April 2009 EYE on Business-Montana Chamber Newsletter

At the Legislature, we still have some good bills
alive that will help Montana’s businesses and economy.
We’ve killed a few bills that would have a
devastating effect on both. You can get LOTS more information
through our Capitol Connection weekly e-brief and through our
blog: (http://www.montanamainstreetblog.typepad.com).

Government Relations Director Jon Bennion is doing a great job
for all of us, while Health Benefits Director Chelsea Fagen is
stepping right up to the plate on healthcare issues. Jon’s leadership
has allowed me to spend some time on other issues, like the
terrible Card Check bill before Congress right now.

Our Montana Chamber Choices health insurance program is also
taking a lot of time and energy. We recently decided to transition
our billing administration and other services back to BlueCross
BlueShield of Montana. As for the program itself, we continue
to see growth in the number of companies. However, the economic
slowdown has definitely hit, with some of our businesses
dropping coverage completely, while others losing employees.
Chelsea is definitely earning her keep!

Membership Director Pete Burwell also has his hands full, talking
to current and prospective members. Yes, we’ve seen some of
our members hit hard and having to cut back. At the same time,
we continue to see new members, who are convinced the Montana
Chamber is a good investment for future prosperity for their
company and Montana as a whole – we welcome and thank you.
Meanwhile renewals are holding well – likewise, we appreciate
your confidence in and support for our work.

We had a great International Trade Day at the Capitol March 13.
Dee Durand and Leah Weaver stepped right up and pulled together
a nice event that we plan to repeat every year.

Finally, Kerry Schaefer, Foundation Director, reports the High
School Business Challenge and Governors’ Cup golf tournament
– the latter so well, that we have achieved our goal of expanding
the tourney to three courses.

As you can see, the Montana Chamber team is hard at work for
Montana. We’re never too busy, however, to hear from you, on
how we can help you prosper in these challenging times.

By Webb Brown
President/CEO
Montana Chamber of Commerce

Full Newsletter: http://www.montanachamber.com/uploads/docs/EYE%20on%20Business/April%202009%20EYE%20on%20Business.pdf