Mining City progress: Some positive signs lead to optimism in community

Source: The Montana Standard, ButteJan.24小時迷你倉 26--Butte's economy has taken some hits in recent days with the announced closings of J.C. Penny and the Copper King -- one a retail chain store and the other an independently owned hotel and convention center.And it's not the best of times to start your own business, not here or in most of America, unless you have a nice chunk of money to plop down up front. Banks, since the financial crisis in 2008, are generally tighter and pickier with lending.But there are positive signs for Butte's economy and small business that some here point to with optimism."Let's just say the opportunity for small business to do well in the economy here is presenting itself," said Jim Smitham, executive director of the Butte Local Development Corp."Now it's up to them to capitalize on that through better customer service and making sure their merchandise is what the customer wants."A brighter view of the bigger economic picture in Butte-Silver Bow includes the following findings compiled by NorthWestern Energy economist John Kasperick:The unemployment rate in Butte-Silver Bow County averaged 5.1 percent in 2013, down from the 5.9 percent average in 2012 and less than the overall state average of 5.4 percent.The average number of unemployed here in 2013 was 932, down 116 from the previous year.Employment increased 1.4 percent last year, higher than the statewide growth of 1 percent.Silver Bow County's per capita income in 2012 was $44,641, ranking ninth of Montana's 56 counties, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The income per person was nearly 16 percent above the statewide average.Smitham said the eight counties ranking above Butte-Silver Bow are all in the oil- and natural gas-rich Bakken region in eastern Montana."It shows our economy is performing well and when you have growth in per capita income, that equates to spendable growth and that equates to money hopefully being spent on the Main streets of our local economy," Smitham said.VARIETY KEYSmitham said surveys show what many folks want in Butte's retail sector -- much of that small businesses -- is variety. Small businesses need to know the merchandising trends, and the BLDC can help inform them, he said.But if they pay attention and follow suit, he said, "I think we're looking for 2014 to be another big year."Mick Ringsak, a Butte businessman who from 2001 to 2008 was the U.S. Small Business Administration's administrator for a six-state region that includes Montana, isn't quite as optimistic.For the past 30 years, most of the job growth in Montana and the U.S. has come from small businesses, Ringsak said, often starting with young, innovative people who start out with two or three employees and expand.The small business sector in Butte is probably improving slowly, Ringsak said, and economic growth here will need to come mostly from within -- not giant corporations locating here.But, Ringsak said, "I don't see any drastic changes" for 2014."Most of the growth in the economy is going to bigger cities," he said. "Smallbusinesses and Main streets in rural communities, the recovery is sort of unequal."The population in Butte-Silver Bow increased each year from 2007 to 2012 and was an estimated 34,403 as of 2012, according to the U.S. Census. But the growth rate of 2.7 percent over that span was below the Montana average of 4.2 percent."On this level what 迷你倉旺角ou need is to somehow grow the community," said Ringsak, a co-owner of Miller's Shoe Store in Butte. "You have to get people coming back into town."What drives the economy is young people between the ages of 20 and 45 who buy cars and cribs and things," he said.STRATEGY NEEDEDTheories and strategies for getting more folks to Butte have been bandied about for years. Ringsak says Butte needs an all-out, cohesive marketing strategy for one thing.There have been positive developments Uptown in recent years, including a new food and deli market, several other new businesses and some new upper-floor condo and apartment dwellers.NorthWestern Energy plans to begin construction this spring on a new headquarters Uptown, and there are hopes it will spur more development.There are still serious discussions about building a multi-level parking garage Uptown, providing spaces for Northwestern Energy employees and folks just visiting -- and hopefully shopping and spending money in the heart of Butte.Chief Executive Matt Vincent plans to bring large-scale angled parking Uptown this year, greatly increasing available spaces to stop and do business.There are also new efforts designed to make some of Butte's small businesses into bigger ones.PILOT PROJECTThe city-county government has started a pilot project that is matching five Butte businesses with the National Center for Economic Gardening in Michigan.The center focuses on growth-oriented companies and helps them with strategies involving new markets, refining business models and accessing competitive intelligence.Karen Byrnes, director of community development for Butte-Silver Bow, said the county is spending $20,000 to allow the five businesses to gain access to the center's expertise.The companies -- Empire Office Machines, Headframe Spirits Inc., Water Environment Technologies, the Port of Montana and E.A.S.E (a medical billing company) -- all have fewer than 99 employees and have been operating for at least two years.They were chosen after an interview and screening process that included 11 companies."They are getting access to a team of specialists from across the country -- social media specialists, marketing, market research -- all sorts of areas that have to do with company growth," Byrnes said.Byrnes went to the center last fall and was certified in economic gardening, and there will now be efforts to expand the initiative in Butte beyond the pilot stage.Several states are now engaging in the activities, including Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Wisconsin, Byrnes said.GETTING CONNECTEDThere's also an effort well under way to hook Butte's public schools and numerous businesses into the fastest Internet connectivity in the state.The cutting-edge high speed system is close to going online, with a server housed in the basement of the Montana Economic Revitalization and Development Institute on Broadway Street."It's for anybody who wants to hook up. You don't have to be a large business," Smitham said. "That is going to open us up to the tech world."It's not going to be run by Google, it's a community operation so it can be a mom-and-pop operation all the way up to who knows," he said.Reach Smith at mike.smith@mtstandard.com or 496-5511.Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The Montana Standard (Butte, Mont.) Visit The Montana Standard (Butte, Mont.) at .mtstandard.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage