Local businesses sound off at Chamber breakfast
A handful of business representatives
gave a reserved review of the local economy at a meeting last week
hosted by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.
Montana Chamber President Webb Brown,
who stopped in Whitefish at Grouse Mountain Lodge as part of a
statewide tour, gave a brief review of the state’s economy.
He listed a few problem areas such as
the juxtaposition between North Dakota, where a surge in the oil
industry is providing jobs, and Montana, where oil exists, but
there is not much activity. He said lower business equipment taxes;
lower workers’ compensation rates and less onerous environmental
regulations are making North Dakota more attractive to
businesses.
“There’s no silver bullet, but we need
to provide a good business climate,” Brown said.
Still, he said, the state is fairing
better than the country as a whole.
“Montana is doing pretty well, he said.
“The oil and gas and agriculture are doing well. Tourism ended well
even with a slow start.”
Then he turned the meeting to the
audience.
“I want to hear what you’re seeing,” he
said.
Don Chery with Glacier Bancorp pointed
to new regulations in home financing that can make the process
largely confusing. He also noted that the housing supply remains
high, but real estate sales are depressed.
“Banking is tough, but so is everything
else,” he said. “Not many homes are being purchased. People aren’t
feeling real good.”
“Savings are up,” he added. “Liquidity
is king right now.”
Karen Baker, general manager at Grouse
Mountain Lodge, said 2011 showed improvement over recent years.
“Summer was really good,” she said.
“Fall and spring were slow. We were late to golf and the fall is
cold — the weather has stopped golfers.”
Grouse Mountain did see a return of
some its convention business this summer, but still bookings for
corporate gatherings and weddings remain down.
“They’re not spending like they used to
and their requesting lighter meals that are less expensive,” she
said.
One area that remains strong for Grouse
Mountain is Canada.
“Family travel is back up from 2008,”
she said. “Canada is a very large country for us. Travelers seem to
be sticking closer to home, but are still attracted to Glacier and
Yellowstone parks.”
Whitefish Chamber Executive Director
Kevin Gartland echoed Baker’s statements.
“It’s been a good year, but that ended
when (Glacier’s) Sun Road closed,” he said. “We had two major road
projects that started after Labor Day and that made everything come
to a grinding halt the last two months.”
Despite this, there is hiring taking
place in Whitefish and building in downtown, Gartland noted.
Dee Brown, Columbia Falls Area Chamber
of Commerce president, said laid-off workers seem to be opening
businesses in her town.
“It’s businesses that grow seven people
at a time,” she said. “There’s a skilled workforce who have been
laid off and they are skilled entrepreneurs. We’ve added 30 new
members to the chamber.”
Webb Brown acknowledged that small
business owners are a staple of Montana’s economy.
“Often losing a job is an excuse to
start their own business,” he said. “Sometimes those businesses
that add one at a time versus 100 are better because those with 100
pick up and move and take those 100 jobs with them.”