One of the first things Jim Kilday and Greg Stratton noticed they had in common when they worked together for the first time was whatever they were doing was going to be done as well as it could be done. Kilday calls it the quest for excellence and he immediately recognized that Greg Stratton had been bitten by the excellence bug. In view of this shared devotion to doing things right and striving for excellence in execution both Jim and Greg recognized the synergism they generated working together.

When Bozeman's housing market recovered, they immediately moved to acquire the remaining 65 acres of Valley West, which they have named The Lakes at Valley West, recognizing its two six-acre lakes. Kilday called it the best piece of residential development land in Bozeman, perhaps in all Gallatin County. It was the Jewel in Valley West's Crown which both Greg and Jim consider having matured into an outstanding example of a master-planned community.

Greg and Jim view The Lakes at Valley West to be a critical opportunity to introduce their philosophy of development to Bozeman and Montana. It is, in fact, an opening chess move as they don't intend to perform a one-act play, but to build a multi-disciplined company that develops, builds and offers advice on how to maximize value and minimize risk to landowners, developers, builders, investors and financial institutions throughout Montana. They have made their mark on The Lakes by making it the best that it can be through careful planning and thoughtful design. By selecting the best artisan builders and real estate professionals to work with, and tasking them to develop new and innovative housing designs, unique to The Lakes, they intend to realize the full potential of this magnificent property.

Their goal is simple. Make The Lakes, THE place to live in Bozeman.