Complex GE deal thrusts Big Sky EDA into spotlight

If you want to judge how successful the taxpayer-funded Big Sky Economic Development Authority http://www.bigskyeda.org/ has been in bringing jobs to town, Bresnan Communications http://www.bresnan.com/ may be the poster child.

In 2004, Bresnan constructed a $4.4 million building at 19th Street West and Monad Road with the initial promise of employing 100 people, with room for 300.

That promise has been busted wide open.

By JAN FALSTAD
Of The Gazette Staff

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/11/news/local/22-bseda_x.txt

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Billings developer struggles against publicly-funded Big Sky EDA

By JAN FALSTAD
Of The Gazette Staff

Ron Elkin offered $750,000 to buy the Montana Dakota Utilities building in downtown Billings last year, but he lost out to an equivalent offer from the taxpayer-funded Big Sky Economic Development Authority.

Elkin, a principal with NAI Business Properties, said that because MDU would have to pay a commission to his commercial real estate company, the utility chose the EDA offer.

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/11/news/business/20-mdu.txt