2018 manufacturing summit to be held in Kalispell

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, announced Wednesday that he will be co-sponsoring the 2018 Montana Manufacturing Jobs Summit in Kalispell in November. Other sponsors include the Montana Manufacturing Association, the Manufacturing Alliance of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and the Montana Chamber Foundation.

“Montana’s manufacturers are leaders in innovation and support thousands of good-paying jobs across our state,” Daines said. “The 2018 Montana Manufacturing Summit will showcase our state’s successes and provide an opportunity for workers, small business owners and policymakers to come together and share ideas about how to continue growing this important industry in our state.”

“Manufacturing in the Treasure State used to mean sawmills and refineries,” said Montana Manufacturing Association President Webb Brown. “Fortunately, we still have them and so much more. Manufacturing jobs pay higher than average jobs, accomplishing one of the goals of Envision 2026, our 10-year strategic plan. We’re delighted to work with Sen. Daines on another summit to create a greater Montana.”

Montana is the fastest growing state for manufacturing GDP in the nation with $3.2 billion in manufacturing GDP in 2016 — a $1.2 billion increase from 2011.

The Summit, which will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell Nov. 8-9, will bring together state and national leaders in manufacturing, trade and economic policy to highlight Montana’s booming manufacturing industry and share ideas about how to grow economic opportunities in the state. Summit speakers and sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks. Additional information will be made available at MTManufacturingSummit .com.MTMTManufacutringSummit.www.MYMTManufacturingSummit.com.