MEDA Membership Update: MEDA added seven new members in March, including John Balsam (John Balsam Associates, Missoula), Mary Danford (Montana PEAKS, Kalispell), Rich Hayes (TR Hayes & Associates, Cascade), Randy Knowles (SCORE, Great Falls), Dale Mahugh (NorthWestern Energy, Butte), Dennis O'Reilly (Head Start, Billings) and Connie Ternes-Daniels (Anaconda/Deer Lodge County, Anaconda). MEDA's total membership now stands at 227.
Welcome to our new members. Print the MEDA Membership Directory.
Grant and Funding Opportunities:
Montana Main Street Program is announcing a new cycle of applications for 2008. The application should be available for downloading on the state Department of Commerce’s website (www.mtmainstreet.mt.gov) on April 1. Applications will be due July 1. We expect to select 2-3 new communities. Contact: Julie Burk, Main Street Program Coordinator, Montana Department of Commerce, Phone: 406/841-2756
Extension Community Resources Program weblink
http://extn.msu.montana.edu/CommRes/grantopps.asp
Five (5) new community-friendly grant announcements have been added to this website. Thanks to David Young, Professor, Community Resource Specialist Extension Service & College of Nursing, MSU, for providing this information.
"The Save Our History Grant Program" provides funding to history organizations that partner with schools or youth groups on a local community preservation project. During the 2008-2009 school year, the History Channel will again award grants to up to $10k to fund hands-on, experiential educational projects that teach students about their local history and actively engage them in its preservation. For guidelines and criteria, important dates, and application materials, visit www.saveourhistory.com and click on grant program. Applications are due June 6."
Working Groups...Are Working!:
Take advantage of the research these groups are doing - learn from what they are learning as chances are you are dealing with the same issues.
Housing
Energy
The MEDA Energy Working Group continues to carry on an email discussion. If you would like to join in, contact Gloria.
Value Added Ag
The MEDA Value Added Ag Working Group will have representation at the 2010 Coalition meeting on April 11th.
BEAR
The MEDA BEAR Working Group's input and feedback in strengthening the Statewide Montana BEAR Program continues to be of great value. Please see the paragraph below.
Transportation Working Group
Chair Tony Rudbach has scheduled a meeting with Montana Dept. of Transportation and representatives of MEDA for April 30th. This will be the third year in a row MEDA and MDT has met to exchange program updates, economic information and news. If you would like to join the meeting, contact the MEDA office.
Opportunities For You: Interested in sharpening your professional skills as an economic and community development practitioner? Looking for new tools to place in your economic development tool box? Check these out.
IEDC 2nd Core Course: Real Estate Development and Reuse Don't miss the lower cost opportunity to become a Certified Economic Development Professional. The second course in the series, sponsored by PPL Montana, is set for May 5th and 6th in Billings.
http://www.medamembers.org
Business and Geographic Information Systems - Special Focus Session at the Intermountain GIS Conference in Missoula
April 10, 1:00pm-6:00pm, Holiday Inn Downtown (Free and open to the public. The Montana Association of Geographic Information System (GIS) Professionals Intermountain Conference will be held April 8-10 in Missoula, at the Holiday Inn Downtown. As an outreach event, we are sponsoring a special focus session Thursday April 10 from 1-6pm on GIS and Business. Afternoon presentations will demonstrate how businesses ranging from home based businesses to Montana’s largest corporations are using an impressive variety of business-focused applications, data and document management, business intelligence, and workflow solutions. Many businesses are turning their site, customers, addresses, service boundaries, or delivery routes into a decision that improves the bottom line. Speakers from leading companies applying GIS to business in Montana will discuss their business solutions in a panel discussion on best practices for GIS and business. The afternoon and evening will include a business and GIS solutions fair with live demonstrations of Montana applications.
BREI Conference - Deepen your BEAR Network and sharpen your business retention and expansion skills at the national BREI Conference. http://www.brei.org/Conferences/2008/Conf2008QLook.aspx
Friends of the Wheeler Center: We’re looking forward to seeing you in Bozeman on May 12 & 13 (Monday and Tuesday, noon – noon) for the Spring Wheeler Conference, “Climate Change in Montana: Impacts and Opportunities for Agriculture and Energy.” The cost of the conference is $45.00, which includes three meals. We’ll be meeting on campus in the newly remodeled SUB, school is out at that time so there will be plenty of close-in parking available. See more about the program and register now at www.montana.edu/wheeler
Save the date: Helping Small Towns Succeed is coming to Montana this year! This annual Heartland institute includes participants from all over the US and focuses on leadership, clues, appreciative inquiry techniques, diversity, building blocks and social capital...all contributing to helping small rural communities grow and thrive. October 21 - 23, Billings.
MONTANA 
Report: Learn what is new in your region with the statewide Montana BEAR Program. Please review the progress of the statewide Montana BEAR program by reading the monthly report. A new website is in the works that will serve as an introduction to the BEAR process for interview prospects. In addition, each BEAR team will be listed along with contact information and websties. The next conference call for the MEDA BEAR Working Group is set for April 21st at 10:00am.
According to data entered into the ExecutivePulse software, 21 business visits were conducted around the state in March: Yellowstone County - 7, Cascade County - 6, Flathead County - 2,
Silver Bow County - 2, Deer Lodge County - 1, Ravalli County - 1, Choteau County - 1 and Fergus County - 1. Outreach Specialists with more than one interview: Kathy Moody 5, Linda McNeill 4, Jim Smitham 2, and Lad Barney, 2. BEAR Trainers will be traveling to Wolf Point in early April to give a presentation and conduct a mini-training. BEAR is coming to Eastern Montana!
