Making Montana global

To compete in increasingly connected world, state must make specific improvements

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

The Daily Inter Lake

Carving its niche in a global market is going to be the key to Montana's growth and survival.

That's what John Connors, partner at investment company Ignition Partners and former chief financial officer for Microsoft Corporation, told the Montana Ambassadors at their annual meeting Friday in Whitefish.

"When I think about Montana, you can't separate it from this global context," he said.

Globally, the world is becoming smaller thanks to exponential growth in communication, digitization and free trade, Connors said.

If Montana hopes to compete in this increasingly connected world, it has to make specific improvements, he added, while not forgetting what people value most about the state: the environment.

But the environment should not become so important that economic development can't happen because of it, he said.

"How can Montanans be great stewards of the land and still be great capitalists?" he asked. "How can you make the business environment as beautiful as the natural environment?"

The state should concentrate on developing a city, he said, and focus on making it the state's economic hub.

Look at what happened in Idaho, he said, when Boise became its economic leader. The entire state benefited from the growth in that city.

"What is the Boise of Montana?" he asked.

The state also needs to actively recruit smart people who can start innovative and successful businesses, Connors said. In order to do that, Montana needs to seriously consider revamping its tax structure.

"Smart people aren't going to move to a place that taxes the heck out of their capital," he said.

One thing Montanans should consider is a sales tax, he added.

"Why doesn't this state have a sales tax?" he asked. "It's not like this is a new model you're going to try. Everybody's done it. It works."

Montana needs to focus on its colleges and universities, Connors said, especially in Missoula and Bozeman.

"Universities are generally the best places to build small businesses around," he said.

But the state should also work hard to improve its education system overall. Education, Connors said, is an "opportunity for Montana to really stand out."

"Why doesn't Montana set a goal to have the single best schools in the United States, period?" he asked. "People can't move here unless they think there are good schools."

Finally, Connors said Montanans must fix what has happened to the state's American Indian population.

"It's completely immoral as a society what's happened on Indian reservations," he said, listing poverty, alcoholism and lack of hope as specific problems.

American Indians are no different from the rest of the people in Montana, he said, in their capacity for economic growth.

"They are capable of being successful," he said. "They are capable of learning. They are capable of being capitalists."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com