The Progress Volume 33, Issue 12
www.buttechamber.org
December
December 16 Executive Board December 18 Ambassadors December 19 Chamber Board
Inside this Issue: Message from Marko
2
Chamber Choices
3
Thompson Food Drive
4
New Members
5
Farm in the Dell
6
Civic Center Events
7
Alma Higgins
8
Ribbon Cuttings
9
CPR/First Aid
10
CVB Update
11
MT Chamber Choices 12 MT Chamber Choices 13 Progress Publication
14
Progress Publication
15
Dynamic Dance
16
Dynamic Dance
17
Thank you Tour
18
Letters of Thanks
19
Business Trends
20
(406) 723-3177
The Chamber to Honor Butte’s own Alma Margaret Higgins - “The Christmas Tree Lady” In July of 2013, the Chamber Board of Directors took a tour of Butte on the Chamber Trolley with Chris Fisk as the tour guide. The Board stopped at many historic sites; however, one that made a lasting impression was the stop at the plaque in honor of Alma Margaret Higgins, known as the Christmas Tree Lady. The Board decided to become proactive and light a tree in honor of Alma Higgins, just as she had done in 1924 being a part of lighting the National Christmas Tree. Alma’s plaque is in a lot on Broadway Street right next to the Covellite Theater and across the street from the Butte Public Library. On December 7th, during the Christmas Stroll at 6:30 p.m. a ceremony will be held at the spot of Alma’s plaque with the lighting of a Christmas tree in her honor. Any monetary proceeds from this event will go towards Toys for Tots and Disabled American Veterans Van Project. Please join us for this historic event to honor one of our very own who has been forgotten. ***Please read the article that was written by Richard L Gibson regarding Alma Higgins (found on page 8).***
A Message From Marko...
Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center 1000 George St. Butte, MT 59701 (406) 723-3177
For this edition of The Progress, I would like to dedicate this message to the Chamber Ambassadors. Our Chamber Ambassadors give a extraordinary amount of time to the Chamber and the community to make Butte a better place to live. During the holiday season, we focus a significant amount of our time on giving and receiving. The Chamber Ambassadors are a group of people who are continually giving of their time and talents. You will see them at every ribbon cutting ceremony; business card socials; registrations for workshops; securing gifts for golf tournaments and dinners; and decorating venues to make all events festive and appealing. The Chamber Ambassadors never ask for anything in return. The recipients of all their good deeds are the new businesses who are opening their doors, the Chamber of Commerce and the entire community of Butte. Many times we see the ladies in their blue vests and wonder who they are. The answer is, these are the Butte Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, who would rather give
than receive. I would like to personally recognize and thank this wonderful group of people who, during my tenure as Executive Director of the Butte Chamber of Commerce, has made my job so much easier. When you see one of our ambassadors, please extend your hand and thank them for all of their hard work and everything that they do for Butte. The most important part of my message is that we are all ambassadors of this great community and our actions speak louder than words. This is the season that we should be giving of our time, talents and gifts to the less fortunate and be thankful for all that we have been given in life. I am very thankful for the gift of the Butte Chamber Ambassadors. Sincerely, Marko Lucich Executive Director
Executive Board Paula Ruark, President Town Pump Hotel Group
Board of Directors Shane McCarthy, Safeway Don Peoples, Individual Member Desiree Shogren, Comfort Inn of Butte
Pete Akey, President-Elect Glacier Bank Jim McKenzie, Treasurer Newland & Co. Ed Stepan, Vice President REC Silicon Mark Hughes, Vice-President Super 8/CVB President Desiree Shogren, Vice-President Comfort Inn of Butte Paul Tash, Vice-President Tash Communications
Meet the Staff:
Cindi Shaw, Council of Commissioners Ed Stepan, RED Silicon Pat Fleming, Fleming & O’Leary Attorneys Paul Tash, Tash Communications Jim Woy, Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co., P.C. Alana Ferko, Butte Plaza Mall Lynn Lloyd, Montana Standard Linda Granger, School Trustee/Highlands College Chuck Wright, St. James Healthcare Paul Babb—Northwestern Energy Chris Ackerman, Cherry Creek Radio Tami O’Connell, Stix & Stonz Herb Kelsey, Farm Bureau Financial Karen Corbin, KXLF TV Judy Jonart, School District #1 Maura Uggetti, Copper Ridge Healthcare Andy Zdinak, BLDC Becky Sprunger, United Blood Services Colin Higgins, Mackenzie River Pizza
Jeff Gorman, McDonald’s Kristen Rosa, Butte-Silver Bow
Bob Bentley, Jr., Bentley Construction
Machelle LeProwse, JCP
