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Previous editions: January 2006; February 2006;    March 2006;   April 2006;
May 2006;   June 2006;  July 2006; August 2006; September 2006; October 2006; November 2006; December 2006; January 2007; February 2007; March 2007; April 2007; May 2007; June 2007; July 2007; August 2007; September 2007; October 2007; November 2007; December 2007; January 2008; February 2008; March 2008; April 2008;

MAY 2008

• CRDC Success Story
• MEDA Membership Update
• Grant and Funding Opportunities
• Working Groups...are Working!
• Opportunities For You
• Montana BEAR Report
• What the Numbers Say
• My Turn: 2010 Coalition Update
• MEDA Spring IEDC Training

CRDC SUCCESS STORY: Wild Horse Port of Entry
PROJECT INFORMATION

CRDC Region:    Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, Liberty, and Phillips Counties
Agency:    Bear Paw Development Corporation
Agency Contact:    Craig Erickson, Infrastructure Services Director, cerickson@bearpaw.org
Project Location:    Wild Horse Port of Entry - Hill County
Project Name:    Wild Horse Port of Entry
Project Contact:    Bob Rice, Mayor of Havre

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Project Description: The cities of Havre, Montana and Medicine Hat, Alberta have long sought a 24-hour commercial port of entry. Wild Horse is 41 miles north of Havre and 88 miles south of Medicine Hat. The port currently has limited hours from 8 am to 9 pm, May 15 to September 30, and 8 am to 5 pm, October 1 to May 14.

Partners: Governor Brian Schweitzer, Commerce Director Anthony J. Preite, Senator Max Baucus, Senator Jon Tester, Representative Denny Rehberg, Montana Department of Transportation and Province of Alberta.

Funding Sources: Montana Department of Commerce - Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund program, City of Havre, Hill County, thirty-two Havre businesses and Bear Paw Development (for an economic analysis conducted by the University of Montana's Bureau of Business and Economic Research). The analysis was completed in March 2008. Senator Jon Tester introduced federal legislation on November 5, 2007 as Senate Bill 2308.

Economic Impact: Expanding the Wild Horse Port of Entry to a 24-hour commercial port of entry could potentially translate into following economic impacts:

o 265 additional jobs;
o $12.6 million in additional after-tax income;
o An increase in population of more than 500.

These impacts are permanent, sustainable increases in annual economic activity resulting from port operations. The port upgrade would also spur considerable new spending by businesses, consumers, and governments. An estimated $56 million of new private sector business investment would take place in the Bear Paw counties, cumulatively, in the upcoming two decades because of the increased access made possible by the port upgrade.

MEDA Membership Update: MEDA added three new members in April, including Terry Huff, Snowy Mountain Development; Alyssa Patton, Great Falls Development Authority; and Beth Schultes, 1st National Bank of Libby. MEDA's total membership now stands at 227. Welcome to our new members. Print the MEDA Membership Directory.     

Grant and Funding Opportunities:

HUD NOFA: Notice of Funding Availability for HUD’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Rural Housing and Economic Development Program (RHED) is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-9273.pdf Deadline is May 30th.

Extension Community Resources Program weblink http://extn.msu.montana.edu/CommRes/grantopps.asp    Check out these great grant links. Thanks to David Young, Professor, Community Resource Specialist Extension Service & College of Nursing, MSU, for providing this information.

Industrial Architecture Deadline: May 23, 2008. The Montana Preservation Alliance has announced new Endangered Properties grants to assist with preserving Montana's Industrial Architecture, some of the most important and threatened buildings and structures in the state. Grant dollars for amounts of between $2,500 and $25,000 each will be provided on a reimbursement basis for repair and stabilization of industrial buildings and structures such as grain elevators, railroad depots, mining headframes, lime kilns, breweries, and other industry-related buildings. MPA Industrial Grant funds will be awarded for brick and mortar expenses and must be matched 1:1 with cash or in-kind work. Projects proposed for non-industrial structures such as school buildings, churches, residences, or storefronts will not be considered for this grant. Priority in matching dollars and in long-term in-kind preservation interest will be given to historically significant properties, properties that are threatened, and those for which there is substantial commitment to preservation. (Thanks to Carolyn Keller for passing this along.) RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15012511/kaplangrant

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. Visit http://www.medamemberes.org/workinggroups.php

Energy  

The MEDA Energy Working Group has a conference call set for May 1st to discuss energy development projects in Montana. Check the website for minutes and resources. Plan to join the call by dialing 605.990.0700 pin 313657#.

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 for all of the news.

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. Some agenda items include: MDT policy and program updates, Rail service & issues, Transportation and Affordable Housing, Passenger air service and more.

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 It is still not too late to register for this course. 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

MBACProspector.com The Montana Business Assistance Connection (MBAC) recently launched MBACProspector.com, making access to powerful business information research only a mouse-click away. This new website is a great opportunity for the local business community to analyze business and demographic information. MBACProspector.com speeds up and simplifies the process of business attraction and site selection for expanding and relocating businesses. It does this by efficiently answering the main questions that businesses have when they are involved in the site selection analysis process. Local realtors have enthusiastically supported the project, Randall Green of Green & Green Realty Associates, LLC had this to say about the site: "This site provides unique local access to commercial data for businesses and investors and will prove invaluable to anyone seeking information about the Helena business community." If you have any questions or comments about the site, please contact Carolyn Keller at ckeller@mbac.biz or 406.442.4986. This site is a public/private sponsorship and as such is a free service to the community.

AEO’s First Annual Rural Summit: Planting Seeds: Harvesting Change, May 20, 2008 – Anaheim, CA. The summit is specifically designed to build networks among people working in microenterprise development, Buy Local efforts, Main Street revitalization, rural economic development, green business initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and more. ”Join us as we take this first step in engaging rural activists for the betterment of our rural communities, identifying intersections and opportunities for collaboration, and enhancing our mutual work. Thanks to the generosity of the Northwest Area Foundation, AEO is able to provide 20 Rural Summit Super Scholarships for folks from the following states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. The $200 scholarships will cover the $75 Rural Summit registration fee and provide an additional $125 towards hotel room costs for the night before (May 19) the Rural Summit begins. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first serve basis. Visit http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=3161

Bootstrap Montana is hosting an educational seminar geared toward rural entrepreneurs at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Montana on May 23, 2008 at 8:30 am. The seminar will teach bootstrapping - building your business with little or no outside investment capital - to business leaders, community members, and individuals interested in entrepreneurship. The seminar will also include training on the tenets of bootstrapping a start-up business focusing on entrepreneurial best practices in sales, marketing, and finance. Contact Prairie Lee at TechRanch to register or visit http://www.bootstrapmontana.org/images/agenda.pdf for more information about the event.

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. This month's report is full of news - and even includes some photos of the training in Wolf Point and the JSEC Conference BEAR Panel. The next conference call for the MEDA BEAR Working Group is set for May 19th at 9:30am.

According to data entered into the ExecutivePulse software, 13 business visits were conducted around the state in April: Sweet Grass County - 1, Cascade County - 2, Lincoln County - 1, Park County - 1, Judith County - 2, Stillwater County - 2, Silver Bow County - 1, and Fergus County leading the way with three. Outreach Specialists with more than one interview: Carrie Mantooth 5 (Wow!), and Melissa Kramer, 3.

Income Data by County
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently updated their BEARFACTS, computer-generated narratives of all counties in the country, for 2006. The narratives describe an area's personal income using current estimates, growth rates, and a breakdown of the sources of personal income. You may compare the year of your choice (1979-2006) with a year that falls ten years prior, for example 2006 compared to 1996. A clickable state map will guide you. To access your county, go to BEA's web site at http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/bearfacts/countybf.cfm. A sample of Hill County is below. For more information, contact CEIC staff at ceic@mt.gov or (406) 841-2740.

