Economic development goes out on limb to promote traditional identity in Libby, Montana

As economies change and subsequently communities with it, the question of identity is never far from mind. With economic instability, local innovators are going out on a limb to blend the Kootenai’s traditional resource identity with a pragmatic potential.

Jennifer Nelson of the Northwest Montana Economic Development Council and Paul Rumelhart, executive director of Kootenai River Development Council http://www.krdc.net/ , tackle the question of future economic identity daily.

Written by Nelson, the Libby district recently received a Regional Innovation Grant of $25,000 from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

“The intent of the RIG is to look at identity that will be sustainable,” Nelson said. “There must be support for a regional economy with benefits to its identity.”

By Brandon Roberts, The Western News

Full Story: http://www.thewesternnews.com/articles/2009/01/01/news/doc495cf5d25aec3555548082.txt