Bear Paw luncheon to highlight Hi-Line business successes

Special to the Havre Daily

Bear Paw Development Corp.’s annual luncheon meeting at noon Thursday will highlight some business success from throughout the Hi-Line.

The luncheon will be at Montana State University-Northern's Student Union Building. Tickets are $15.

The nonprofit economic and community development organization, which celebrated its 45th anniversary, will feature a number of regional success stories Bear Paw was involved in, including private businesses, local governments and nonprofits.

The theme for the program is "The Trenches and Our Communities: How Regional Economic Development Makes a Difference on Main Street."

“We really wanted to emphasize this year the on-the-ground aspects of our work, the real-life stories of successful local ventures,” said Paul Tuss, Bear Paw's executive director.

“Unlike anything we’ve ever done before, this year’s annual meeting will focus on four or five projects in our area that are contributing to the economic and social health of northern Montana, but it will be in the words of the business owners, local government officials and nonprofit leaders that we are fortunate to be able to partner with.”

Projects featured at this year’s annual meeting include:

Rad’s Deli and Pizza Shop of Chinook

Montana Horizons Organic Snacks of Big Sandy

Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line

The City of Chinook

“While each of these projects are significantly different from each other, and they each tell a unique story, the common link between them (is) people with a vision who are willing to work really hard to be successful, who are willing to take a calculated risk and who also understand how to leverage scarce resources into something much more significant,” Tuss said.

“What we will learn from these private, public and nonprofit sector success stories is that determination, coupled with smart leadership, makes a huge difference in the final outcome for projects that at the outset looked to be pretty daunting,” Tuss concluded.

To register to attend the annual meeting, call 265-9226 or email Bear Paw Development at [email protected].