Nebraska’s trolling for Montana jobs-

SUMMARY: Conniving Cornhuskers conspire to cadge companies. Complacency’s a concern.

As if Montanans didn’t have enough to contend with in trying to maintain and improve the state’s
economy, here comes Nebraska.

Opinion- Missoulian

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns sent an April 3 letter to businesses throughout western Montana,
imploring them to consider moving to Nebraska. A business-recruiting team from the Nebraska
Department of Economic Development plans to be in the area April 29 through May 3 to sweet-talk
Montanans businesses.

Johanns, in his letter, dangled "some of the nation’s lowest cost energy" as well as a "productive,
dedicated and highly educated workforce," and lower operating costs to entice companies to
abandon Big Sky Country for Corn-Husking Country.

So far, says Stan Tafoya of Nebraska’s economic development agency, there haven’t been any
nibbles from Montana. But he’s hopeful. He sent a second letter April 10 asking companies for 30
minutes to give the Nebraska pitch. This initiative is part of a routine regional sweep searching for
new businesses, Tafoya tells us. His department mailed thousands of inquiries to businesses
throughout the West, using a mailing list obtained from Dun & Bradstreet, a national business-data
firm. Among the businesses targeted are the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. and a Missoula credit
union, which seems to suggest Nebraska’s cast a rather wide net.

We’re not exactly sure how to view Nebraska’s overtures. Indignation seems a bit strong.
Complacency seems dangerous. As some of America’s lowest-paid workers in a state where, when it
comes to the economy, seldom is heard an encouraging word, we aren’t exactly used to other states
coveting what we’ve got.

Gov. Judy Martz has told us she spends time every week calling businesses in other states, trying to
talk them into moving to Montana. So, maybe it’s not altogether surprising that one of her fellow
governors would be caught trying to poach businesses from Martz’s backyard. There is a
turnabout-is-fair-play aspect to smokestack-chasing. Still, you’d think Johanns might show a fellow
Republican a little partisan courtesy and content himself by raiding jobs from Democrats.

Nebraska’s trolling for businesses here is a good reminder to avoid complacency regarding Montana’s
economy. We tend to focus so much attention on attracting and growing new businesses that it’s
easy to take some of our existing businesses for granted. As Montana’s economic development czar
David Gibson says, "It’s a competitive world. There are people knocking on our businesses’ doors all
the time." We need to ensure Montana remains – improves, actually – as a place where people want
to live, work and do business.

Finally, you also have to wonder if this isn’t a positive sign for Montana’s struggling economy.
Montanans have long wished for more of the kinds of businesses found in other states. Now here’s at
least one state that wants some of what we have.

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