Gateway trims director candidates to four

Gateway Economic Development Corporation has narrowed down the pool for a new executive director to four candidates
from across the northwest region.

By CHRISTINA QUINN, IR Business Writer

Hal Fossum, project director for the City of Helena, was the only local candidate to make the cut.
Two other candidates, Sheldon Bartel and Louis Dix, came from out of state. Bartel is the executive director of Uptown
Community Development Corporation in Sacramento, Calif., and Dix is the Neighborhood Resource director for the City of
Medford in Oregon.

The fourth candidate didn’t want to be named publicly but is from eastern Montana.
The group is very diverse, according to Joe Bower, a member of the search committee.
However, they all had a few things in common including leadership skills, experience in economic development,
management capabilities and some financing and grant writing knowledge, Bower added.

On April 30, the search committee will begin interviewing the candidates in person, he said.
By the end of May, they should have a recommendation for Gateway’s executive board, which includes many search
committee members such as Bower, Mike Dalton, Pat Melby, Tony Murnion and Jamie Doggett.
The person chosen will replace Lynn Robson, who stepped down from the position to pursue other career goals.

More than 40 people applied for the job to run the four-year-old economic development organization for Jefferson,
Broadwater, Meagher and Lewis and Clark counties.

None of the finalists were recruited.
Reporter Christina Quinn can be reached at 447-4075.

http://www.helenair.com/helena/7A5.html