We just mailed out over 15,000 invitations to Montana State graduates who no longer live in the state, inviting them to come home and bring their job with them via telecommuting. We have been exporting our kids for too long and we need to create opportunities so that they can return home. This project is a joint collaboration with the Montana Chamber of Commerce, the Montana High Tech Alliance, the MSU Alumni Foundation, Mitchell’s Garage, and BetterMontanaJobs. The invitations include Montana telecommuting success stories and tips for making telecommuting possible here – even how to talk to your boss about transitioning to a telecommuting job. You can view a digital version of the invitation and guide here. Consider sending it to your kids or grandkids who don’t live in Montana anymore.
In conjunction with the invitations, I’m about to embark on a journey, to share in-person the opportunities that telecommuting brings to our communities around the state. I’m calling it the “Bring our Families Back” tour, and it will focus on the ability to have a high-wage job in any Montana community through telecommuting. These jobs mean that our kids and grandkids (or other friends and family) who have had to leave the state to find good-paying jobs can explore the opportunity to come back to this great state, and bring their jobs with them.
Oracle alone has over 1,300 jobs open today that can be filled from any Montana community, and that is just one company. Others national companies that are willing to allow their employees to work from anywhere are listed in the telecommuting guide as well.
Over the next two weeks I plan on visiting communities all over Montana, sharing and discussing with them how telecommuting can work in their area. The areas I will visit include Missoula, Polson, Lakeside and Somers, Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Thompson Falls, Superior, Hamilton, Deer Lodge, Helena, Butte, Dillon, Three Forks, Boulder, Townsend, White Sulphur Springs, Harlowtown, Lewistown, Conrad, Shelby, Havre, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Sidney, Glendive, Miles City, Billings, Livingston, Laurel and Red Lodge. Please join me for a discussion at one of the events in your area – we have over 30 scheduled so far!
For too long we’ve been exporting our most precious resources, our kids and grandkids. Raising the awareness of telecommuting will show that our graduates can live virtually anywhere in Montana and work for Fortune 500 companies with global client-bases. This tour will make the opportunity for bringing them back front and center – showing that, with the internet, our kids can make a good wage and still live here, in Montana, by their families.
June 1, 2015 @ 11:09 am
Good post Greg.
While I think it’s important for young professionals to go out of state to gain experience, expand their view, increase their connections and gain other valuable tools, it’s a worthy endeavor to increase their opportunities to come back.
June 1, 2015 @ 11:31 am
Mr. Gianforte,
I read your latest email with great interest. I am employed as Manager of Development with the Fort Peck Tribes in Poplar, MT.
One of our tasks is to help our disadvantaged younger and high school aged Native American population to explore and obtain ‘demand oriented’ employment. Unfortunately, many of these individuals would rather remain in the community and have meaningful employment opportunity provided to them in a creative manner. I strongly believe your innovative approach to providing electronic oriented technology based employment to extremely rural areas of Montana, such as ours, is an ideal strategy.
The Tribes possess experience in the data oriented technology
based environment. Previously, we successfully provided software testing services to large clients of Microsoft, primarily in Texas.
Would you be so kind as to provide me with information as to when your ‘tour’ is scheduled to be in Wolf Point, Montana? I would appreciate an invitation to attend the session and to personally meet with you, if at all possible.
Thank you, Rodney R. Miller
June 1, 2015 @ 1:03 pm
Hi Rodney,
Thanks for your comment! The plan right now is to be in Wolf Point the afternoon of June 11. I hope you can attend our event there!
June 1, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
This tour is great. We need to bring back our young people and we need to motivate people in Montana. Good days are ahead and we thank you Greg and Susan for your leadership. Montana can be vibrant and alive for jobs.
Gary and Joan
June 12, 2015 @ 4:06 pm
Greg & Susan, Thank you for stopping in Miles City on your tour , today. Would like to visit with you more about opportunities in Miles City & to see how we can assist you in your efforts to create Montana jobs. I agree, we are allowing one our most valuable assets (spending time with our kids & grand-kids) to be robbed from us . Miles City has a life style second to none & the key to keeping families together comes back to good paying jobs. What can we do to help? Gary Cridland