This spring we were identified as the third fastest growing micropolitan area in the country. Change is inevitable and with rapid growth comes rapid change. I’ve been thinking about change a lot recently, in part because my eldest is headed to the east coast to start college and in part because I have a front row seat to the rapid expansion happening here. How do we shape this growth to suit and benefit us? Companies are starting, wages are rising, and houses and schools are being built. The change and growth are a bit overwhelming at times – how do we keep our eye on the prize? And what is the prize? For many people the goal is to have a place where our children want to live and can make a living; an enticing place that makes them long to come home after chasing some adventures out in the world.
I met Don Bennett, president of Freedom Bank and longtime champion of economic development in the Flathead Valley, in 2007. He told me that “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I’ve never forgotten it because it embodies the essence of economic development. In this column I try to reveal some of the preparation that takes place behind the curtain and the benefits when all that planning comes to fruition. Also to share some good stories about unsung heroes who prepare every day so that the Flathead can continue to be “lucky” well into the future.
These days every Flathead community has a happy story to tell. Columbia Falls most noticeably. Someone flipped the switch with all the new businesses and real estate investment reinvigorating the heart of the town and SmartLam’s purchase of the Weyerhaeuser mill. You can feel the excitement in the air when you walk down Nucleus.
Economic developers have to complete a Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) every five years. I’m sure to most it sounds as dry as dirt, but creating this document was fun. It required us to talk to community members, identifying the wants and needs of each town and the county as a whole. Hearing leaders from Evergreen, Bigfork and Lakeside illustrate their vision of the future was invigorating. Kalispell and Whitefish intend to execute on several long-term plans in the next few years. Some objectives were unsurprising, yet important, and others will transform us yet again. Better internet connections were a need everywhere for those working from home and will require some creative solutions and investment in infrastructure. Our conversation with the noticeably young members of the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce was a huge indicator of just how much has changed there in a short amount of time. In over an hour of talking about the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for that former company town, no one mentioned Columbia Falls Aluminum Company or mill closures. So I had to ask, what about these corporations that are writ large on the history of this town with such outstanding highs and lows? Their answer to a (wo)man was that they did not choose Columbia Falls because of those large manufacturing facilities that used to define it. Their intention was to write some new history, and so they are. Pretty transformational stuff.
Change is inevitable. Planning for the change is smart. Choosing the change you want is the path to a successful future whether you are heading off to the college or preparing to get lucky yet again by laying the foundation for business and residents to prosper.
Kim Morisaki is the business development director at Montana West Economic Development, economic gardener, strategic doer and entrepreneur enthusiast.