I’m happy to announce that the Montana High-Tech Business Alliance has officially launched. The Alliance is a membership organization focused on creating more high-tech jobs in Montana. It has a founding group of about 20 firms, all leading employers in our state, and its mission is to accelerate the growth, global competitiveness and visibility of Montana’s high-tech industry. We have hired an executive director, Christina Henderson, and the wheels are spinning with projects already in the works. As founding organizer and board chair for the brand-new Montana High Tech Business Alliance I was thrilled with the encouragement and financial support we have received from across the state.
Montana has some amazing high-tech firms, yet because most of their customers aren’t in Montana and high-tech firms aren’t located on Main Street, their economic impact is not fully recognized or understood. To address this, the group is planning networking events and will spotlight the successes of member firms within the state. In addition, the Alliance is developing a web-based portal for high-tech jobs in Montana, aimed at assisting members with employee recruiting and helping Montanans find jobs with Alliance member firms.
Click the image below to watch a news broadcast on the Alliance from KPAX Missoula.
I encourage anyone with a high-tech or high-tech manufacturing company operating in Montana to join the Alliance. In fact, we hope all Montana high-tech and high-tech manufacturing firms will become members. Right now the Alliance is still actively recruiting more founding members from across the state, so if you want to get in on the ground floor be sure to act quickly. Principals of high-tech companies with headquarters or operations in Montana are encouraged to contact Christina (director@MThightech.org) about membership. Organizations that are not in the high-tech industry such as law firms, banks, or economic development agencies may join as affiliate members. As we continue to join our forces, we can move closer to our goal of creating more high-paying jobs for Montanans.
May 23, 2014 @ 2:19 pm
About fifteen or twenty years ago, I obtained a copy of Montana’s affordable housing strategic plan, a requirement of HUD. 345 pages were devoted to government program this, and government program that, but not a single suggestion was made that raising Montana’s per capita incomes would have a HUGE impact on making housing affordable. Not a word!
I commend your efforts, because the impacts of even the least of your successes will far outstrip anything the government is trying to do in making housing affordable. And this is just one tiny area of benefit that will have a positive effect throughout Montana. For this, I thank you!