"The Best Place Project" – Reports in hand, now the hard work begins with economic development in Missoula

So what happens now that two economic development experts have handed Missoula a frank and unflattering assessment of its many challenges, beginning with the city’s lack of an economic development strategy?

“The hard work begins,” said Jeff Fee, president of St. Patrick Hospital. “We need to get the right players at the table – the No. 1 employers – and we need to have other people step up and involve themselves in the process of making Missoula more prosperous and economically healthy.”

St. Patrick Hospital is not only one of the city’s top employers, but also the chief financial backer of Missoula Mayor John Engen’s economic development initiative, called the Best Place Project, which hired Atlanta-based economic consultants Jay Garner and Tom DiFiore.

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_1e0382ec-6628-11df-b5d3-001cc4c002e0.html

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Full Consultant Report: THE BEST PLACE PROJECT – Missoula, Montana’s Five-Year Economic Development Strategy http://matr.net/article-39379.html

The Best Place Project News http://matr.net/news.phtml?showall=1&catlabel=The+Best+Place+Project&cat_id=132