Griz Owned Business Helps Keep Homecoming Colorful

Homecoming is a special time of year for Missoula native Brian Dirnberger. For the past few years, the University of Montana alum and owner of Garden City Paint & Glass has helped keep one of Homecoming’s most colorful traditions alive. Through the generous donation of paint from his business, students are able to leave their mark on the sidewalk in front of Turner Hall in the annual Hello Walk. The event kicks off Homecoming week with a painting party where students leave welcoming messages and celebratory designs.

Dirnberger graduated from UM in 1995 with a degree in business finance. He went on to take over the family business, Montana Glass, where he had helped out as a kid. In 2014, he expanded the business with the purchase of Garden City Paint & Glass. Now, as an alumni, Dirnberger is excited to see the impact his business can have on campus and the community.

“It’s an honor to see the business help contribute to the community and to students,” Dirnberger said. “We do projects at the university, and I can take pride in that. Some of our paint goes into the dorms and to have a part of that is great.”

As a student at UM, Dirnberger was a member of Phi Delta Theta and loved cheering the Griz to victory from the north end zone. He has fond memories of Homecoming week as a student.

“Homecomings were always big,” he said. “Meeting alumni and seeing what the university meant to people coming back.”

Though many things have changed on campus since 1995, Homecoming traditions like the Hello Walk continue to connect generations of Grizzlies.