CHAMPIONING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY

Article by John Brewer, CAE, CATP, President/CEO of Billings Chamber of Commerce

How does a larger association of businesses produce a long-range plan to address the needs of over 1,000 business members? It begins with you and occurs through conversations, surveys, roundtables, and committee work. A continuous feedback loop consisting of proven pathways to success and cluttered with barriers and challenges that need to be moved by waves of voices and small armies of volunteers. The Chamber’s board harnesses this information and aligns the needs of business with those of a growing community to provide focus and set priorities.

The plan follows two tracts: one with a focus on your business and how we can directly provide value; the second a vision for making Billings an incredible home for residents, and a preferred destination for our future workforce and visitors.

Billings is in a desirable position as a large regional trade center with a diverse economy (healthcare, agriculture, tourism, finance, natural resources). There are great educational opportunities (Montana State University Billings, Rocky Mountain College, Rocky Vista University, and a strong pre-K-12 system), in addition to our abundant recreational and scenic surroundings.

Our strengths include the largest population in the state and between Calgary and Denver, Spokane and Minneapolis. We boast a growing young professional base; a destination where Montana does business; and a large regional audience with a 500,000-population trade area. We ARE Montana’s City!

The Billings Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst for business and community growth. As we move into a new fiscal year, our 2024-2025 Long Range Goals are:

1. Grow Business & Develop Leaders
2. Lead Visitor Growth
3. Influence Government Policy
4. Enhance Quality of Place

Here are a few areas the where the Billings Chamber is your advocate and champion:

Grow Business & Develop Leaders

We support businesses large and small by providing opportunities to connect, cultivate people, and receive value-added services.

OBJECTIVE: Connect business to opportunities

• Each business member of the Chamber receives no fewer than 25 direct annual benefits.
• Host meaningful member engagement experiences via weekly Collaborate gatherings.
• Initiate industry-specific meet-ups for collaborative experiences (craft brewers, restaurants, retail, non-profits as examples).
• Support the number one industry in Montana, Agriculture, through an annual action plan, monthly meetings and events that raise awareness and educate the community.

OBJECTIVE: Support current and emerging leaders

• The Chamber’s NextGEN network is nearly 300 strong.
• Our Business Development Network, Leadership Billings and Women’s Network focus on business and leadership development.

OBJECTIVE: Cultivate an environment of belonging and inclusivity

• Host “Welcome to Billings” events to connect and engage new residents.
• Offer BUILD (Belonging, Understanding, and Inclusivity for Leadership Development) program with topics including belonging and inclusivity, veterans, mental health, aging and dementia-friendly, neurodiversity and autism-friendly.
• Promote our “Building Belonging & Inclusivity” toolkit.

Lead Visitor Growth

Visit Billings and Visit Southeast Montana (13 counties and two reservations in our region), both managed by the Billings Chamber of Commerce, will promote Billings and the region as a preferred destination for visitors, business travelers and sporting events.

OBJECTIVE: Support local business growth by connecting them to sales opportunities with visitors who spend $640 million each year in Billings.

• Evaluate sports tourism.
• Consider developing signature event options during slower seasons.
• Enhance outdoor recreation, arts and culture, brewery district and culinary experiences (CRAVE, Burger Trail).

Influence Government Policy

We will lead local, state and federal legislative issues impacting business and our quality of life; and proactively support business-friendly elected leaders who drive those policies.

OBJECTIVE: Be a problem solver for business.

OBJECTIVE: Focus on 2025 Legislative Session, prioritizing public safety, housing supply, and workforce attainment/readiness.

OBJECTIVE: Be a trusted source of political communication. Produce a weekly Legislative Update, Billings City Council Bulletin, and Yellowstone County Commission Brief

OBJECTIVE: Elections matter: find and endorse candidates for state and local office. Produce communications and host candidate forums to inform membership.

Enhance Quality of Place

We will lead and support placemaking initiatives that exceed expectations for residents, visitors, and those considering relocating to Billings. 

OBJECTIVE: Identify and encourage/lead transformational projects that increase resident satisfaction, increase visitor stays and encourage relocation.

• Support downtown development and vibrancy, with a focus on catalytic projects, specifically along 27^th Street corridor.
• Support development of River to Rims assets including Marathon Loop development, other trail connections and parks.
• Encourage sports facility development to include sheets of ice, aquatics and sports courts to aid in sports tourism. 

OBJECTIVE: Love Where You Live.

• Communicate community “wins” in tandem with partners. 
• Support Visit Billings’ Certified Tourism Ambassador program.

OBJECTIVE: A Safer Billings

• Support efforts to comprehensively address jail and justice system issues, intervention and prevention strategies.
• Continue to impress the value of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design with businesses and in government policies.

OBJECTIVE: Grow air service

• Grow service to new targeted destinations and maintain existing service.
• Seek an airline partner to serve LAX or SFO utilizing the $1.8 million federal grant and local support.
• Attend annual airline conferences and headquarter meetings.

SOME OF THE EXCITING NEWS WE HAVE SEEN IN
RECENT MONTHS INCLUDES:

• BIL has announced the addition of a new airline to begin service in June of this year. News of Sun Country Airlines adding service from Minneapolis came on the heels of a visit to their headquarters in Minneapolis in September 2023.
• United Airlines has announced the expansion of their daily, direct service from BIL to Denver from 3x daily to 5x daily.
• Delta announced that they are increasing seats on their flights to and from Minneapolis beginning in May.
• Allegiant Airlines announced the addition of a seasonal, nonstop flight to Los Angeles beginning May 2024, an increase in flights from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, and increased service to Las Vegas through the fall of 2024.
• Alaska Airlines has extended its Portland service from seasonal to daily, direct, year-round service.
• Southwest Airlines opened the doors to future service during the first community meeting held in Dallas.
• The BIL airport unveiled renovation updates as it nears the end of its $55 million project, including the addition of concourses and gates.
• Billings was selected to host the Montana Air Service Rendezvous in August. The event will host major airlines in addition to all of Montana’s major airports to meet and do business in Billings.
• In 2022, BIL ranked 63rd out of over 400 airports nationwide for air cargo.
• There are 1.6 million available airline seats departing BIL compared to 1.2 million one year ago.

The ASC also played an integral role in the Small Community Air Service Development Grant (SCASD) awarded to Billings this past fall. The SCASD grant process takes research and input from various organizations and a financial commitment of $750,000 for the matching funds. This award will allow our community the tool of a seat guarantee to help secure a direct, daily, year-round flight to SFO or LAX. Connecting to California year-round will help fill a large gap in BIL connectivity. The community raises the matching funds and the Billings Tourism Business Improvement District (BTBID is the primary funding source for Visit Billings) were the first to the table with a donation of $375,000.

Billings is the hub for business, finance, healthcare, and energy as the largest city in Montana; with increasing business mobility, people need the ability to travel with options. As a champion for
business and quality of life in Billings, the Billings Chamber looks forward to the opportunities that new and expanded flight services will bring to our city, not to mention the additional connectivity options that will result.

For Billings to continue to compete as a tourism destination, air service expansion will be a high priority for Visit Billings. Travelers have a choice when selecting their destinations, whether for business, leisure, or sports. Consistent air capacity and reasonable fares are important factors in the decision-making process. Visit Billings is proud to support the Billings Air Service Committee.

The more we choose to fly BIL versus other regional airports, the more likely local airfares will drop, and we will see new airlines and direct service in Billings. We encourage you to fly local by flying BIL.

This article originally published in the Fall 2024 Edition of LiNK, powered by Simply Local.