HELENA– The Montana business community and state leaders gathered in Helena Jan. 10-11 for the 2018 Business Days at the Capitol hosted by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.
The event kicked off Jan. 10 with the Montana State of Business address given by the Montana Chamber President/CEO, Webb Brown. One of the topics Brown touched on was workplace safety and how Montana must improve in this area.
“One of my personal initiatives is workplace safety,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, too many workers in Montana suffer at too high a cost. These workers are our friends and family. As employers, we can, we must, and we will do better to send everyone home at the end of the day as good as or better than when they showed up.”
Brown also said he hoped that Montana’s economy would see 3 percent plus growth and he hit on the importance of connecting employers and educators to yield a better workforce.
Business Days featured panels that focused on the four core objectives of the Montana Chamber’s ten-year strategic plan, Envision 2026, which are entrepreneurship, business climate, workforce development and infrastructure. Panelists who spoke at the event came from all corners of the Treasure State.
The Montana Chamber also announced that it will launch a public awareness campaign about worker safety in Montana. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2015), Montana has the fourth highest rate of workplace injuries and illness in the nation. Montana also has the third highest worker death rate in the nation.
Other events included the popular Egg and Issues legislative breakfast which featured the President of the Senate, Sen. Scott Sales; Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Greg Hertz; and House Minority Leader, Rep. Jenny Eck. The featured speaker at the Last Word closing luncheon was Glacier Bank’s Market President Robert (Bob) A. Nystuen.
“Business Days is always a great event to kick off the new year,” said the Montana Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors Chair Greg Thayer. “We had a lot of great discussions on tough topics like taxes and workforce development, but we also had opportunities to highlight some of the successes of Montana businesses. It was a great two days to connect with Montanans from across the state and I can’t wait to see what the business community accomplishes in 2018.”
Join the Montana Chamber on March 14 as it hosts the Business & the Law Conference at the Radisson Colonial in Helena.
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