Montana Economic Development

"The 2009 conference is an opportunity to learn and network with others invested in downtown revitalization." Governor Brian Schweitzer.

The "Studio 406" campaign, designed by Partners Creative in Missoula, highlights everything from the big stuff (Montana’s refundable tax credits on labor and some expenses) to the seemingly mundane (free use of office furniture) and most everything you can think of in between (almost 16 hours of daylight to shoot in during the summer).

The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Lands need to find buyers for the portion of the lands that they bought on credit – and still need to raise the money to fund the final phase of the project.

The “Economic Blueprint for Western Montana” is the starting point of what MAEDC hopes will be a strategy to help western Montana become more economically competitive through collaboration among political and business leaders in 7 western Montana counties.

The looming boycott prompted the event’s sponsor, the Missoula Area Economic Development Corp., to concede Wednesday that the proposed partnership has gotten off to a rocky start.

It’s not enough to simply get tourists to Montana – how do you get them to our town?

“One thing all of us can do as citizens is contact our elected representatives in Washington,” said Dr. Robert Shepard, New West Health Services medical director. “If we can get that cascade going, then we can really accomplish some powerful activities.”

“This is a smart investment that will put Montanans back to work,” Tester said. “The projects will strengthen communities by investing in our infrastructure and our workforce. They will give Montanans new opportunities. This funding will go a long way for Montana and the people who live here, which is why I’ll vote for these projects every step of the way.”

Sen. Jon Tester introduced his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act to mixed reviews. What should we make of his first significant legislation?

The people and companies you will read about in this issue represent
the ‘new generation’ of Montana’s economy.