Matt Vincent, BSB Chief Executive
Todd Tregidga, Montana Tech
Donald Blackketter, Chancellor Montana Tech
Pete Akey, Glacier Bank
Marko Lucich, Executive Director — mlucich@buttechamber.org Maria Pochervina, CVB Director/TBID Executive Secretary—mariap@buttecvb.com Stephanie Sorini, Marketing, Membership & Bookkeeping Director —marketing@buttechamber.org Cheryl Ackerman, Receptionist/Staff Associate — bsbchamber@gmail.com Page 2
The Progress
Montana Chamber Choices Montana HealthCare Forum a Success! Health Insurance Updates and More! The Montana HealthCare Forum was started years ago to bring a diverse group of individuals and interests together to discuss problems and improvements associated with healthcare delivery, costs, and programs. Each November, the Forum holds a conference to highlight what has been done, what is being done, and what should be done to improve healthcare and make it more affordable. This year’s conference centered on the changes taking place in Montana and what Montanan’s should do next to improve healthcare. Let’s take a look at some information shared at the conference. The office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance gave updates on Health Insurance. Most individuals are familiar that the federally built, federally maintained Marketplace is not working properly. The Commissioner’s office is meeting with officials to try and find out when this will be fixed. Their office is working to continue to do outreach and education all over the state of Montana on how we can adjust to these health insurance changes. They are answering questions through their new website www.montanahealthanswers.com. Anyone with questions is encouraged to get on and get their questions answered. The Montana PCMH Act is another hot topic. Patient-Centered Medical Homes or PCMH SB84 is a model of health care delivery that emphasizes primary health care, coordinated care and prevention. In the PCMH model, insurers will pay an incentive based on the quality of the care received rather than that quantity of care provided. SB84 establishes standards and structures for a statewide PCMH program. Dr. Paul Grundy, MPH, is the “guru” for PCMH and the director for Global Healthcare Transformation for IBM. During the HealthCare Forum conference, he shared many data points on how PCMH is beneficial on a cost basis as well as overall patient care. He spoke to physician’s getting away from episode of care to management of a population by using PCMH. Another piece to the updates on Health Insurance is the people who work directly with it. The Affordable Care Act allows for two consumer assistance roles. Those roles are the Navigators and the Certified Application Counselors. The Navigators are contracted through grants and will be the ones who carry out outreach and education as well as enrollment assistance. Certified Application Counselors (CAC’s) are only offering enrollment assistance. All of these assistor roles must complete federal and Montana-specific training to obtain these certifications. The CSI office has a list of all certified navigators, CAC’s and agents to help answer your questions at www.montanahealthanswers.com. According to the office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance in Montana currently there are 69 CAC’s, 26 Navigators and 291 Certified Exchange Producers. These people are here to answer questions that employers and individuals might have regarding health insurance. The insurance market is constantly changing these updates shared at the conference provide an updated look at what is happening in Montana. Montana Chamber Choices will continue to keep you updated on what is happening in Montana.
Volume 33, Issue 12
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December 7th, 2013
Items Needed: Mac & Cheese
Canned Fruit
Canned Vegetables
Ramen Noodles
Toilet Paper
Tuna
Soups
Canned meats
Pasta
Cooking Oil
Shampoo
Bar Soap
Jelly
Rice-a-roni
Hamburger Helper
Crackers
Peanut Butter
Baby Food
Rice
Spaghetti Sauce
Sponsored by Zip Distributing
Please put your bag(s) on non-perishable food and/or paper products near your front door. Volunteers will pick them up during the day beginning at 9 a.m.
Volunteers are needed and appreciated! Please call 406-782-6230 to VOLUNTEER! “You have not lived until you have done something for someone who cannot repay you.� -John Bunyan
Questions: 406-782-3814. Money donations may also be mailed to 1019 E, Second St. Page 4
The Progress
Aaron’s Sales and Lease Furniture, Appliance, & Electronics Chellie Teske, General Manager 3605 Harrison Ave. Butte, MT 59701 Phone: 406-782-4444 Montana Precision Products Investment castings David Uhl, General Manager 119800 Rick Jones Way Butte, MT 59750 Phone: 406-496-3331 Email: davidu@mtpp.com
*new members become active and are listed when payment is received.
