Montana – Good for Business

Friday, July 9th  -  This is being broadcast live on the Internet
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Flathead Valley Community College
Kalispell, MT

Part Workshops – See bottom of linked page

Senator Tester will host a Small Business Opportunity Workshop in Kalispell in early July.  The event will focus on entrepreneurship, access to capital (such as loans, grants, and tax credits), and marketing opportunitites.

Expected participants in the workshop include:

Facebook
Google
Microsoft
Tom McMakin of Bozeman, a venture capitalist and former COO of Great Harvest Bread Company in Dillon
Bill Payne of Whitefish, a business executive, engineer, entrepreneur, Frontier Angel Fund
Morrie Shechtman of Kalispell, Chairman of Fifth Wave Leadership, which helps companies with leadership development, sales effectiveness, and recruitment
Anne Marie Quinn of Bozeman with Montana Molecular
Kim Ormsby of Bozeman, (2010 Montana Small Business Person of the Year) with The Natural Baby Company
Larry Hall of Ronan with S&K Electronics

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Tags: Anne Marie Quinn, Bill Payne, Facebook, Kalispell, Kim Ormsby, Larry Hall, Microsoft, Montana, Morrie Shechtman, Senator Tester, Tom McMakin, YouTube

October 7-8, 2010

MMEC’s premier conference for
MONTANA MANUFACTURERS
Co-hosted by MMEC and NorthWestern Energy

at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana in Billings.

Opportunity! Change the Game

MEET KEYNOTE SPEAKER
JEFF METTS
Come, hear how this courageous company leader stepped off the edge for new opportunity to lift his company above the morass of foreign competition in
“A Time To Be Bold”

Complete Info

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Today the Missoulian reported about research into the state of the  economic development climate in Missoula.   This is a brutally honest report on trying to start a business in Missoula.  It states that Missoula is “woefully deficient, dysfunctional, ineffective and without direction or leadership” .  Those are harsh words describing an outsider’s view.  Mayor Engen is credited with commissioning the research and it is impressive that the researchers actually took a logical approach and then their findings were publicly reported.

The group getting the most criticism was Missoula Area Economic Development Corp, the group most responsible for promoting the Missoula economy and getting paid to do this.  Of course their statement is that they are underfunded and understaffed for the project.  Whether they under supported or just incompetent will be up to the people and leaders of Missoula to decide.  It is a major step forward to admit there is a problem.

Missoulian Article:  Economic development experts say Missoula efforts deficient, need reorganization

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Butte:
Butte employers report improved business climate

Missoula:
Hellgate students win award with ball-kicking robot Mr. T

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Billings, MT was ranked #37 by Bicycling magazine among cities over with at least 100,000 people. Missoula was also a highly ranked smaller city.

In 2008 League of American Bicyclists awarded Missoula the Silver in its Bicycle Friendly Community Program and Billings received the Bronze award.

Read More

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Sen. Jon Tester will host another workshop to help Montana contractors and companies compete for federal contracts and create jobs in Montana.

All Montana contractors and businesses are invited to attend the day-long event, scheduled for Feb. 19 at the Best Western GranTree Inn in Bozeman.

Representatives from federal and state agencies will be on hand to answer questions and share information on how Montana businesses can compete for federal contracts and bring more jobs to Montana. Participants include Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana Department of Administration, Montana Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. National Park Service.

No sign-up is required to attend the workshop, however businesses attending are encouraged to RSVP by calling Tester’s office at (866) 554-4403 or (406) 586-4450.

Source:  Bozeman Daily Chronicle

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News Release
Economic Development Tool Made Available to Montana Communities

10/15/2009
Sarah Elliott
Jayson O’Neill

(HELENA) – The Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Montana Department of Commerce, Montana Department of Labor and the Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA) have partnered to make the BEAR (Business Expansion and Retention) Program available statewide. The Montana BEAR project provides economic development teams with the tools to help local business owners and operators access resources to improve and/or expand their businesses. The State’s purchasing the rights to the BEAR program has made it far more affordable for Montana communities.

Complete Release

In the near future I will be writing a post about my excellent experience with the BEAR program.  Keep an eye out for it.

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REMINDER…this is the last week top register for MTIP’s fast-paced and entertaining workshop “Licensing Your Innovation” presented by Marti Elder @ MT Tech in Butte on November 5th.  Simply go to www.mtip.mt.gov and click on MTIP Events: Montana for the link and brochure.  The cost is $75 for the 9AM – 4PM event which includes lunch and breaks.  Call Mary McMahon @ 406-841-2749 if you have questions.

I received the above reminder via email and wanted to comment on Marti Elder.  I was put in touch with her through the MT Business Expansion & Retention (BEAR) program.  She provided consulting on a project of mine  a couple of different times.  I highly recommend her as a consultant.  She has excellent knowledge and ideas.  Marti also knows a great deal about Montana business and the people doing business here.   I have not heard her presentation but I am sure it is excellent.

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Stillwater Mining Company reports third quarter production and profits are up.  In spite of General Motors and a bad for Montana bankruptcy court ruling the mine is now flourishing.  It does help to be the only source of platinum and palladium in the western hemisphere.

Here is a news article and the companies press release:

Profits Surge at Stillwater Mines
Short but Complete Article

Steve Fetveit (10/14/09) KECI.com
Montana’s Stillwater Mines are reporting a full recovery from the economic doldrums of a year ago that threatened to put more than a thousand miners in the unemployment line.

Last July, bankrupt U.S. automaker General Motors was scrambling for survival.  A bankruptcy court allowed the automaker to scrap a production contract with Montana’s Stillwater Mining Company in favor of cheaper foreign suppliers in Russia and South Africa.  The move threw the future of the mines into question.

Complete Report
COLUMBUS, MT, Oct 14, 2009 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — STILLWATER MINING COMPANY (NYSE: SWC) released today preliminary third quarter and year-to-date production results, total cash costs per ounce and realized metal prices for its two operating mines and volumes processed in its platinum-group metal (PGM) recycling activities.

While the Company believes that the statistics presented below are accurate, the quarterly review by the Company’s independent auditor is not yet complete. Consequently, the information shown may be subject to revision in the Company’s forthcoming Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter 2009.

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Tags: automotive supply, catalytic converter, general motors, miners, mining areas, nyse, palladium, platinum group metal, stillwater mining company

Here is an article about a fishing trip put on by a Idaho business to promote their flyfishing products.  Of course they come to Montana to demo the products.  The writer left the warm Willamette Valley, Eugene, Oregon to go to Helena and fish the Missouri.  The fishing was great even in cold, snowy conditions.

Here is the article:

Trouting in the snow on the Missouri River Montana

October 20th, 2009 by Matt Stansberry

This past Tuesday I sat in the Eugene Airport contemplating the weather. The Willamette Valley was looking at 65-71 degrees, perfect water conditions and steelhead. My destination Helena Montana was looking at snow and temps down to 7 degrees by weeks end. I had to be back in Eugene by Friday night for our Two Fly Tournament, this was going to be a quick trip. Was it a good idea to leave ideal weather and prime time at home? Honestly I almost bagged the Montana trip.

Read the complete article her

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