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Riding the Circuit, Preaching Finance. Michelle A. Jutila Roams Southeastern Montana to Help Businesses Succeed

Michelle A. Jutila wears cowboy boots and jeans as frequently as power suits, but insists it is not a fashion statement. “I might be stepping in cow pies,” said Ms. Jutila, who roams southeastern Montana as a circuit-riding business adviser.

As director of the Small Business Development Center in Colstrip, Mont., Ms. Jutila is on the road 50 percent of the time. Her 23,000-square-mile turf is some of the state’s most rural and least populated.

The era of traveling salesmen may be over, and gone, too, are the days when circuit-riding preachers traveled from town to town, serving areas without enough people or funds for churches of their own.

But these days, circuit-riding business advisers like Ms. Jutila are traveling to rural areas across the country — borrowing desks at local banks and chambers of commerce for a Tuesday in one town, a Wednesday in another. They even make house calls to assist budding entrepreneurs and existing small-business owners.

Montana Small Business Development Center http://sbdc.mt.gov/

One recent morning, Ms. Jutila drove almost three hours to Baker, a town of 1,800, 158 miles from her Colstrip office, to meet with Barry and Stacy-Lynn Ellis, owners of the Baker Livestock Commission, a livestock auction market. The Ellises bought the property several years ago, but it was in worse condition than they expected, with severe water and sewer problems and extensive damage to the corrals. The purpose of the meeting, the fourth or fifth since last fall, was to assess the feasibility and financial options of making repairs or buying additional land.

By TANYA MOHN

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/business/27sbiz.html?ex=1155009600&en=27f20a0189efb61f&ei=5070&emc=eta1

(Many thanks to Anne Iverson for passing this along. Russ)

SBDC Network Offices

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
Ann Desch, State SBDC Director
Susan Jensen, Associate Director
Montana Department of Commerce, SBDC
301 S. Park Ave
Helena MT 59620
(406) 841-2747
FAX (406) 841-2728
Department of Commerce

Map of SBDC Service Areas

Billings SBDC

Deanna South
Director, Billings SBDC
Big Sky Economic Development Authority
222 North 32nd Street
Billings MT 59101
(406) 254-6014 ext. 223
FAX: (406) 256-6877
Billings SBDC Website

Havre SBDC

Joe LaPlante
Director, Havre SBDC
Bear Paw Development Corporation
PO Box 170/48 2nd Avenue
Havre MT 59501
(406) 265-4945
FAX: (406) 265-5602
Havre SBDC Website

Butte SBDC

Deanna Johnson
Director, Butte SBDC
305 West Mercury, Suite 211
Butte MT 59701
(406) 782-7333
FAX: (406) 782-2990
Butte SBDC Website

Helena SBDC

Dan Anderson
Director, Helena SBDC
Gateway Economic Development Corporation
225 Cruise Ave
Helena, MT 59601
(406) 447-1512
FAX (406) 447-1514
Helena SBDC Website

Bozeman SBDC

Tracey Jette
Director, Bozeman SBDC
Gallatin Development Corporation
222 East Main, Suite 102
Bozeman MT 59715
(406) 587-3113 ext. 103
FAX (406) 587-9565
Bozeman SBDC Website

Kalispell SBDC

Lad Barney
Director, Kalispell SBDC
Kalispell Area Chamber of Commerce
15 Depot Park
Kalispell MT 59901
(406) 758-2802
FAX: (406) 758-2805
Kalispell SBDC Website

Colstrip SBDC

Michelle Jutila
Director, Colstrip SBDC
Southeastern Montana Development Corporation
PO Box 1935/6200 Main St
Colstrip MT 59323
(406) 748-2990
FAX (406) 748-2900
Colstrip SBDC Website

Missoula SBDC

Anne Iverson
Director, Missoula SBDC
Montana Community Development Corporation
110 East Broadway, 2nd Floor
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 728-9234 ext. 211
FAX (406) 542-6671
Missoula SBDC Website

Great Falls SBDC

Rebecca Engum
Director, Great Falls SBDC
Great Falls Development Authority
710 1st Avenue North
Great Falls MT 59401
(406) 453-8834 ext. 107
FAX: (406) 454-2995
Great Falls SBDC Website

Wolf Point SBDC

Lorene Hintz
Director, Wolf Point SBDC
Great Northern Development Corporation
233 Cascade Street
Wolf Point, MT 59201
(406) 653-2590
FAX (406) 653-1840
Wolf Point SBDC Website

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