Professional Business Marketing ? Business Briefcase for March 31 ...

Names and Faces

The Department of Revenue announced the following promotions within its agency:

Derek Scott and Logan Nordahl were recently promoted to tax examiners for the business and income taxes division.

Scott?s primary responsibilities will be to conduct field audits of various types of tax returns and to answer taxpayer questions regarding pass-through entities. He attended Helena College of Technology for accounting and computer science, and also went to hotel and resort management school at the Mundus Institute in Phoenix.

Scott joined the revenue department in 2012 as an auditing technician and prior to that was the general manager of a hotel in Aurora, Colo.

Nordahl?s primary responsibilities will be to conduct audits of various types of tax returns, assist with the development of audit programs and procedures and assist taxpayers in filing Montana tax returns.

Nordahl started with the revenue department in 2011 as a temporary employee with the property division, and then as an auditing technician in the business and income taxes division. He graduated from the University of Montana Western and was employed by the Lewis and Clark County Cooperative Health Center prior to joining the Department of Revenue.

Michael Harvey, realtor/owner, of Harvey realty has completed his GRI designation through the National Association of Realtors and the Montana Association of Realtors. Harvey has been licensed in Montana since 2002 and has also earned the designation of WHS. GRI, graduate realtor institute, is a designation for realtors to expand their knowledge and education to better serve clients through a three year education process and WHS, workforce housing specialist, is a designation that provides knowledge to help buyers of median and below income to purchase a first home or a new home.

Awards and Announcements

Montana Equine Directory has launched a website with these new and free features:

A full advertiser profile whereby users can go in and manage their listing at any time. Add logos, photos, articles, flyers and event listings. There is no limit to the information.

Access Google Analytics that track the views of an ad at any time. Search perimeters can be set to get information about ads.

MontanaEquineDirectory.com?s newest feature is the Montana Marketplace where new and used items products and services can be listed. Users can create an e-store to sell product lines and access all the website traffic.

Users are invited to set up a no-obligation consultation to learn about professional event marketing services. Increase signups by taking advantage of credit card services to allow entrants to sign up for events and pay online. Montana Equine Directory can set up sponsors and provide prizes to help make events a success.

Unlike the other resource guides available, Montana Equine Directory allows users to create their own profile and manage their own listings. Whether users are looking for a furrier, a trailer, a new horse to add to a herd or looking to spruce up a tack room, Montana Equine Directory will help. The site includes an easy-to-navigate calendar of all horse-related events in the state, a marketplace for the exchange of goods and a directory to ensure those who seek services are able to find them.

This business was started with the intention of helping other businesses grow. Learn more about the directory by visiting www.montanaequine

directory.com, or on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest, or Judy directly at (888) 598-6485, ext. 1 for more information.

Attorneys and staff from Montana Legal Services Association recently attended training on broad-based legal advocacy strategies. Broad-based legal advocacy focuses on litigation and other methods for changing law, practices, and policies for clients, leading to fair and lasting change for all affected by similar issues. MLSA uses broad-based legal advocacy strategies in providing legal assistance to low-income Montanans with civil legal needs. National consultant, Hannah E.M. Lieberman, who has extensive litigation and legal practice management experience, provided the training in Helena.

Montana?s Network of Small Business Development Centers is gathering in Butte, April 24 and 25, to host the fourth annual Invest in Success Small Business Conference at Montana Tech.

This conference has been designed by the SBDC Network to provide small businesses the opportunity to learn and enhance their financial, managerial and technical skills as well as connect with resource providers and network with others in the small business community.

On April 24, conference attendees will have the opportunity to attend an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of SeaCast Precision Investment Castings, a full-service investment casting foundry in Butte. This tour will be followed by the opening conference reception at Headframe Spirits in uptown Butte. The conference reception promises to be the perfect place to meet fellow conference goers, exchange a few business cards and enjoy some hors d?oeuvres while having a taste of Butte?s finest spirits.

The full-day conference on April 25 is comprised of four breakout sessions featuring 17 dynamic workshops. The SBDC is bringing back a conference favorite: ?Tales from the Trenches: A Montana Entrepreneur Panel,? featuring Sarah Calhoun of Red Ants Pants, John and Courtney McKee of Headframe Spirits, Dave Robins of SeaCast and Matt Kress of General Electric. The panel members will discuss their experiences successfully starting, owning and operating a small business in Montana.

