Wendi Dietz remembers getting the phone call on April 10, 2024. Less than two months into owning the Black Angus Casino, a blaze was quickly spreading through the property in Kalispell.   

When the three-alarm fire started on the other side of the Quality Inn hotel, she wasn’t sure if the casino would be affected. As minutes passed, she realized it was becoming serious.  

“They were like, ‘You need to get here,’” she recalled. “Everything changed in a span of 20 minutes.” 

The hotel took the brunt of the inferno, but the Black Angus Casino was still severely damaged, mostly from the large amount of water used to douse the fire. The incident was deemed one of the largest structure fires in a decade by the Kalispell Fire Department.  

Two years later, the casino is open to the public again after undergoing extensive renovations. Dietz and casino manager Lindsay Fetveit said the whole experience was a whirlwind made possible through hard work and the determination of local contractors who were willing to see their vision for a new space.  

There were several ups and downs in the process. The roadblocks made the pair question if it would all eventually be worth it.  

“It seemed like every hang-up, every call, everything made us question if we even made the right decision,” Fetveit said.  

Navigating insurance was difficult, Dietz said, because the casino is an older building that shares walls with the hotel. They also had trouble finding a contractor to take on the renovation. Fetveit estimated they met with 10 to 15 contractors who never made it past the lobby -- until they met Dylan Siegel with Siegel Construction.  

“I think we were expecting the same response ... But he just came in like a ray of sunshine. He stood in the lobby and said, ‘I can see the vision. This building is amazing,’” Fetveit said.  

Siegel’s positive outlook allowed Dietz to see the possibility of a successful renovation. He also connected her with other local subcontractors who made the difference in getting the job completed, including Arlo Electric, Flathead County Plumbing, Glacier Stone Fabrication, Valley Wide Restaurant Supply, Simple Tech and Garrett Reinschimdt, who built the backbar.  

“From his drywallers to the plumbers, electrician — it was just a great crew. They were workable with my budget and timely. I know they have a lot of things going on, but if I needed to meet this deadline for an inspection, everybody's on board. I just feel really, really blessed in that manner,” Dietz said. 

From jackhammering the floor to major issues with plumbing, there wasn’t much that went untouched throughout the renovation process. Fetveit said there were months of sitting and waiting for permits to come through, so much of the actual construction picked up speed in late 2025.  

There have also been major changes to the layout of the casino. 

“There are people who walk through the door and are like, ‘I don't even know where I'm at.’ [The previous layout] was very jagged, so we just tried to eliminate that and open it up as much as we could within the constraints of the city building and remodel guidelines,” Fetveit said.  

DIETZ ALSO owns Wind Diggers, as well as two other casinos located in Great Falls with her husband and son. She is friends with the previous owner of Black Angus Casino, Keith Rhodes, also known as “Tweed.” Over the years, she has helped him with a previous remodel, trained his employees and allowed him to use the same policies and paperwork systems she used in her own businesses.  

When she heard that Tweed wanted to retire, she threw her hat in the ring for the opportunity to purchase the business.  

“I thought it would be the easiest transition if I were to acquire another business in this industry and just thought it would kind of be turnkey. Then 56 days later, we get the call that a fire had started at the other end of the hotel,” Dietz said.  

Just ahead of their grand reopening, Dietz recalled one last road bump: getting clearance for the liquor license. She couldn’t get a hold of the liquor licensing specialist and realized he was out of office for the rest of the day, meaning that they wouldn’t have alcohol to serve for the reopening.  

“All of a sudden, he calls me back and says he just got the go ahead for our license. And I’m like, ‘No one is going to deliver any alcohol at this point.’ But Evergreen Liquor was like ‘Come on down here, we'll get it to you,’” Dietz said. “I really felt like a lot of people were pulling for me in the end to make those last-minute things.” 

Fetveit said there isn't a day that goes by that they don’t talk about what it took to get the business reopened and the many people who helped along the way. 

“Most people would have never stuck it out through ... And it feels like it's more than just getting the building open -- they've impacted our lives forever, not just here,” Fetveit said.  

Before the fire, Dietz had plans to remodel the casino. Even though she had to take it all on in one go, she said Black Angus Casino is better than ever and ready to welcome their loyal patrons. 

“I’m just excited to provide the space back to the community. People have been saying they are so thankful, because this was their home away from home," Dietz said.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Black Angus Casino in Kalispell on Wednesday, July 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Contractors involved with the renovation of the Black Angus Casino in Kalispell. Back row, from left, Jacob Hannegan, Savannah Bucher, Colton Bucher and Dan Hannegan with Flathead County Plumbing; Tim Cannon and Ronnie Blomquist with Siegel Construction; Kevin Gelinas with Arlo Electric; Chris Reid, William Siegel, Darin Haeder and Dylan Siegel with Siegel Construction. Front row, from left, Sam Yearsley with Siegel Construction; Wendi Dietz, Black Angus Casino owner, Lindsay Fetveit, Black Angus Casino general manager; and Garrett Reinschmidt, who built the bar, helped with sound work and was a general handyman. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    The renovated bar inside the Black Angus Casino in Kalispell on Wednesday, July 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Jacob Hannegan with Flathead County Plumbing plays one of the casino games at Black Angus Casino in Kalispell on Wednesday, July 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider