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JOIN US

Are you any of the following?

  • A professional economic developer.

  • A lender.

  • A contractor.

  • A business owner.

  • An engineer.

  • A concerned citizen who wants better opportunities and stronger commerce in your community.

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If you said, "Yes," then you should be a MEDA Member!

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BENEFITS

  • Reduced rates for MEDA spring & fall conferences.

  • Voting rights for MEDA legislative priorities.

  • Access to MEDA working groups.

  • Access to scholarships for training through NADO, IECDC, and more!

GOALS

  • Build relationships with economic developers, lenders, government representatives, & other members

  • Share best practices & strategies to improve the Montana economy

  • Identify and implement projects that put those ideas into action using numbers-based metrics

Image by Jason Goodman

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Would you like to be certified as a professional economic developer? We are happy to help with that, too! In fact, we partner with the National Development Council (NDC) to provide scholarships for their nationally-recognized training and certification programs. This is one more excellent reason to become a MEDA Member today!

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 101

Were you just hired by an economic development office in Montana? Are you looking for a career in economic development in Montana? Are you a Montana business owner trying to figure out what on earth "economic development" is in the first place? Let us show you around!

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In general, when we say "economic development", we are talking about supporting projects that make a positive impact on commerce, value of goods, and quality of life for a given community. What projects are those? It all depends on the community.

 

For many communities in Montana, that means coaching businesses through startup or expansion planning; writing grants and letters of support for infrastructure projects; funding assessments and cleanups for contaminated properties; hosting workshops and events to teach skills and connect; attracting new businesses and new workers; and so much more!

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We've included some further reading to help understand the key concepts that come with this term and with the work that we do. In particular, we recommend the libraries maintained by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

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