Biga Pizza Expands with Help from Clearwater Credit Union

A Slice of Community 

For nearly 20 years, Biga Pizza has been part of the fabric of downtown Missoula. Built around local food, local relationships, and a commitment to the community, owner Bob Marshall has always believed that running a business downtown is about more than serving customers.

“It’s not just about building a business for yourself. It’s about building a business for your community,” Marshall said.

That philosophy has shaped Biga Pizza from the beginning. Marshall built his business around local foods, goods, and services, so when it came to choosing a financial partner, he looked for an organization that shared those same values.

“I built my business on local foods, goods and services. The choice of who to bank with was no exception,” he said.
As Missoula grew, so did the demand for Biga Pizza. After years of working to keep up from its West Main Street location, an opportunity emerged in 2020 to expand into an adjacent space and add dedicated delivery and takeout operations.

The expansion had the potential to essentially double the business, but it also came with more costs than Marshall initially anticipated. Purchasing the building, renovating the new space, and investing in the equipment necessary to grow required additional financing.

That’s where Clearwater Credit Union came in. “When the opportunity came to expand, Clearwater helped me with some tailored funding that helped me realize my business goals,” Marshall said.

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Clearwater worked with Marshall to understand what Biga Pizza needed to make the expansion possible and helped provide financing that supported the purchase and the necessary improvements.

For Marshall, that relationship was an extension of the experience he had already built with Clearwater since opening Biga Pizza.

“I chose to bank with Clearwater Credit Union because of their friendly customer service, their intuitive online banking platform, and their tailored financing options,” he said.

For a business so deeply rooted in Missoula, working with a local financial partner mattered. Marshall sees a natural alignment between Biga Pizza and Clearwater: a belief in strengthening the local economy, supporting neighbors, and building a more sustainable and connected community.

“Clearwater has the same morals and vision that I do with sustainability in our local economy, helping our neighbors, building community, and supporting each other,” Marshall said.

Today, Biga Pizza continues to serve Missoula from the downtown community where it got its start nearly two decades ago, now with more space and capacity to meet the demand of the community that helped it grow.

“This community means so much to me,” Marshall said. “Clearwater helped me realize my dream of expanding to meet the community’s demands and build a business with Missoula.”

For Clearwater, supporting businesses like Biga Pizza is about more than financing an expansion. It’s about helping local entrepreneurs turn opportunities into lasting investments in the communities we all call home.