Hill County, Montana

Hill is one of 56 counties in Montana. It is part of the Havre, MT Micropolitan SA. Its 2006 population of 16,439 ranked 11th in the state.

PER CAPITA PERSONAL INCOME: In 2006 Hill had a per capita personal income (PCPI) of $31,950. This PCPI ranked 11th in the state and was 104 percent of the state average, $30,790, and 87 percent of the national average, $36,714. The 2006 PCPI reflected an increase of 5.6 percent from 2005. The 2005-2006 state change was 5.5 percent and the national change was 5.6 percent. In 1996 the PCPI of Hill was $20,165 and ranked 11th in the state. The 1996-2006 average annual growth rate of PCPI was 4.7 percent. The average annual growth rate for the state was 4.9 percent and for the nation was 4.3 percent.

TOTAL PERSONAL INCOME: In 2006 Hill had a total personal income (TPI) of $525,226*. This TPI ranked 10th in the state and accounted for 1.8 percent of the state total. In 1996 the TPI of Hill was $350,540* and ranked 10th in the state. The 2006 TPI reflected an increase of 6.9 percent from 2005. The 2005-2006 state change was 6.8 percent and the national change was 6.7 percent. The 1996-2006 average annual growth rate of TPI was 4.1 percent. The average annual growth rate for the state was 5.6 percent and for the nation was 5.4 percent.

COMPONENTS OF TOTAL PERSONAL INCOME:Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of Hill. In 2006 net earnings accounted for 55.0 percent of TPI (compared with 61.6 in 1996); dividends, interest, and rent were 26.7 percent (compared with 20.1 in 1996); and personal current transfer receipts were 18.3 percent (compared with 18.3 in 1996). From 2005 to 2006 net earnings increased 5.4 percent; dividends, interest, and rent increased 11.0 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased 6.0 percent. From 1996 to 2006 net earnings increased on average 3.0 percent each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 7.1 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased on average 4.1 percent.

EARNINGS BY PLACE OF WORK: Earnings of persons employed in Hill increased from $318,240* in 2005 to $335,175* in 2006, an increase of 5.3 percent. The 2005-2006 state change was 5.7 percent and the national change was 5.7 percent. The average annual growth rate from the 1996 estimate of $252,263* to the 2006 estimate was 2.9 percent. The average annual growth rate for the state was 6.0 percent and for the nation was 5.5 percent. *Note: All income estimates with the exception of PCPI are in thousands of dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

My Turn: This-n-That from the MEDA Office
Let me take a few minutes to update you on the efforts of the still-forming, still-growing 2010 Coalition. The meeting held April 11th in Helena went well. Here is a timeline that demonstrates the outcomes of the meeting. Thus far, we are right on schedule!

April 23: Letter to be completed requesting a meeting with key administrative officials to address the 2010 sunset issue and program funding.
April 30: Support and/or signatures have been confirmed; letter is sent to key officials requesting a meeting date.
April 30: Deadline for program representatives to have brief success stories to MEDA
May 1st: Powerpoint is completed for CRDCs
May 5th or before: Meeting is held with key officials
May 7th: CRDCs and 2010 Coalition members begin presentations in their regions
Ongoing: 2010 Coalition members talk with legislators and candidates regarding these programs
June (1st week): Following the primaries, a conference call or meeting will be held with the coalition members for next steps.

MEDA IEDC Training....
Thanks once again to PPL Montana for their generous sponsorship of the IEDC training in Montana and to MEDA's financial support as well. If you are not convinced you need to take advantage of this great training opportunity, check out the IEDC website. Be sure you do NOT register at this site, however, but instead register at href="http://www.medamembers.org/IEDC_Training_2.doc" to attend. We are up to 47 registered and need 50 to meet our minimum. Thank you!

Do you have a Success Story to share? Download the report template and send to MEDA.

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