This is the cached copy of http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/rig/CoreLdshpGroupMtgOneSept08.pdf.
 
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Montana’s Regional Innovation Grant (RIG)
MEETING SUMMARY
CORE LEADERSHIP GROUP
Ronan, Montana
Prepared for
Montana Department of Labor and Industry
September 22, 2008
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Montana’s Regional Innovation Grant (RIG)
CORE LEADERSHIP GROUP (Meeting 1 of 6)
Ronan, Montana
SESSION OBJECTIVES
1. Affirm the Leadership Group’s end products and deliverables as requested by the
Regional Innovation Grant (RIG).
2. Finalize the collaborative framework within which the Core Group will work.
3. Flesh out the asset mapping and get started on the process of identifying growth
industries and needed skills.
INTRODUCTION
The Core Leadership Group for Montana’s Regional Innovation Grant (RIG) held their
first meeting in Ronan, Montana at the Mission Mountain Country Club on September
22, 2008. The following summarizes who attended; the Group’s discussion,
observations, and feedback; and homework for the next meeting scheduled for October
23, 2008.
Who’s here and what have they heard on their “traplines”?
Marcy Allen (BREDD) – People she talked to said “oh, another planning process”.
People unclear on how this will be different. There is misunderstanding about
what we do as an industry in economic development.
Marnie Criley (Wildlands CPR/ Montana Forest Restoration Committee) – Interested in
the restoration economy in Montana. The conservation community is interested
in being kept up to date. Some cynicism. Can build bridge with whole new
constituency.
Billie Lee (Lake County Community Development) – Cynicism within the economic
development groups Billie works with. People need to see something happen
after planning – where do we go from here? As they look at this process they
wonder how this is going to benefit their business in the long-term.
Ray Marshall (Sanders County) – Sanders County lost a major industry ten years ago
and we need jobs. That is why Ray is here. He wants to identify where jobs are
needed and the skills our community can identify and develop to meet those
needs. Whatever we come up with must be flexible. For every action is a
counter-balancing reaction. Our statistics show what was – not what can be.
Let’s not focus too much on the past.
Shelly Fyant (Kicking Horse Job Corps) – We’re not teaching forestry in the Job Corps
program anymore because the jobs aren’t there. We need more young people
involved in this process.
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Ruth Link (Missoula Organization of Realtors) – Housing is a concern. People are
concerned with the effect on housing by what is happening to the timber industry.
Greg Landon (Job Corps) – Goal is to involve youth in the process. Ensure that skills
and training are not only here in Western Montana but prepare our youth for
other parts of the country. Most of the response from people Greg spoke with
was “Oh, that’s nice…but we need results.”
Jennifer Nelson (Northwest Montana Economic Development District) – There have
been a lot of past efforts to bring in economic stimulus, but no results yet.
Jennifer attended a conference in Billings and the WIRED people were there.
People are aware of what we are doing and are pulling for us. We can’t turn our
backs on the timber industry.
Kim Morisaki (Montana West Economic Development) – Interested in growth
industries. What matters is the creativity that helps move us forward.
Chad Delong (Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation) – Believer in
regionalism; believer in implementation.
Susie Burch (Flathead Valley Community College) – Also interested in implementation
and educational funding. Susie sees new faces at the table and that’s good.
People she spoke with had some cynicism and a wait and see attitude, but
people want to be kept informed. Let’s not lose our beginner minds.
Charlie Wright (Montana Department of Commerce) – People he spoke with want to
revitalize the wood products industries. Some cynicism – we are ten years too
late. Questions on what will the legislature be able to do in the next session.
There are policy makers and decision makers who will affect what we get done
and how we get things done. We are two years ahead when it comes to working
with the legislature.
Debbie Krantz (Lake/Sanders County Job Service) – This is an opportunity to learn as
a group not only what we can share with each other but identify what we don’t
know. People Deb spoke with in community meetings are excited bout the
possibility of jobs being brought to the community and region. Job Service will be
the implementers.
Kay Strayer (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) – Keeper of the web page. Kay
explained the difference between the WIRED grant and the RIG grant.
Dixie Stark (Literacy Bitterroot and Darby School Board) – Dixie quoted Mark Twain,
“It’s not the truth that counts, it’s what people believe”. Dixie said people are
having trouble processing bug-killed trees and unhealthy forests. Perceptions
and underlying beliefs may actually be myths. Our ground rules and guiding
principles will help us not get trapped in those discussions. We need to do things
in a collaborative way.
