Mackley's Hub, Belgrade
Pub Date: 1/1/2003
At mid-afternoon on the Friday after New Year's Eve, the usual crowd is gathering at The Hub in Belgrade, sitting at the bar sipping drinks or playing some of the establishment's video keno and poker machines. The tavern's three pool tables are vacant for now.
Because of the New Year's holiday, business is a bit slower than on a normal Friday afternoon, according to Bob Mackley, who has owned the business for the past eight years.
"Who wants to go to Bozeman when you can be in the Hub on a Friday afternoon," says Pete, a regular at the tavern.
Mackley is quick to point out that during the New Year's holiday, he purchased a book of tickets for free rides from a local cab company for revelers who had celebrated heavily, but not necessarily in his establishment.
"Not many people left the place before I gave them the once over," he said.
The Hub, which employs 12 people, is a "blue collar" bar that draws working men after their shifts and students at Montana State University in Bozeman who live in the lower rent district of Belgrade at night.
"It's really a working man's bar," Mackley said. "It's a good day bar and a good night bar. We draw a lot of regulars because We're known as a neighborhood bar."
If Mackley's business is known for its neighborhood hospitality, he is known around town for his generosity. Each year, he doles out about $10,000 to area charities and youth programs.
"We give to the people who fall through the cracks," Mackley said. "People who don't usually receive benefits from organizations like the United Way or Big Brothers/Big Sisters."
In addition to contributing through G.I.F.T.S. (Gaming Industry Friends to Society), a group of owners of licensed establishments who in the past eight years have given more than $200,000 to various Bozeman-area charities, recipients of Mackley's generosity include the Gallatin Community Hospital, the Belgrade Health Center, Museum of the Rockies, high school and other sports activities and a variety of environmental groups "that are of my wife's choosing."
In addition, Mackley contributes to a G.I.F.T.S. fund that is used to purchase turkeys for needy families during the holidays. Because his establishment is open 365 days a year, he said, "We usually do a feed during the holidays for our regular customers who have no place else to go." (Bob himself said he puts in 60-80 hours a week. "That's one of the benefits of owning your own business," he jokes.)
"I want to give back to the community that has provided me with a livelihood," Mackley said. "You have to give back to the community that supports you."
Mackley is comfortable in the hospitality business. Before moving to Belgrade, he owned the Buffalo Jump, a lounge and eatery in Livingston.
A native of North Dakota, Mackley said he "bartended my way through college" before graduating from the University of Montana which a degree in sociology. Being in the bar business, Mackley describes his degree as "over-emphasizing the obvious."
The Hub itself has been a fixture on Belgrade's Main Street since 1890. It first opened as a bar'; became an ice cream parlor during prohibition, and reopened as a tavern in 1933.
If Mackley has a reputation for his generosity, he also is known for his scrupulous business practices.
"An honest drink for an honest buck that's my slogan," he said.
And for the more unfortunate people of Belgrade, that buck may stretch a long way.
Source: Special Reports, Jan. 2002, published by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite, Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.