Missoula Community,

As we navigate uncharted terrain and adjust to new realities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to keep you informed with updates and insights regarding Missoula’s economy and the resources available to help businesses find their way through these times. MEP priorities are not changing, but we are retooling programmatically and a great deal of our resources will shift to communications and coordination in the weeks ahead.

On Tuesday we convened a handful of stakeholders and partners for a virtual meeting featuring a presentation from Bryce Ward, co-founder of ABMJ Consulting and economist at University of Montana, on COVID-19 economic impact and key response actions. Bryce has also generously contributed a guest column to this newsletter which synthesizes the content and key takeaways of the presentation. You can watch his full presentation on YouTube here.

We have also been working with our public and private partners at the federal, state, and local levels to understand what resources are coming online to help business now, like the Small Business Administration’s new disaster relief loan program that was established this week in Montana.

In the coming days and weeks, we know that some businesses will struggle with a lack of demand for their products and services while others will struggle to keep up with demand. We will continue to identify trends and needs among our business community, share resources, and coordinate communications with businesses and the public and private resources that emerge to help all of our businesses adapt quickly to the changes ahead.

We are a community with deep roots in successfully navigating our way through uncharted terrain. I am confident we will get through this time with the same strengths that attract businesses and people to Missoula from around the world—business leaders who innovate and collaborate to solve common challenges, who value talented employees, and who communicate regularly with decision makers and elected officials to create the best possible environment for everyone to succeed.

Yours in partnership,

Grant Kier
President & CEO, Missoula Economic Partnership