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Tim Bronk (Superintendent, Darby Schools) – Tim’s teaching background is in
business education/technical education. He attended the fall conference for
Superintendents. None of them knew bout this process. There is benefit for
educators to know about this process. They are interested in declining
enrollment, lack of funding.
Al Maurilla (Montana Department of Labor & Industry - Central Montana) – Here to
learn. Deals with similar identity issues with community of Livingston and ties to
Bozeman.
Jay Wilson Preston (Community Tel/Ronan Telephone Company) – Sees a need to
envision where we are going in the future. We have a variety of
telecommunication initiatives going on. Since 1988 Jay has been volunteering
for economic development in the area. Instead of “demise” we need to think
about the wood products industry as “changing”. Break net growth leads to
losing area identify. Jay would like to see us constrain growth and direct it. Well
directed, focused wood products industry is needed. This is an opportunity to
rebuild and focus.
Jim Morton (District XI Human Resource Council) – How do we define “we as a people”
here in Western Montana? We need to plan and provide for better community
economy. How does this process incorporate other processes that have
occurred? How are we capturing and not duplicating those efforts?
Doug Rauthe (Northwest Montana Human Resources) – Is the HRDC for Lake,
Sanders, and Lincoln Counties. Doug has been working in economic
development since 1978. Job creation and work force development is important.
Doug talked to twelve people in all four counties. Only five chose to respond. A
rising tide raises all boats. We need to include small businesses in this group.
Implementation is important. Having been involved for thirty years, a lesson
learned is we need to celebrate our successes. A 4% unemployment rate hasn’t
happened without success.
Rosalie Cates (Montana Community Development Corporation) – MCDC focus is on
financing. It is important for us to get close to workforce and education in this
process. We are in an opportunity basket.
Lynn Stocking (University of Montana, College of Technology) - Lynn reported that
people she spoke with are interested in knowing more and being involved. How
do we do social networking in terms of dollars/resources/education? Some
people are concerned with critical mass of terms and economic development
processes.
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Pat Hulla (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) – Pat is continually hearing “how
do we provide this work force?” We need a way to integrate the pieces – look
ahead to where the next best thing is happening. We need this process to be
action oriented and engage businesses. People are watching us and we don’t
have enough weight yet to have things happen. The WIRED grant was
developed to put people into training on energy development. 800 people were
trained under WIRED. This RIG process is different – the framework is on
activities (what is out there?). This process will bring groups together, provide
education, understand the driving factors, and have significant impact. Many
people fear this is just another State project. The facilitators will help keep us
honest and neutral. There are no available funds beyond the administration of
this core group to get its work done. This group will make decisions on which
growth industries to focus on. There is a clause in the grant that if we get done
early and there is money left over we can turn it into training. This group has
permission, opportunity, and resources to get the job done.
REFOCUSING
Discussion Ground Rules
The Core Group affirmed the following ground rules to encourage productive
discussion throughout the process:
• Speak one at a time. Share your thoughts openly but honor a “three minute”
rule.
• Listen actively and honorably. Allow the other to finish.
• If you don’t agree with another’s comments: (1) Do “active listening” to be sure
you are clear about their statement; (2) offer a useful, thoughtful alternative –
rather than just disagreement and critique.
• In this less than formal setting and in this more relaxed environment, be frank,
simple, direct, and honest while refraining from personal attacks. Give each
other the opportunity to voice opinions safely.
• Be tolerant of process – it may seem tedious but a durable collaborative outcome
takes time and intentional collective effort.
• Recognize and honor roles.
• Honor timeframes. Stay on track and help the group stay on track.
• Avoid side conversations.
• Turn off your cell phones and other electronic communicating devices (or in the
case of an emergency, ask the group’s permission to leave it on).
• Recognizing the usefulness of consensus recommendations to the Department
of Labor and Industry, aim for 100% agreement – acknowledging that there will
be issues where 100% is not possible. In this situation, 100% will mean that
everyone “can live with it” – and agrees not to sabotage it on the outside.
• The Facilitators will manage the discussion through an interest-based process
toward agreement(s). Where necessary and useful to the eventual outcomes,
the Core Group will revisit this particular ground rule.
