Locals in the Limelight

I met with Michelle Melgren for our interview at Any Occasion, her banquet hall and one of many of her and her husband’s business ventures. She explained that this business was “for fun…a hobby,” which allows her to indulge her love of planning parties and decorating. Michelle is a 5-foot-tall spitfire, a working mom who seems to balance it all, family, friends, career(s) and church. Since she and her husband John moved to Odessa 12 years ago, they have been active members of the community, church and social scene.

Michelle was born in Boston, Mass., October 2, 1967. When she was two, the family relocated to Seattle where her father was stationed in the Navy. Her mother worked for an insurance company and later as a bookkeeper for Les Schwab for over 20 years. She has two older brothers, Rocky from Lynnwood and Ross from Santa Maria, Calif. I asked her if they were somewhat protective of their little sister. “Only when the other one was beating up on me,” she said. “I probably deserved it. Let’s put it this way, it was the 70s, I had two older brothers and I was a tattletale!”

When Michelle was six, the family relocated to Bellingham for her father to pursue his Masters degree in sociology at Western Washington University. One of the most idyllic times in her childhood, she has fond memories of the dense woods and the rope swing at the creek where she would spend countless hours playing with her best friend Tye. They were adventurous, acting out Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys detective scenarios. They would sing. They were Donny and Marie! His parents watched her after school each day, and they became a second family to her. Knowing how those types of friendships leave such an indelible imprint on us, I asked her if they still kept in touch. “Yes!” she said. “We were only in Bellingham for five years, but Tye and I have kept in touch for the past 40 years. Christmas cards, birthday cards….I just saw him in July at a football camp in Wenatchee.”

Not surprisingly, after playing sports in junior high and cheerleading in high school, Michelle decided she wanted to work instead. Admitting she had an ulterior motive, especially her senior year, she made it clear that she also didn’t want to miss out on the weekend “social activities” that playing sports would have curtailed.

She worked at Burger Rama and then started working as a waitress in Freddie’s Restaurant in Othello. While working there, a rich potato farmer came in one time and Michelle spilled a glass of red wine in his lap. “The worst part is,” she chuckled, “he was wearing white pants.” Michelle says that the years at Freddie’s (until she was 23), were some of the most fun times she ever had. After reaching age 21, she started bartending there and remembers carding her future husband once. They were acquaintances, but did not start dating until they were both in a wedding of his and her best friends.

In her early 20s, Michelle attended Trend College for legal administration. She graduated with perfect attendance and a 4.0 and went to work for a private attorney. After that, she was hired as a support enforcement officer for the Adams County prosecutor’s office. After some political upheaval in the office, she transferred to Recycling Coordinator for Adams County.

Michelle was no stranger to politics. Her father served as an Adams County Probation officer and the Adams County Superior Court Clerk. I hated “door belling,” she said referring to the many election campaigns the family was involved in. Despite her dislike of cold calling, it did not preclude her involvement in the Republican Party where she has served as chairman, vice president and secretary in the past. Currently, she still serves as a precinct committee officer.

After they married, John and Michelle became fond of Odessa and its small-town atmosphere. Their farm operating loan was handled by Shelley Kramer, the manager at the local Wheatland Bank. John’s father owned CRP ground off of SR 28. The appeal of the school system and raising a family here brought them to town. They originally wanted to build, but when a nice home out in the country became available, they grabbed it.

They have three adopted boys, Colton (15) and the twins, Ben and Ryan, who are 12. They had tried to have children for about four years, an exhaustive and expensive process of repeated in-vitro treatments. Colton was a private adoption, and he is already starting to help out in the family trucking business. The twins, who were neglected and abused, were removed from their birth parents and placed in foster care before the Melgrens got them at 18 months old. “They had issues, bonding, emotional, health…you name it,” Michelle said. The twins had been left in their cribs so much that once they were able to get out and explore the world, their senses were heightened. “Everything became touch and destroy!” Michelle said, saying how difficult it was in those early years.

