Montana Business Attraction NEWS June/July 2022

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Meet a Montanan


Governor Gianforte

Governor Greg Gianforte

 

Who better to lead economic growth in Montana than someone who understands what it means to make payroll and grow a business?  Montanans elected Greg Gianforte as their state’s 25th governor on November 3, 2020. Gianforte received more votes than any candidate for governor in Montana history and won with the largest margin for a first-term governor since 1920.

Gianforte campaigned on getting Montana’s economy going again, getting Montana safely open for business, and getting Montanans back to work in good-paying jobs. He also focused on changing the way Helena and state government do business to better serve Montanans.

After 34 years in the private sector, Gianforte served as Montana’s lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives from June 2017 to January 2021. In Congress, Gianforte voted to cut taxes for every American taxpayer, roll back unnecessary, anti-jobs regulations, lower health care costs, and protect our Montana way of life, including our public lands.

Greg and Susan Gianforte founded RightNow Technologies two decades ago in their Bozeman home, and they grew it into the town’s largest commercial employer, creating over 500 high-paying Montana jobs.

Gianforte spent his entire career focusing on creating jobs and opportunities. He founded five different startup companies. He’s worked to improve Montana’s economy through the “Better Montana Jobs” project. He also launched scholarship programs to help low-income students and veterans pursue the education and training they need to start a career in Montana.

Married since 1986, Greg and Susan Gianforte raised their four children in Bozeman hunting, fishing, rafting, climbing, skiing, and backpacking on Montana’s public lands.


Business Attraction Success Story


Hyundai Walking Car

Governor Gianforte Welcomes $20 Million Hyundai Motor Group R&D Center to Bozeman

New Headquarters to Create More than 50 Jobs

BOZEMAN – Governor Greg Gianforte held a press conference at the Montana State University (MSU) campus today to announce that Hyundai Motor Group Research and Development Division will establish a physical presence in Bozeman and partner with the MSU Innovation Campus to accelerate the development of Hyundai's Ultimate Mobility Vehicles (UMVs).

“An innovative, global company, Hyundai Motor Group's decision to bring its NHS headquarters to Bozeman is a testament to our business-friendly environment, booming hi-tech sector, unmatched quality of life, and Montanans' strong work ethic,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “Montana is open for business to the world, and we're thrilled by the good-paying jobs and opportunities Hyundai's investment will bring to our state.”

The new Bozeman location will be considered the Hyundai Motor Group’s main headquarters or ‘hub” for their research and development operations. In addition, Hyundai Motor Group concluded that the Bozeman area would be a good choice to locate due to the immediate access to rugged terrain and extreme Montana conditions that will provide an ideal landscape for the testing and stressing of the UMVs.

The Research and Development Division will partner with several different colleges at MSU, including the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, to collaborate and work on composite materials, enhanced design, and the prototyping of new components for the future of transportation.

“We are pleased that our Business Attraction team’s personalized support for Hyundai Motor Group, in close collaboration with our partners in the academic, business, and government sectors, helped play a key role in the expansion of Hyundai Motor Group’s footprint to Montana,” said Montana Department of Commerce Director Scott Osterman. “We look forward to collaborating with other corporations, entrepreneurs, and companies who want to establish or broaden their presence in Montana.”

Hyundai Press Release Bozeman MT

From left to right: Stephanie Gray, Dean of Gallatin College; Abraham Kim, Executive Director of the Council of Korean Americans; Todd O’Hair, President and CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce; John Robb, CEO of Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc.; Gov. Greg Gianforte; John Suh, Founding Director of New Horizons Studio, Hyundai Motor Group; Scott Osterman, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce; Jason Carter, VP of Economic Development Montana State University; Mark Sharpe, Director of Innovation Campus, MSU; Dick Harte, Board Chair of Innovation Campus, MSU


Montana Fast Facts


Rocky Mountain Labs

Some 3,000 feet higher above sea level than the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) familiar brick campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and a six-hour, 2,300 mile plane ride northwest of that point, lies Rocky Mountain Labs, an NIH state-of- the-art biomedical research facility in Hamilton, Montana.  This small but thriving community is nestled between the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains and is home to the first NIH facility of its kind to house BSL-2, BSL-3, and BS-4 lab space in one building, along with administrative offices and conference rooms.


Workforce


Workforce

Montana is well-known for many things, including its opportunities for workforce development and training. There are a number of flagship programs that provide training for both existing and new employees and businesses:

  • Workforce Training Grants: This program encourages the creation of jobs in primary sector businesses and a job training incentive for new businesses to locate in Montana.
  • Incumbent Worker Training Program:  A competitive grant program that provides funds for Montana’s small businesses to offer employees skill-based training or certified education for their existing businesses.
  • Big Sky Economic Development Program: This program was created in the 2005 Legislature and is funded out of our Coal Tax Severance Trust Fund. It provides grants to business up to $7,500 per NET new employee. Use of the funds is very flexible; many businesses utilize the funds toward capital investments.

Montana is currently making large investments in a variety of creative programs to develop industry workforce pipelines. One initiative is Skill Up Montana, which utilizes University, public-private partnerships, and proficiency-based learning to develop this pipeline.

Another is Accelerate Montana. This program is business-based, and will provide businesses with a talent pool as well as expert training in a variety of industries.



Upcoming Events 


Montana will be at BIO Intl. Convention in San Diego, CA

June 13-15th

Montana will be at Select USA in National Harbor, MD

June 26-29th.

 

 

Frederick Van Den Abbeel

Frederick Van Den Abbeel, ASBC®
Business Attraction Manager
San Jose, California

Call 406.431.0609
FVan@mt.gov
Connect on LinkedIn

Cameron Johnson

Cameron Johnson
Business Attraction Coordinator
Helena, Montana

Call 406-841-2893
Camjohnson@mt.gov
Connect on Linkedin