Montana Economic Development

"Markey said he’d be interested in starting a private and revolving investment fund for films made in Montana. In New Mexico and Louisiana, state governments have started offering 15 percent rebates on goods and services purchased during the making of a film. As a result, film production has skyrocketed in both states in the last year, Markey said."

"Montana, big enough to hold the future," would be a better theme for the state than "the last best place," says Arnie Sherman, director of the World Trade Center in Montana, in speaking to an…

Sen. Conrad Burns told state lawmakers that Montana needs to take advantage of international free trade agreements to develop and sell its coal, timber and agricultural products. By MATT GOURAS Associated Press Writer Helena IR…

The Office of Economic Development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examine the crucial role that technology infrastructure plays in economic development. This report by Michael Luger, Leslie S. Stewart and Johannes…

"In Montana, because of the rural nature of the state and the isolation, there doesn’t seem to be as many alliances or mentoring opportunities," Kottel said. People bring their talents and interests to a business, but too often they fail to plan for other tasks, including accounting and budgeting.

Rural economic development policies must build upon the natural assets of rural America, advises the latest issue brief from the National Governors’ Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices. Innovative State Policy Options to Promote Rural…

"All of a sudden," says Helen Atthowe, horticulturist for the Missoula County Extension Service, "organic is cool." By DARYL GADBOW of the Missoulian She bases her observation on several current trends: * Sales of organic…

"Of the western Montana counties experiencing population booms, the ones that survive and prosper long term will be the ones that successfully manage growth and preserve their rural splendor." Said Swanson: "A successful business is an adaptive business, and a successful community is an adaptive community."

"But when (a company) has more ideas and potential than capital, one looks for the greatest opportunities," he said. "We’re not trying to place one state against the other. In the long run, we just want to continue developing this region." "But a bigger issue we all face is how to attract and keep markets in our regions, not necessarily just our states," Rossate said.

Tax roadblocks are stifling economic growth in Montana and without a drastic commitment to change, the state’s manufacturing sector will continue to founder, the president of Jore Corp. told the annual meeting of the Missoula…