Daines: Montana lifestyle an asset for business

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. spoke about rural economic development and the rollback in federal regulations that can be expected with the new administration of President Donald Trump in his keynote address at Bear Paw Development Corp.'s Annual Meeting Luncheon Thursday.

Daines said that when he first launched his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, he would travel to northern and eastern Montana where he would introduce himself as "Steve Daines, who works for a software company in Bozeman." He said people wondered if he understood what life was like outside of the booming town.

"Then I would say I am from Bozeman, it's a wonderful town and it is only 20 minutes from Montana," Daines said.

He said people need to be aware that the pockets of prosperity in places such as Bozeman are not reflective of all of Montana because many local economies are grappling with how to create and retain high-wage jobs.

When he was vice president of Rightnow Technologies, Daines said, he would try and make sure potential employees who had never been to Montana knew that not every place in the state is like Bozeman. He said he used to give new employees a copy of the documentary "Class C: The Only Game in Town" about basketball teams in rural Montana towns, and encourage them to watch the movie because Daines said it offered a picture of the challenges such communities face.

Daines said Bear Paw Development Corp. is doing the work to help build bridges and buildings so Montana can remain " the last best place and so the kids who grew up here can stay here if they choose to."

Too often though, there are some people in Washington "that have never seen a pickup and have a hard time on a map."

He said sometimes there are regulations made in Washington, D.C., that are disconnected from the reality in Montana with little regard for the conditions in Montana.

In Montana small businesses are the state's economic engine, employing 66 percent of Montana's workforce - 240,000 people - Daines said.

Taxes used to be the dominant issue when he started traversing the state during his first campaign, Daines said, but in recent years that has been surpassed by concerns about regulations.

Many of those small businesses have had difficulty complying and figuring out how to conform with many of the rules that come out of Washington D.C., he said.

In the past 60 days, at the tail end of the Obama administration, regulations costing $457 billion came out, he said.

Sometime these midnight rules that come at the end of an administration, and both parties do this, Daines said, these midnight rules rushed through between Election Day and inauguration are poorly written, legally flawed, rushed through interagency review and the regulatory process.

Daines, now a member of the Senate agriculture committee, said that in Montana agriculture is a $6 billion industry. He added there will be an agriculture summit in Great Falls May 31 and June 1. People interested can visit agsummitmontana.com.

"The summit will focus on strengthening international relationships for Montana agriculture, showcase technology advancements, promote the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and discuss the challenges of federal policies and regulations," its website says.

When he was growing up, Daines said, he went on vacation outside of Montana and a woman once asked him, when she learned he was from Montana, "Do you ride a lot?"

Now when people find out he is from Montana, Daines said, people usually say, "You live in the best place."

Daines said with a strong education system, increased connectivity and better technology, Montana's lifestyle is no longer a liability for business, it is now an asset.

He added that has created a different perception about Montana, as people will now often say how great of a place Montana is.

Daine said that recently Oracle, the company that purchased RightNow Technologies in 2012, set up their cloud control and operating center for the Americas in Bozeman.

"That, I think, is a preview of what we have before us," Daines said. "Here in Montana, that can happen anywhere."