Gianforte: Telecommuting could boost Montana, Hi-Line economy

Greg Gianforte's son David does business every day with people in Singapore, Sydney, Australia and Chicago.

He does that in his bedroom in Bozeman, Greg Gianforte told a crowd in Havre Wednesday night.

Working on a computer, people can do the work that used to require face-to-face contact and jet-hopping around the world, Gianforte said.

A vigorous use of telecommuting could be the salvation of Montana's economy, he said.

Many high-paying jobs could be performed in people's homes, he said.

He proposed a statewide program to encourage people to come home to Montana to work via computer.

Gianforte has been mentioned as a Republican candidate for governor, but after the meeting, he turned aside a reporter's questions about his candidacy, only reiterating earlier statements that he was looking into it.

Gianforte is the founder of RightNow Technologies. He started the company in his bedroom and expanded it to a high-tech company that has 1,200 employees before he sold it.

If Havre was able to attract a handful of former residents who make $100,000 a year to come home, it would have a tremendous impact on the Hi-Line economy. More homes would be built, sales in area stores would increase and more children would be attending Havre schools, he said.

"Montana's unemployment rate is low," he said. "What we need is high-paying jobs."

Gianforte said his organization has sent out 15,000 booklets to MontanaState University graduates who have moved out of the state.

The booklet explains the advantages of telecommuting and how it might be far easier than people expect. There is a page on how to approach your boss with the idea.

More companies are open to the idea of telecommuting, he said.

He said they are targeting people who grew up in Montana and want to return home because they miss family, friends and the Montana way of life.

Also targeted, he said, are people who have visited here and would love to stay, but fear they would have a hard time getting a job.

In Shelby, he said, they are handing out the booklet to every person who attends the annual class reunion this summer.

Ed Matter, a Havre resident at the meeting, suggested that the booklet could be handed out at the Fossil Festival, an all-class reunion in Havre over Labor Day weekend.

If the Chamber of Commerce or some other local groups would like to design a Havre- or Hi-Line-centered leaflet encouraging people to come home, they are more than welcome, he said.

For instance, hundreds of thousands of people pass through Columbia Falls en route to Glacier National Park. The average tourist going to the park is on their third visit, he said.

There is a good chance that some of those people like Montana so much they would like to stay, but can't because of their jobs.

Montanans need to help them convince bosses that it is OK to telecommute.

In some parts of Montana, he said, poor Internet service is a drawback, "but on the Hi-Line, Internet service is more than sufficient."

Rick Stevens, general manager of Triangle Communications, said service will improve in coming months as his company upgrades its service.