• Demonstrate respect and honor the spirit of confidentiality.
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Critical Path and Core Leadership Group Expected “Deliverables”
The Core Group reviewed the “Critical Path” process and products for the Regional
Innovation Grant. (See Attachment A)
Guiding Principles
The Core Group was briefed on the Guiding Principles brainstormed at the 4 Community
meetings and it was explained that they would be used in the process as they move
forward. (See Attachment B)
Reviewing the CEDS
The group offered the following observations from their homework review of the
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) prepared for the Bitter Root
Economic Development District (Ravalli, Mineral, and Missoula counties) and Northwest
Economic Development District Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders counties):
o Interesting to see the historical links between the counties.
o Terms are not clear to everyone (i.e. “rural resort dwellers” used in the BREDD.
Note: Marcy clarified the term was for characterization only. “Montana Means
Business” web-based data set developed these terms.
o Ravalli County has the highest rural rooted tapestry.
o Sanders, Lake, and Mineral focus on forestry.
o Some CEDS focus on the “haves” and “have nots.”
o Mineral County lacks services, jobs because of their close proximity to Missoula.
o Missoula and Ravalli counties differ in wishes, needs. Demand for infrastructure
is pretty equal.
o There is a common theme of environment and geology. This factor links the
CEDS together and makes us unique.
o There is a desire to maintain our rural identify and also our individual urban
identities.
o People in various communities engaged in different processes. To those
communities who have been engaged for a long period may see this process as
“rote”.
o The tribal information was included in government statistics instead of standing
alone. Salish-Kootenai College has a four-year forestry degree now.
o The CEDS are collections driven by the same requirements but different
interpretations.
o Geographic-specific areas may be a barrier to combining into a regional image.
o Loss of 25% fund from timber receipts is reflected in the Missoula (Seeley Lake)
CEDS.
o In asset mapping we can pull out industries in common. Examples are public
infrastructure, health care, timber, etc. That is the job of our core group.
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Useful Data
The group listed other data that could be useful to review. The source notes the person
who highlighted the data or who knows how to access such data or an event.
• Inland Northwest Economic Development Adjustment Strategy (Montana cluster
analysis). Source: Billie and Chad will forward to Kay Strayer for the website.
• Employment cluster for Ravalli County. Source: Patti Furniss may have
• Job projections for next ten years. Source: DOL Kay
• Demographic and Economic Information for the Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Source: Shelly
• “Our facts” – Yourfuture.org Source: DOL Kay
• University of Montana partnership with Montana West for under-employed.
• Wage benefit survey for three counties. Source: BREDD website.
• The group would like to see the organizational websites of the core group
members linked to our website. Source: DOL Kay
• Health Care Work Force Study. Source: Rosalie
• Center for Rocky Mountain West
• Headwaters
• Bureau of Economic Research
• Missoula Organization of Realtors affordability of housing in region
• Humboldt County Study of Restoration. Source: Marnie, who will also report
back on the upcoming restoration meeting she is attending.
• Montana Manufacturing Extension Center website (Bozeman). Source: Doug
• Slides from Billings conference on Workforce in Montana. Subject; deals with
educational attainment. Source: Pat Hulla
• Montana World Trade Center import/export data
Other ongoing data collection efforts identified were:
• Metal manufacturing. Source: Susie
• Feasibility study being done in the Flathead valley on biomass generated fuels.
Source: Kim
• Small Business Administration did high impact companies study nation-wide.
250 companies in Flathead Valley counted as high impact (i.e., doubled sales in
two years). Source: Kim
• Restoration case studies. Source: Marnie
• There is a home business expo in the works. Source: Ray, Sanders County
• Bitterroot Valley Community College survey on what area people want to be
trained in. Source: Dixie
• National Renewable Energy Lab – future role of hot water and hot springs for
energy. Storing of wind energy is issue. Energy may be an example of a “cluster
link”. Source: Jennifer
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Getting Started in the Process
Breakout groups brainstormed ideas for the following tasks:
List additional information or changes to the information in the Western Montana
Regional Asset Map
• Columbia Falls plant or CFAC
• Plum Creek
• Identify tribal data differently – private industries, not all government
• Tribal demographics; Tribal transit system
• Bonner Stimson closure
• Construction (and all industry) downturn; layoff in log homes
• Real estate sales tapering off; Foreclosures increasing, but uneven (fewer in
Missoula)
• Declining Job Corps enrollment
• New industry in wood products
• Link between affordable housing and job commute
• Libby finger joint (-15)
• Glaxo-Smith-Kline layoffs
• New energy audit companies
• Timber receipts – PILT & RACs to expire
• Population to double over 60 by 2030 (?)