Aaron’s Sales & Lease
Montana Precision Products (MTPP) MTPP is a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aviation and SeaCast, Inc. MTPP produces precision investment casting along with jet engine components and is headquartered in Butte, Montana. The company supplies investment cast products to a variety of industries: aerospace, defense, oil & gas, pumps, transportation, and computer hardware.
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The
Aaron's Sales And Lease has been here in Butte since April 2009. We offer a wide variety of merchandise, Electronics, Appliances, Upholstery, and lots more. We are able to offer numerous ways of ownership. Retail purchases are 20% off of our everyday low prices, 120 day same as cash is available, and of course we do 12,18 and 24 monthly leases with no credit needed. Aaron's has high quality name brand merchandise throughout the store. Our staff is trained and developed to offer the highest level of customer service. We take great pride in being able to help everyone achieve ownership of top notch products by setting them up for success with our many tools and payment options. Friendliness and knowledge are our biggest assets to offer the community and we guarantee satisfaction.
Farm in the Dell Butte The Farm in the Dell Butte is a HOME for the developmentally disabled. It is a farm where they can work, play, share, and a place that will become their home. The Farm in the Dell is a home founded on the principle that all individuals are entitles to physical, emotions and spiritual support. The Farm in the Dell is a place where they can live and lead healthy productive lives, becoming integral parts of their communities. The Farm in the Dell, Butte’s Local Board of Directors is: Todd Hoar; Josh Cleveland; Jan Torpey; Denise Kelley and Dan Steele. The program director is John Castle. The Farm in the Dell programs relies on the support and “ownership” of local sommuniti9es. This community bond ensures that the residents of the farm are contributing members of the community, building lives full of love, respect and fulfillment. Each “farm” is established with the goal of becoming self-sufficient. For more information or to Donate please visit: farminthedell.org
Did you Know?
The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is White Christmas by Bing Crosby.
Giving a lump of coal in the stockings of naughty children comes from Italy.
Austria issued the first Christmas stamp in 1937.
Alabama was the first state in the USA to declare Christmas as a legal holiday in 1836.
Germany made the first artificial Christmas tree out of goose feathers that had been died green. Page 6
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The Progress
“the ugliest town in the world” By Richard I. Gibson There is a small obscure memorial to Alma Higgins in Butte. The garden has been there since 1931; it sits against the retaining wall at the northwestern corner of the parking lot between first Baptist Church and the Covellite Theater (old First Presbyterian Church) on West Broadway Street. The location is essentially the back yard of the old Montanan Hotel that stood there until it burned down in 1988, and where Alma lived when she died March 16, 1962. Who was Alma Bielenberg Higgins? Alma Bielenberg Higgins was born in 1874; she came to Butte from her native Deer Lodge in 1920 when she was 46 years old. She was an active member of various clubs and organizations, and founded the Civic Improvement League of Deer Lodge in 1902. Alma Higgins and Montana Women’s’ Club generally were leading forces behind the creation of the State Forester position in 1909, a precursor to the University of Montana’s School of Forestry. Also in Deer Lodge, Alma convinced her father, Nicholas Bielenberg, to acquire the mortgage no the Deer Lodge Women’s League Chapter House and donate it to the organization, giving Alma a platform for her early civic works. Her father was a German immigrant credited with establishing the sheepraisin industry in western Montana. He became a close friend of Teddy Roosevelt. In Butte, he was a partner in the Butte Butchering Company as well as the Pilot Butte Mining Company. Butte was ugly in the 1920’s (called “the ugliest town in the world” by Time magazine in 1928), but Higgins worked hard to beautify Butte through photography exhibits and letter-writing campaigns, as well creating and encouraging 18 Butte garden clubs. Her “Garden Week” in Butte in 1922 became a national event, still celebrated, thanks to her lobbying and the national designation by President Harding in 1923. President Harding might have met Higgins that year during his visit to Butte, when Harding Way was named, just a month before Harding’s death in office on August 2, 1923. As a political activist, promoter, and conservationist, Higgins became prominent by connecting urban beautification – flower gardens – to the broader stewardship movement that was largely focused on forest reserves. She became known s the nation’s “Christmas Tree Lady” after promoting live Christmas trees, one of which became the first National Christmas Tree. Alma Higgins died in 1962 with remarkable legacy of conservation and leadership – largely forgotten today. Norm DeNeal and his colleagues carry on her tradition, developing and caring for the Lexington Gardens, the flowers at the Berkeley Pit visitor center and all over Butte.
