It’s time to get down to business: Consultants give us a map to improve economic development in Missoula – Missoula agencies embrace negative economic development report

It’s time to get down to business: Consultants give us a map to improve economic development in Missoula

Apparently it takes an independent analysis by outside experts to force Missoulians to face what we already know – that our city is woefully lacking when it comes to economic development.

Now it is up to Missoula to take those findings to heart and start implementing their recommendations immediately.

Full Missoulian Editorial: http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_b58432a0-5f99-11df-8167-001cc4c002e0.html

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Missoula agencies embrace negative economic development report

Rather than protest a harsh review lobbed their way last week, Missoula agencies called out in a new economic development assessment welcomed the feedback.

In fact, the entire report – and all the warts it reveals about Missoula’s lack of a unified economic development strategy – is one of the most positive things that’s happened to this community in a long time, said Dick King, director of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corp.

“If it takes consultants from out of state to get things going, it doesn’t matter,” King said. “They point out we don’t have a strategic plan for our community and that’s exactly what we have said.

“We’ve tried to do that – develop a plan – at various times, but no one has been interested. I guess there just wasn’t a sense of urgency.”

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_68e8bc12-609e-11df-b68c-001cc4c03286.html

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Consultants’ suggestions include better web presence

When Mayor John Engen started his Best Place Project last fall to foster economic development and prosperity in Missoula, he convened a team of advisers from the community. With their guidance – and with funding from St. Patrick Hospital, two Atlanta-based experts were hired to assess Missoula’s economic development efforts.

Last week, the consultants released their findings, the most startling of which was a recommendation to completely reorganize the organizations that currently work on behalf of Missoula’s economic development.

Here are some of the suggestions offered by the consultants, Garner Economics and National Community Development Service:

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_00b07506-60ab-11df-89c3-001cc4c03286.html