• Significant hidden economy
• Internet based jobs & companies
• Manufacturing decline in Bitterroot ??
Using the Asset Map and your information, identify commonalities or common threads
• Health care
•
T
ourism prominent – 1 in 4 new companies started by someone who came as
tourist
• Wood products/Agriculture
• Financial and professional services
• Age – aging (need to identify training); Significant aging population
• Missing component – 25 year old “transient” population
• Workforce shortage – targeted industry
• Educational resources available
• Environment – Natural resources/Recreation/Geographic isolation
• Transportation Systems; long-distance commuters
• Cost of transportation - may change urban hubs & more work from home
• Income-tax infrastructure
• Government ownership of land; loss of private timberlands
• Changing property ownership will affect tradition use and access
• Artists and desire for customized products
• People move in for quality of life, but then can’t afford to live here
• Outsourcing of government jobs
• Great opportunities for research and patents
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Identify perceived growth industries
• Restoration opportunities; environmental restoration
• Energy; alternative and renewable energy
• Health care – telemedicine/training/geriatric/local up-to-date support; Home care
services (not base but huge business impact)
• Educational, eco and cultural tourism
• Information technology – telecommunication; website design; marketing
• Timber/forest products – value added; new use of resource and new resources,
wood products
• “Locavores”
• Geriatric services
• Bio-technology
• Financial industry
• Export cluster
• New agriculture
• Trades as strategy for future
• Education including private schools and transportable (i.e., Idaho Panhandle
model)
• Intellectual property as goal
Define “clusters”
• Group of companies with similar assets, resources and needs that you can build
an infrastructure to support. Normally address the same market.
• Support industries around a core industry
Identify/define clusters and links
• Think cluster analysis already done for Montana(??)
• How do we define when 80% may have few employees and may not be in city
boundaries?
• Small business entrepreneurial cluster that supports and “bubbles up” through
other clusters
• Multiple collaborations - federal & state government
• Commuting, affordable housing and employment
• Art, artisans and manufacturing
• Link training opportunities
• Telecommuting
• Health care – Education for career ladder; home health support; biotech research
(GSK)
• Energy – alternative, traditional and retrofitting for efficiency (geothermal,
hydropower, biomass, furniture, bark for landscaping, chips for pressboard and
biomass boilers, pellets)
• Restoration, i.e., small diameter roundwood
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Identify any homework or data gaps based on the discussion
• How many high-impact companies (who, what and where)
• Identify models and best practices (BAER information and contacts)
• Education clusters – industry, career, etc.
• Opportunities: how do we recognize; how do “we” respond; who is the “we”; how
do we discover or become aware; how do “we” respond as a team
• Poverty data
• Hidden economy – how to track
• Differences between data and what we see on the ground Transportation –
tracks goods in (import) and out (export); planes, trains and trucking
• How MT growth industries play out in global market
• Examine success stories
• Economic growth does not equal economic development
Observations/Common Themes
The group as a whole noted common themes that emerged from the discussion about
growth industries:
• Telecommunications
• Using the forest
• Transportation
• Infrastructure
• So many growth areas are lifestyle dependent and “management of” not just a
product
• Changing demographics (age)
• Education is the glue, a cluster, a model
• There is no mother lode
• There is still no clear understanding of our goal or the end product. We need to
spell out our objectives as given by Pat Hulla today. We need to think about how
to “test’ what we come up with.
• We are data rich and data challenged (how to use data).
• We are in the “information gathering” phase.
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT TIME
Read over Guiding Principles handout. These will set the parameters of our
decision space.
Review the Ground Rules handout.
Review definitions in “Montana Means Business” data set.
Continue trapline talks and affirm the growth industries and links amongst the
counties.
Facilitators agree to review the identified data pieces, summarize, and prepare
a document for the Core Leadership Group.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Upcoming core group meetings
October 23
November 20
December 18
January 21 – 23, 2009 (Two of the three days)
Feb. 19 or 26
Target date for RIG report – early March
Other upcoming meetings and conferences of interest
October 17 – Economic Information Day at Flathead County Community College.