Ribbon Cutting for JG Cleaning~ November 12 th John Giovenco with JG Cleaning had his ribbon cutting for his business at the Chamber on November 12th. JG offers a wide variety of services including, carpet and furniture cleaning, tile cleaning, air duct cleaning, cleaning, windows, mattresses and car detailing. JG Cleaning provides residential and commercial cleaning. John offers senior citizen and military discounts. He is certified with The Carpet and Rug Institute. Call John with JG Cleaning at 565-1159 or jgcleaning1@hotmail.com
BeautifulButte.Com ribbon cutting at the Chamber on November 19
th
BeautifulButte.Com is a Butte, Montana based creative photographic studio. They design unique gift items from their digital photographic portfolio. Their site will focus on the beautiful scenery throughout the city and surrounding area as well as points of interest. Some of our products will honor the mining industry of Butte, Montana and the people who came before us. They began their online and local business in August, 2012. BeautifulButte.Com’s team consists of Pat Campbell, owner and creative photographer, and her two sons, Matt Campbell, Web Adviser to our site, and Scott Campbell, photographer/artist. They believe in quality products. Check out their inspirational line that they
recently added to their site.
BeautifulButte.com is planning a promotion this holiday season. "a free box of 12 unique Christmas Cards with an order of $75.00 or more" This is a local promotion only and not available online. Our Christmas cards can be viewed at our website www.beautifulbutte.com
No voting limit ~ vote 30 times a day for #30 Vote for our own, Colt Anderson, Special Teams. Let's get Colt to the Pro Bowl. A well deserved honor for this hard working guy. Butte Tough!!
www.nfl.com 2014 Official Pro Bowl Ballot
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An Update from the Convention & Visitors Bureau As we get ready to close out 2013 I am already anticipating some of the wonderful events on the calendar for next year. Butte has been selected as the Montana Office of Tourism’s Spring Visitor Information Center Training site. Since the MTOT office would like to keep the event in Historic Uptown Butte they have asked that the lodging be at the Finlen Hotel. There will be a ½ day of training then they all get to experience Butte at her best by touring all of our great attractions and haunts. I am just putting this event together, making sure it is “talk of the state” when everyone goes back to their hometowns. Butte will also be hosting the 2014 State MTRPA/Trails Symposium in September. I will be meeting with the local contingent; Jocelyn Dodge and Jay Ellington to offer assistance with their off hours and site events. Cheryl and I made changes to the Attraction Sheet/Tear Off Map. We featured attractions with longer visiting seasons on the front page. Changes were made to the map; we added Naranche Stadium/Butte High School, Butte Central High School, and the Foreman’s Park to name a few. The product is going to be worth the wait as it will be done in full color. The new visitor’s guide is almost ready, the content and photos have been updated. I think the outdoor recreation portion is weak so I am open to suggestions and of course I know Jocelyn Dodge has some good ideas for me. Once it is in a final format it will be put out for bid as well. The CVB will be piggy backing on the Montana Office of Tourism’s (MTOT) new website design and hosting opportunity. Our CVB website is in a much needed overhaul, and by partnering with MTOT for design and hosting services, the CVB will not incur any charges. This partnership will not only cost us anything, we will be able to get all the new bells and whistles as they become available through the MTOT site. We will need to supply the content and photos, but with the great information I have gotten for the Visitor’s Guide I feel we have a good foundation to build on, this project will be fun rather than tedious. Be ready as there will be a “call to action” for information and photos as this project takes off. A loosely knit group of tourism interested people has been brought together to submit an e-commerce grant to the MTOT. I along with Justin Ringsak will work on the grant application. The idea is to have a digital webbased mobile tour of Butte and the greater Butte-Silver Bow area. This group refers to themselves as a Community Council, with the sole purpose of enhancing tourism and the product(s) our area offers to our visitors. As this project comes together we will be asking for other tourism entities to join us, if you are interested at this time, please send me an email: mariap@buttecvb.com, please note in the “subject” something about the Community Council. In closing, may you be blessed with good health and the love of family and friends not only during the Christmas season but throughout the New Year!!! Merry Christmas!
