Gov's Main Street Montana coming to Fort Belknap

A project started by Gov. Steve Bullock to draft a blueprint for job creation is coming to north-central Montana Indian Country July 25, in coordination with other major events including a Fort Belknap Indian Reservation powwow and the grand opening of a new store by the local telephone cooperative.

The roundtable, set to start at 2 p.m. at Aaniiih Nakoda College, formerly Fort Belknap College, will be led by Mainstreet Montana Project co-chairs Bill Johnstone, chairman and CEO of D.A. Davidson & Co., and Larry Simkins, president and CEO of the Washington Cos.

They will be joined by Governor's Office of Indian Affairs Director Jason Smith, Commissioner of Labor Pam Bucy, Director of Commerce Meg O'Leary and Governor's Chief Business Officer John Rogers

It starts on the first day of the Milk River Indian Days powwow, which runs from Thursday, July 25, through Sunday, July 28, and on the same day that Triangle Communications is celebrating its own job creation on the reservation with the grand opening of a retail store at Fort Belknap Shopping Center.

Anne Boothe, Triangle economic development specialist, said the store is part of Triangle’s mobile telephone branch. The store, at 163 Food Farm Ave., provides one-stop shopping for Triangle Mobile phones, accessories and plan information, she said.

Boothe said Triangle has worked in the mobile phone industry since 1995, installing towers and partnering with other cooperatives to bring service to the Hi-Line.

“We continue to bring our customers the best mobile service, in Montana’s beautiful wide-open spaces,” she said in an emailed invitation to the grand opening.

Bullock’s Main Street Montana project is intended to create a self-sustaining process to help communities attract and create businesses and jobs. He said in May when he announced the project that he is looking for ideas he can implement as governor, rather than programs that would have to be implemented by the Legislature.

Simkins and Johnstone held a series of roundtables in May and June, starting in Billings with following roundtables in Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Miles City and Missoula.

Bullock, Johnstone and Simkins said in the kickoff press conference that the idea is to gather ideas from people with their boots on the ground, talking to business, education and training, economic development and community leaders about what is needed to support economic development.

The intent, Bullock said, is to support local economic development, driven by the main streets of Montana communities, with support from the state and federal agencies with seamless communication and coordination.

The July 25 roundtable at Fort Belknap will focus on the economic opportunities and challenges facing Indian Country, the media advisory announcing the roundtable said.

Department of Labor & Industry's Chief Economist Barb Wagner will kick off the event with an interactive presentation about the economic situation in Indian Country in Montana. The people then will break into small groups to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing their community, region and the state as a whole.

The plan for the project is to collect ideas through the summer, with Johnstone and Simkins presenting their proposals to Bullock early in 2014.

People planning to attend the July 25 roundtable are asked to RSVP to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development at 406-444-5634 or via email at [email protected].