MEDA 2004 Spring Conference- Butte 4/28-30

2004-04-28 18:00:00
Finlen Hotel and Thornton Building- Butte, MT

MEDA 2004 SPRING CONFERENCE

Historic Uptown Butte, Montana

Finlen Hotel and Thornton Building

Broadway and Wyoming

Your Butte hosts have done an outstanding job in creating a dynamic agenda
for the MEDA Spring Conference, April 28 – 30th, 2004. We will begin
pre-conference activities with a reception hosted by Mountain States
Energy on Wednesday evening. Thursday morning is a practical workshop
titled "Utilizing Community Data to Create New Jobs".

During the MEDA conference you will hear, see and experience innovative
tools for enhancing economic development in your area: Mainstreet
Dynamics, Tax Increment Tools, Case Study of Federal Programs, Slideshows,
Tours, Special Announcements, Presentations….and MORE…such as the
Candidate Forum.

As five tours are being offered, it is essential that you carefully
register and mark your preferences on the registration form. Also, rooms
are only being held until April 7th – so why not get registered today?

REGISTRATION FORM http://www.medamembers.org/registration.html

Gloria O’Rourke

406.563.5259

AGENDA

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28TH, 2004

6:00pm – 7:30

Reception sponsored by

MOUNTAIN STATES ENERGY

Join us for Hors d’oeuvres and Refreshments at the Thornton Ballroom

Registration for MEDA Conference will be available

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2004

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP

8:00am – 11:45am Thornton Building Ballroom

“Utilizing Community Data to Create New Jobs”

Understand the power of information as you develop job creation strategies.

Melinda Anderson, Principal and Myrt Webb, Senior Associate, of Real World Development

Note: Due to Resource Team Assessment scholarship funding, provided by USDA/RD, there is no charge for this workshop.

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2004

11:30 – 11:50 Registration at the Thornton

12:00 – 1:20 Welcome and Lunch at the Finlen Hotel Treasure State Room
“Mainstreet Dynamics”

Cindi Fargo, Executive DirectorTitle, Park County Economic Development Alliance

George Everett, Executive Director, Mainstreet Uptown Butte

“Leadership Montana” Update

Bruce Whittenberg, Executive Director, Leadership Montana

1:30 – 3:00 Thornton Building Ballroom
“Tax Increment as an Economic Development Tool”

Creating Urban Renewal Districts with Tax Increment Provision,

Janet Cornish, Community Development Services of Montana

Use of Bonding and Tax Increment Finance Districts,

Mae Nan Ellingson, Parnter, Dorsey & Whitney

Tax Increment Financing Industrial Districts (TIFIDs) & Putting It All Together,

Jim Smitham, Deputy Director for Business Development, Butte Local Development Corporation and

Kathy Fasso, Administrator, Butte-Silver Bow TIFIDs

Q & A Session

3:00 – 3:15pm Special presentation and break

3:15 – 3:30pm
“What is the Montana Aerospace Development Association and What Can It Mean for Montana?”

Jim Kambich, Chairman of the MADA Board

3:30 – 4:30

“Case Study of Federal Programs”

Review of four successful funded applications and projects – Moderated by John Guthmiller, United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development, Rural Business Services

4:30 – 5:30

"Lessons from Rural Places in Europe and the British Isles."

Presenter: Linda Reed, Executive Director, Montana Community Foundation. Linda was one of seven leaders invited by the Northwest Area Foundation to visit eastern Hungary; Siena, Italy; and the Isle of Lewis, Scotland to learn about their approaches to rural development. The two-week trip pointed out similarities and differences with Montana’s rural economic development goals that are worth considering.

“Bridging the Economies of Denmark and Sweden to Montana” Slide Show

Presenter: Dr. Tony Rudbach, Assistant Vice President Research and Economic Development, University of Montana. In the summer of 2000, a bridge was opened, linking Denmark with Sweden. On both sides of this bridge an economic corridor has grown with new businesses and jobs created in information technology, food processing (value-added agriculture), medicine/biotechnology, and environmental sciences. Since a large part of the Scandinavian area served by this corridor has rural agricultural similarities to Montana, and because in the years since 2000 the economy of this region has become one of the most prosperous in Europe, a study was undertaken to discover the key success factors involved. This presentation will bring these lessons back to Montana. Recommendations from this research might be implemented in Montana to effect economic expansion.

5:30 – 7:30

Dinner on your own in Uptown Butte (see list of Uptown Butte restaurants)

7:30 – 9:30 Special Butte Tours – Your Choice

Historic Uptown Butte Walking Bar Tour: Begins at the Cavalier Bar in the Finlen Hotel. Tour provided by Butte Archives, Ellen Crain, Director.

OR

Night on the (Ghost) Town Bus Tour:

Visit the sites and hear the ghost stories associated with at least ten historical sites. (Copper King Mansion, Arts Chateau, BSB Courthouse, to name a few.)

FRIDAY, APRIL 30

7:30 – 8:30am Breakfast Buffet at the Thornton Ballroom
MEDA Annual Meeting, including Election of Board and Officers

GrantStation Drawing (1 Year Free Subscription) Door Prize
Paul Tuss, MEDA President

“Updates and… More”

Certified Regional Development Corporations and “Treasure Communities”, Andy Poole, Administrator, Business Assistance Division, Montana Department of Commerce

Small Business Development Center Update, Ann Desch, SBDC State Director, Montana Department of Commerce

Special Recognition

Presentation by Julie Foster, Executive Director, Montana Jobs Network

What is the District Export Council?

Michelle Johnston, SBA State Director

8:30 – 9:30
MEDA Legislative Committee

Evan Barrett, Chair, MEDA Legislative & Public Policy Committee

Local Development Organizations and the Montana Open Meeting Law

Update on MEDA Legislative Agenda

9:30 – 11:45
“Meet the Gubernatorial Candidates Forum”

This is not a debate or shared presentation, Each candidate will address MEDA alone, without other candidates present. Q&A will follow each presentation.

Moderator, Evan Barrett

Republicans Invited — Bob Brown, Pat Davison, Tom Keating, and Ken Miller

Democrats Invited — Brian Schweitzer and John Vincent

11:45 – 12:00 Conference Wrap Up, Box Lunch Distribution and Tour Destinations (Buses provided)

Tour #1: Walking Tour of Historic Uptown Butte Businesses, including Butte’s Cyber Village and Montana Information Technology Enterprise Center (MITEC)

Tour #2: MSE Technology Applications and Aerospace Development, including Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Research & Development

Tour #3: ASiMI – Advanced Silicon Materials – Montana Growth in a New Sector of Economy

LODGING:

Historic Finlen Hotel – Room rates $40 – $45. Located on the corner of Broadway and Wyoming. Phone 406-723-5461 — All conference activities are within in quick walking distance from the Finlen.

Red Lion Hotel – Room rate $63.00. Located at 2100 Cornell (north of the Harrison Avenue Interchange on “The Flats”). Phone 406- 494-7800. Transportation will be provided to Uptown Butte for conference activities. Rooms will be held only until April 7th!

PARKING:

Our Butte hosts have arranged for parking passes in Uptown Butte. Several public parking lots are within two blocks of the Finlen Hotel.

CONFERENCE COST: Basic conference cost per person is $55 for MEDA Members; $80 for non-MEDA Members. Additional costs for tours as per information below.

TOURS:
When you register, be sure to mark your tour selection. It is essential to have an accurate head count for each tour so that adequate meals and transportation can be provided.

Costs:

Bar Tour: $10.00

Ghost Tour: $10.00

Friday Tours – include Box Lunch: $10

REGISTRATION FORM http://www.medamembers.org/registration.html