Gianforte talks telecommuting, jobs during stop in Flathead

As he explores a potential run for governor, Bozeman tech entrepreneur Greg Gianforte is focusing his efforts on what he knows best — jobs.

Gianforte filed to explore the option of running for governor on Aug. 15, putting one foot forward in a direction he’s widely expected to take. Two others, Public Service Commission Chairman Brad Johnson, of East Helena, and Mark Perea, of Helena, have said they’ll be running for the Republican nomination in the 2016 gubernatorial race.

While Gianforte has declined to say if or when he would announce his intentions, he is busy visiting Montana communities (58 since the test campaign began) and in Kalispell today talking about how telecommuting can bring jobs back to Montana.

“We’ve been pretty overwhelmed by the response we’ve gotten, in a positive way,” Gianforte told the Daily Inter Lake editorial board.

He raised $255,000 in the first campaign reporting period, more than any other candidate has raised in Montana during the same amount of time. The money raised has been individual contributions so far, he said. His unofficial platform hinges on jobs — telecommuting mostly. His organization, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance, has been busy shipping mailers to Montana’s university alumni, asking them to consider bringing their jobs and families back to Montana.

“The thing that’s really been resonating with folks, as we visit and listen, mostly, is people sense that better is possible. If we had more job opportunities in the state, fewer Montanans would have to leave,” Gianforte said.

When Gianforte started RightNow Technologies in Bozeman 18 years ago, there was no venture capital available. He was told there wasn’t enough bandwidth for his company or enough employees with the needed tech savvy. Airline connections weren’t good enough.

He succeeded in spite of those obstacles, achieving success that is still a marvel among those in economic development circles. Gianforte sold his company, RightNow Technologies, to Oracle Corp., one of the world’s largest software companies, in 2011 for $1.8 billion.

While the serial software entrepreneur has made his living around high-wage tech jobs, he also sees the need to sustain the service industry in places such as the Flathead Valley. Bringing high-wage jobs back in to the community, he said, initiates a ripple effect. The high-wage employees bring their families to the community. The family, in turn, might build a home, creating trade jobs; the spouse might work in construction or health care; the children go to school, widening the school’s tax base and graduating more employable people.

“It brings more people into the community, and that’s a good thing,” Gianforte said.

Gianforte said he thinks computer science and trades classes are lacking in high schools and middle schools around Montana. He thinks there’s too much emphasis on four-year degrees, and often times college graduates take jobs out of state, he said. Gianforte hopes to improve the information about career paths for students and parents to make informed choices about colleges and education.

But telecommuting isn’t the only focus Montana needs, Gianforte said. He said if he were to run for governor, he would focus on jump-starting industries in natural resources, manufacturing and agriculture.

“I believe opportunities and jobs are only created by the private sector. They are not created by government programs,” he said. “I’m not a fan of creating a whole bunch of government programs although government has a role in making it easier for businesses to succeed.”

Gianforte said the primary impediment to natural resources like timber and mining has been overreach by the federal government. He was pleased to see Montana Attorney General Tim Fox’s lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal Clean Power Plan, but believes litigation has been a job-killer in the state.

“I think the state has a role in helping to reduce the impact of litigation associated with timber sales,” Gianforte said.

He said he would appoint people from key industries to state posts rather than “government insiders or environmental extremists appointed to these agencies” like the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

“Because we have been more focused on enforcement at state agencies rather than customer service, the rule book has swung too far in one direction,” he said. “I would change that at the state level.”

Gianforte said he’d work to eliminate the statewide business equipment tax, and would have signed a bill by Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell, to lower individual and business income taxes, a bill that Bullock vetoed.

He would also work with Weyerhaeuser, the timber company that just acquired Plum Creek Timber Co., to maintain public access to the private timber land. Weyerhaeuser, which has implemented fees for sportsmen access to land in other states, has been under scrutiny from Montana officials since the merger.

“It’s private property, [but] we have government programs in the state to allow hunting on private property though block management. I would work with Weyerhaeuser to keep access to private land for sportsmen.”

While Gianforte is already taking heat from Montana Democrats on several issues such as his religious beliefs, discrimination and his stance on harboring Syrian refugees, he said he’s optimistic.

“We’ve been very encouraged,” he said about his tour of Montana. “There’s too much divisiveness between labels right now. If [Montana stays] 49th in wages, kids are going to keep leaving the state. We can move the ball forward on building better jobs here.”

During his Northwest Montana tour, Gianforte also made stops in the Flathead Valley at ViZN Energy, Plum Creek’s manufacturing facilities, Nomad Global Communications Systems and Proof Research. He’ll also host “Coffee with Greg Gianforte” at the Sykes’ conference room, 202 Second Ave. W. in Kalispell at 7:30 a.m. today.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.