisor I’ve ever had. If I’d known work could be like this, I would have started this job 20 years ago.”
That enjoyment carries into every season. In the summer, Brad helps with chip sealing and paving projects across the county. In the winter, he operates the plow with another employee driving a Blade, maintaining roads throughout Hungry Horse and West Glacier.
“You get a lot of freedom out here,” he explained. “My boss gave me an area, and I really like managing it. People trust you to do your job, so we try to do it well.”
As for the future, Brad doesn’t really need a plan.
“I’ll stay here until I retire,” he said with a smile. “I don’t really want to leave, but my wife has plans when I turn 62, so you’ll find me here until then.”
Flathead County is proud to recognize Brad Bell for his five years of dedicated service and the professionalism, pride, and care he brings to our roads every day.