Maria Pochervina—CVB/TBID
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Montana Chamber Giving Thanks Tour Pete Burwell from the Montana Chamber of Commerce and Dara Anderson from Mountain West Benefits were in Butte on Monday, November 25, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. as part of the Montana Chamber educational program. Tours stops have been scheduled November 25 through November 27 in almost 30 cities across the treasure state. Dara Anderson from Mountain West Benefits addressed the eleven people who attended this worthwhile presentation. Her portion of the presentation focused on healthcare costs and the Affordable Care Act, at Chamber Choices and other healthcare issues. Pete Burwell talked about the benefits that are provided by the Montana Chamber of Commerce and the legislation that they have been working on in support of the business community (see insert of Roadmap to Jobs for detailed information regarding legislation (on page 13). The Butte Chamber would like to thank Pete and Dara for taking the time to come to Butte and presenting these materials to the Butte Chamber members.
St. James Hosts Business Card Social On November 7th, 2013, the Chamber Business Card Social hosted by St. James Healthcare and St. James Healthcare Foundation was held in the Pintler View Café from 5:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. Over 200 hundred people were in attendance for this magnificent event which approximately 20 doctors introduced themselves including many of the 17 new doctors who have recently been recruited to our community. The Foundation unveiled its 1881 Society Donor Wall with a short service commemorating of the event. The hosts provided a very welcoming atmosphere with a lot of interaction, door prizes, tremendous food, and beverages. The Butte Chamber of Commerce would like to thank St. James Healthcare and St. James Healthcare Foundation for hosting this event and inviting the community into our healthcare facility. St. James Healthcare would like to invite all Chamber members to attend their hour long mission tours that will enable you to see firsthand the hospital’s critical role in this great community, learn a bit more about the services they and the Foundation provide, and have a chance to ask questions and offer insights. See how support from our community really does make a difference in the lives of people needing care at St. James! Mission Tours are conducted on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The schedule for 2013/2014 is as follows: Dates:
January 8th April 9th July 9th October 8th
February 9th May 14th August 13th November 12th
March 12th June 11th September 10th December 10th
Location: St. James Healthcare Dining Room, next to the cafeteria. Space is limited. RSVP today at 406-782-5670 or email at foundation@sjh-mt.org
Letters of Thanks! Hi Marko, I just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed working with you and the rest of the Board the past six years. I found out so much about this wonderful city I have grown to love. It was a pleasure to be in on some decision making. Thank you again for allowing me to spend some of the best time of my life with the chamber. You are surrounded with a great staff and Board. Sincerely, Marsha
Dear Stephanie, Marko, and ALL Butte Chamber Representatives, I just wanted to express my deepest thanks for asking my students to be the performers for your Gala this year. It was such a big honor for us to be such a large part of your evening! We’ve been receiving compliments ever since and are so very grateful to you for giving us this opportunity. We absolutely loved it! Thanks Again & Again! Warm Regards,
Dear Friends at the Butte Chamber of Commerce,
Krista Harrington
All of us of the Advocacy Program want to “Thank You” for your donation of Trolley Rides to our fundraiser. Your support of our program is very much appreciated. Be assured your kindness will not be forgotten! Thank you! Thank you! In appreciation, Jodel
Marko, Cheryl, Maria, Stephanie, and Susie, The flowers were beautiful, the lunch was great! I really appreciate all your support!
Thank you all, so much for your kind thoughts, cash, floral arrangements, and especially all the hugs and good wishes. God Bless you. Love, Myrtle
Linda Volume 33, Issue 12
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The Progress
PERIODICALS U.S. POSTAGE PAID BUTTE, MT
POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to: Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St., Butte, MT 59701. Membership investment includes $3.00 per year subscription. The Progress (USPS 124-550) is published monthly by The Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St., Butte, MT 59701. Periodical Postage Paid at Butte, Montana.
Business Trends October 2013
MONTH/YEAR October 2012
MONTH/YEAR October 2013
% CHANGE
1,243,565.97 19,036,271.99
2,938,916.00 23,875,813.92
136.3% 25.4%
WATER
13,737
13,777
0.3%
EMPLOYMENT Labor Force Employment Unemployment Unemployment Rate
18,387 17,375 982 5.3
17,858 17,076 779 4.4
-2.9% -1.7% -20.7% -17.0%
12 7
13 8
8.3% 14.3%
CONSTRUCTION Year to Date
MAIL Tourism Requests General Information