MWED partners with Missoula center to expand business opportunities

Montana West Economic Development is teaming up with the Women’s Entrepreneurial and Leadership Lab Women’s Business Center to expand business opportunities to local entrepreneurs in Montana.

Based in Missoula, the WELL Business Center offers resources, training programs, business coaching, courses, an online community, and events designed for urban, rural, and Indigenous women across the state of Montana.

“WELL was looking to have partners outside of Missoula to become a local resource for people recruiting business owners from different parts of the state,” said Christy Cummings-Dawson, president and CEO of MWED.

MWED has spent the last couple of years creating strategic partnerships to benefit the community and Cummings-Dawson hopes the partnership with the business center will equip local businesses with a valuable resource for economic prosperity.

A nonprofit that works throughout Northwest Montana with communities to promote economic diversity and growth, MWED has spent the last decade working to create the Glacier Rail Park, an industrial park with rail service, and assisting the city of Kalispell on the Parkline Trail project which turned the railroad tracks through downtown into a trail with the goal of encouraging economic development in the core area.

“After that was built, we looked around to see what else we can bring in,” said Cummings-Dawson.

WELL contacted the organization after having previously worked together on other projects and statewide initiatives, MWED began exploring if the business center could provide something to assist local business owners.

Due to the limited staff capacity at MWED, Cummings-Dawson said WELL is filling in the gaps with some free resources, such as one-on-one business coaching and a basic community membership. The collaboration was recently announced in January, and there is already one person taking advantage of it.

“We actually just did our first referral,” Cummings-Dawson confirmed. “Somebody here locally has a business idea and told us that they have a prototype, but they didn’t know where else to go.”

MWED connected them with the WELL program and plans to monitor the progress of the process. Both current and aspiring business owners are welcome to inquire about WELL’s resources.

Though the programs are aimed at women, Cummings-Dawson explained that WELL is all-inclusive and can be utilized by men who own businesses.

“We're just trying to make resources available to anybody who has questions,” she said.

While participation in the business coaching, training and courses will be mostly virtual, WELL will occasionally send advisors to the Flathead Valley to increase its in-person presence.

“Hopefully we'll have some sort of a kick off event or class to help spread the word about the program and get some people more educated about what it can offer.”

To learn more or sign up for their business courses or coaching, visit wellwbc.org, call 406-417-3777 or email at hello@wellwbc.org. A complete list of MWED’s offerings can be found on their website at dobusinessinmontana.com/programs.

Reporter Summer Zalesky may be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.