Website: www.successinthenewwest.com
October 28 (Tentative date) – MAEDC-sponsored meeting and effort to take a
comprehensive, coordinated, long-term view of region. Chad will provide more
information as this takes shapes so the core group can think about how they might
interface with this endeavor.
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Attachment A
MONTANA’S REGIONAL INNOVATION GRANT (RIG)
Core Leadership Group – Process and Products
“CRITICAL PATH”
*
9/08
ASSET
MAPPING;
REGIONAL
GROWTH
INDUSTRY
CLUSTERS
10-11/08
SPECIFIC AND
TRANSFERABLE
SKILLS NEEDED;
CAREER PATH
PIPELINE
12/08 – 2/09
SHARED VISION;
SOCIAL
NETWORKING;
RECOMMENDED
IMPLEMENTATION
STEPS
*
You are here.
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Attachment B
Guiding Principles
Participants at the 4 community meetings were asked to think about core values that
would provide guidance and help narrow the decision space regarding the eventual RIG
recommendations. Some core values that appear to be shared across meetings were:
-
The importance of diversity in industries, the workforce, and in skill sets/talents
-
The value of lifelong learning and educational systems that are connected,
accessible, affordable, and adaptable
-
A value for business that recognizes the importance and connection between
profit, the community and the environment (“triple bottom line”)
-
Respect for human potential and a decent wage
-
Partnerships, interdependence, and the value of enduring relationships
-
Sense of community/importance of facilitating community generations
-
Inclusion
-
Quality of life and sustainability
-
Accountability
Samplings of the guiding principles representing those values are listed below:
• We believe that a diverse economy creates opportunity and stability.
• We believe in lifelong learning and that education is a key catalyst in facilitating
diverse economies.
• We believe that our workforce must be diverse, including people of all ability
levels, because it’s everyone’s right to have the opportunity to work.
• We believe that everyone should have the opportunity for affordable training and
education.
• We believe that partnerships between business and education are necessary to
build strong communities and a robust economy and that what makes up training
has to have the input of business/employers.
• We believe that businesses are most successful when they recognize
economics, community and the environment (the “triple bottom line”).
• We believe Montana should be a place where young people can and want to stay
and that we should recruit businesses to Montana that offer “living wages”.
• We believe in human potential – that people ought to be able to grow and
develop in their work and have a sense of satisfaction in the workplace.
• We believe it is a worthy endeavor to help people achieve their potential and that
individual potential contributes to the overall community potential.
• We believe that, in order to have a sustainable economy, we need to build an
economy that attracts and engages the next generation.
• We believe that public funds should be judiciously utilized to teach people skills
and foster career decisions toward relevant employment.
• We believe that the role of government is to provide the physical and legal
infrastructure for communities and businesses to compete and succeed while
stewarding the environment and sustaining local quality of life.
• We believe quality of life attributes are important factors in this discussion.
• We believe that we all own all the problems – and that no area should be left
behind. We benefit or are impacted by what happens to the workforce, to
businesses, and to communities.
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ii
A few guiding principles brought more specific points to the discussion. For example,
the guiding principle stated below captures the frustration many feel regarding the
apparent inability of federal managers to proactively manage the National Forests for
reliable timber/wood products. But at the same time, it recognizes the need to look
forward and perhaps redefine “timber industry” in today’s world.
• We believe that sustainable management of our forests was and can again be a
reality. We also recognize that we have to look at alternative ways to take
advantage of our forests.
Some felt that the best training and education for today’s workforce is one that provides
the learner with choices and flexibility because the skills/talents acquired are more
portable industry to industry.
• We believe that all people have the right to be heard and that learners are more
vested when prepared in such a way that they have choices.
• We recognize that “soft skills” are important to workforce development and to
having successful businesses in the 21
st
century.
Discussion about communication systems and our technological world led to the
following guiding principle that expands thinking about what a “business”, “industry”,
“job” is…
• We recognize that a business does not always have to have a storefront and/or a
physical product.
Finally, participants in one way or another felt that collaboration and coordination
throughout a region are more productive approaches and contribute to leveraging
resources and forming enduring interdependent relationships.
• We believe that the process should not encourage harmful competition and
divisiveness among local communities.
• We believe that in communities and a regional economy, we should celebrate our
successes.