Page 28 - Flathead Beacon // 3.26.14

28 | MARCH 26, 2014
BUSINESS MONTHLY FLATHEADBEACON.COM

ONE VALLEY,
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
ONE VISION
Kellie Danielson
Economic

Connectivity
UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES
AVERAGE GAS PRICES BY STATE
W
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES BY STATES $ 4 . 1 8 /gal.
HAT IS THE SECRET TO TURNING HIGHEST HAWAII
(JAN.) visitors into business investors? Natural assets,
LOWEST MONTANA
$ 3 . 2 2
15TH LOWEST: Montana 5.3%
and some say, craft breweries. The six cham-
/gal.
bers of commerce and convention and visitor bureaus in
the Flathead provide a diversity of festivals and events to SOURCE: GasBuddy.com
increase visitor spending and length of vacations. The eco-
LOWEST:
nomic development community seeks talented visiting en- HIGHEST:
N. Dakota 2.9% trepreneurs to include them in the local entrepreneurial Rhode Island 9.2%
network. They are invited to entrepreneurial social events GLACIER PARK INT'L AIRPORT STATS
(FEB.)
to connect to other successful entrepreneurs building DEPARTURES
NATIONAL AVERAGE
businesses in the Flathead. A wide net is cast to collect en- 6.6%
trepreneurs to socially connect with like-minded individ- 2013 11,683
uals, including them as quickly as possible into the fabric
of economic gardening.
2014
12,724
SOURCE: Montana Department of Labor & Industry
Our purpose is to get entrepreneurs to give back, as 5,000 10,000 15000 0
20,000
MONTANA EMPLOYMENT CHANGE mentors co-connecting to their networks, as investors and ARRIVALS
as strategic partners. We create venues for entrepreneurs
BY INDUSTRY (JAN. TO FEB.)
to mix socially, including the Flathead “EQ” (Entrepreneur 2013
11,344
Natural Resources and Mining
Quotient). We also host roundtables on educational topics 2014
-1.0%
12,945
Construction -1.2% such as crowdfunding and commercialization resources. 0
5,000
10,000
15,000 20,000
Manufacturing +0.5% I am excited for the overwhelming support residents and SOURCE: Glacier Park International Airport
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 0% business give to the value of startup businesses. If you have
an idea and a business model, we stand ready to listen.
HOUSING STATISTICS
Information -1.4%
IN FLATHEAD COUNTY
Financial Activities
(FEB.)
+1.7%
NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED FOR BEST PLACES Professional & Business Services
-0.8% 2011 2012 2013 2014
TO WORK CONTEST
Education & Health Services
+0.1%
The search is on for Montana West Economic Devel- Residential Sales 52 84
76 79
opment’s 2014 Best Place to Work in the Flathead/Glacier Leisure & Hospitality
+2.0% Residential Land Sales 10 20
18 35
Park Region, now in its second year.
Other Services
-3.4%
Whether the goal is to attract and retain talent, bench- Government -0.2%
Notices of Trustee Sales
-- --
-- --
mark employee feedback to improve employee brand, or to Figures do not include self-employed or agricultural employment. In total, Montana’s SOURCE: Jim Kelley at Kelley Appraisal in Kalispell
celebrate the culture of the work environment, each busi- non-agricultural, seasonally adjusted payroll increased by 1,800 jobs in January. February’s
igures will not be available from the state or federal government until April.
SOURCE: Montana Department of Labor & Industry
ness who elects to participate in the Best Places to Work
competition will receive community press visibility, and HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATES MONTH IN STOCKS
company-speciic insights at a fraction of the cost of other BY MONTANA COUNTIES
employee feedback research.
(JAN.)
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE +0.4% 16,278.05
The beneits of the contest include recognizing and
honoring those with positive work environments; sharing Lincoln 18.0% NASDAQ
-1.6% 4,218.23
stories of how companies and organizations create great Sanders 16.1%
workplaces and cultures that are compelling for a target au- S & P 500
+0.4% 1,855.81
Bighorn 15.8%
dience; gaining exposure as a positive place to work, which Glacier 13.5% PLUM CREEK (PCL)
-2.2% 41.54
in turn drives employees to want to work for these employ- Mineral 11.7%
ers; and promoting the Flathead Valley and its employers.
Nominations end April 4. To nominate a business visit, Granite 10.6% APPLIED MATERIAL (AMAT) +5.1% 20.05
http://survey.quantumworkplace.com/nomination/flat- Ravalli 8.6%
head/
Flathead 9.0% GLACIER BANK (GBCI) +11.1% 29.55

Lake 9.0% NORTHWESTERN ENERGY (NWE) +0.0% 46.33
Broadwater 8.6%
Kellie Danielson is president and CEO of Montana West CENTURYLINK (CTL)
+1.0% 31.5
Economic Development and Flathead County Economic 0%
5%
10%
15% 20%
Development Authority.
SOURCE: Montana Department of Labor & Industry
Listed in trading price on Monday, March 24 and percent change from closing on Feb. 24.

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