The twins are polar opposites, one tall, one short, one light hair, one dark hair, and completely different personalities. Do they get along, I asked. “No!” she laughed, “but fortunately they both do well with their older brother.” Ironically, every time they were overwhelmed and doubting if they were the right fit, the caseworker would not answer her phone. Whenever the caseworker contacted the Melgrens, they would be having a better day. Whether divine intervention, conspiracy, whatever you want to call it, apparently it was meant to be. Michelle is grateful that a generational cycle of abuse and neglect had been broken. John’s older brothers are twins, so Michelle mentioned how her mother-in-law and her own mother were particularly helpful during those early years. They thought about adopting another child, but Michelle remembers when the twins started school. She had an epiphany of sorts, the first day they left and the house was quiet from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. I thought, “wow, this is nice.”

As most locals are aware, John and Michelle are involved in multiple business ventures. John hails from a family background of trucking, hay, cattle and wheat. He started his own trucking company, mostly hauling hay and seasonal crops. Michelle indicated that it is a tough business, with big expenses (especially fuel), high taxes and sometimes delayed customer payments. Michelle does all the books and the extensive reporting that truckers who cross state lines must do. They own multiple rental properties, a car wash in Ritzville, the banquet hall and a mini storage in Odessa.

They are investors, entrepreneurs, and are not afraid of hard work down in the trenches. About their rental houses Michelle said, “We have been lucky – stable tenants, minor repairs and very little vacancy.” I asked her if it is a misconception that businesses like the mini storage and car wash run themselves? “It is when you live 30 miles away and someone tries to jam nickels or dimes into the change slot at the car wash!” she laughed.

Being a mother of three and involved in all the businesses mentioned, I asked her what the heck made her decide to also become a licensed realtor? “I guess I didn’t have enough to do,” she told me jokingly. She and John have always enjoyed looking at houses. Once they started investing in some rental properties, it just evolved from there. “I would see signs around town for out of town brokerages and I wanted people to keep their business local.” In the beginning, she thought to herself “it is only my time.” What she soon realized is how much it would spill over into her life with her family. “I made the mistake of going home and continuing to work throughout the night, answering the phone, replying to emails and working on online listings.”

Michelle has become more adept at prioritizing and setting boundaries. She is extremely efficient and organized. When she is working, she gives it 110%, but she realizes the importance of turning off her phone when it is time, and recharging her battery (no pun intended).

She told me a funny story about the cell phone she uses as an alarm clock on her bedside table. Apparently, she has her listings on one particular online site which will issue a tone if someone sends her a question via email. “That thing will go off at three in the morning!” she said. “I just can’t believe people are up looking at real estate in the middle of the night.” The real estate business has been good to her. Properties are selling, and she currently has three sales pending. Michelle stated that every time she sells a property, she learns something new. She has a passion for what she does, and it is a testament to her success.

When she does manage to carve out time for herself, I asked her what she enjoys doing? “I’m a shopper,” she said, “the whole retail therapy thing.” She loves to shop for clothes, watch “House Hunters” in her pajamas, and she has been a faithful watcher of General Hospital since 1978. She was a little reluctant to tell me that, but I assured her that it is a guilty pleasure that she certainly deserves. Of course, sometimes she has to catch up on multiple episodes due to her busy life. Once the cat was out of the bag, she told me more. “This year is the 50th anniversary of the show. It has been so great because they are bringing back all of the old stars who have been doing cameo appearances.” When asked, she told me she felt it is as good now as when she started watching it years ago. She told me that even her kids know the whole plot line.

John and Michelle are active members of Heritage Church, where John is a trustee. She gives credit to the church for strengthening their family and marriage. “My husband has truly stepped up and become the spiritual leader of our family,” she said. Through Compassion International, they sponsor a child in Columbia who coincidentally shares the same middle name as Michelle (Sofia). They love to go four-wheeling as a family at the dunes in Moses Lake. This weekend, they were headed to go rock climbing for the first time. Michelle texted me saying how much she was enjoying it. “I think I have a new hobby!” The irony of it made me smile later in the day as I realized that there probably isn’t a rock out there that Michelle Melgren couldn’t climb.