Other morning session topics will feature process management, cash flow, innovation and retail merchandising. Afternoon sessions will cover health care changes, customer service and succession planning and growth strategies. A full conference agenda is available at www.sbdc.mt.gov.

The SBDC Network is excited to welcome Michael Shuman, an internationally renowned community-based economics expert, to Montana as the Invest in Success keynote presenter.?Shuman is the current Director of Research at Cutting Edge Capital and Director of Economic Development at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. He has authored seven books, including The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition, and most recently, Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity. Shuman?s address will emphasize the importance of local economies, and how Montana investors can put their money into building Montana businesses and resilient regional economies ? and profit in the process.

The Montana SBDC Network believes that Shuman?s focus on community-based economic development will resonate strongly with small business owners throughout the state.

The conference fee is $125, with discounts for students with ID, and includes the SeaCast tour, opening reception, and full access to conference workshops. Breakfast and lunch are included on the 25th. To register, visit www.regonline.com/investinsuccess or call Julie Jaksha, Conference Chair, at 533-6780. Conference updates can also be found on the Montana SBDC?s Facebook page.

City of Gold Toastmaster Club meets every Monday morning.

This is a fantastic way to get your week off to a jump start. Learn and practice speaking skills in a non-threatening setting. All of our members are friendly and helpful. Come on down and check them out.

Meetings are 6:50-7:50am at Life Covenant Church, 800 N. Hoback/ Neal at 459-3526 or nealblossom@msn.com or Chuck 449-7776 or zeker@bresnan.net.

We are e-mailing you to remind you about the deadlines coming up.

Downtown Helena announces some upcoming deadlines for events:

Kids SpringFest 2013 ? The registration deadline is Friday, April 5. Registration is free to all DHI members (charging or not) and to any nonmembers that will not be charging for their activity. The fee is $25 for any nonmember businesses wanting to charge. The event will be on Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pioneer Park. You can find more information and the registration form on the DHI website, http://downtownhelena.

com/events/kids-springfest-and-earth-jam/

Spring Art Walk 2013 ? The Spring Art Walk will be held pm Friday, May 17 5:30-9:30 p.m. throughout downtown. The registration deadlines and fees are listed below.

For members, early registration: Friday, April 5 ? $40; late registration: Friday, April 12 ? $50.

For nonmembers, early registration: Friday, April 5 ? $80; late registration: Friday, April 12 ? $100.

You can find more information and the registration form on the DHI website, http://downtownhelena.com/events/22nd-annual-downtown-helena-spring-art-walk/

Energy Share is accepting applications.

?Energy Share applications may be submitted to Rocky Mountain Development Council (RMDC) until May 10 this year,? said Annie Altman, lead eligibility technician, RMDC. Energy Share is a private nonprofit organization that provides emergency bill assistance to people facing loss of heat or lights in their home due to unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances. Normally Energy Share applications are available until at least early June, but overhead costs necessitate closing a little early this year.

Altman noted that Energy Share and LIEAP are two different programs, but applications for both may be obtained at RMDC?s energy assistance office, 648 North Jackson St., or by calling 406-447-1625 or 1-800-356-6544. The last day to submit a LIEAP application for this current winter?s heating bills is April 30, and the last day to submit an Energy Share application is May 10. RMDC asks people apply for LIEAP before applying for Energy Share. Energy Share will start taking applications again on Sept. 16 for the following winter.

RMDC serves Broadwater, Jefferson and Lewis and Clark Counties. For more information, please call RMDC at 406-447-1625, or contact the statewide Energy Share office at 1-888-779-7589.

Glacier Bancorp, Inc.?s (Nasdaq:GBCI) Board of Directors, at a meeting held on March 27, declared a quarterly dividend of $.14 per share. The dividend is payable on April 18, to owners of record on April 9.

Glacier Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company for Glacier Bank, Kalispell, and bank divisions First Security Bank of Missoula; Valley Bank of Helena; Big Sky Western Bank, Bozeman; Western Security Bank, Billings; and First Bank of Montana, Lewistown; all operating in Montana; as well as Mountain West Bank, Coeur d?Alene, with operations in Idaho, Utah and Washington; 1st Bank, Evanston, operating in Wyoming and Utah; Citizens Community Bank, Pocatello, operating in Idaho; Bank of the San Juans, Durango, operating in Colorado; and First Bank of Wyoming, Powell, operating in Wyoming.

Source: http://lowbrowse.org/business-briefcase-for-march-31-2013.html

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