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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Nations Oweesta Offers Training Opportunity for Economic Development in Native Communities

RAPID CITY, South Dakota (September 3, 2010) - Along with partners CFED and ONABEN, First Nations Oweesta is pleased to announce the fifth annual Native Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development (NEED) three-day training to be held October 13-15, 2010 in Spokane, Washington at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino. Developed for the U.S Department of the Treasury's CDFI Fund's Native Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Initiative, the NEED training is based on a new model of community economic development. The NEED program, tailored for Native CDFIs and their partners, provides comprehensive training and technical assistance designed to assist Native communities that are developing enterprise and entrepreneurship systems. In addition to training, participants will have access to technical assistance from First Nations Oweesta, to help them develop and implement the NEED model in their communities. Applications for participation are now available online at MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "org2.democracyinaction.org" claiming to be www.oweesta.org and will be accepted through September 14, 2010.

Previous NEED trainings have been a tremendous success because they address areas of assessing the current community environment, local entrepreneurship climate, coaching, access to capital, entrepreneurship education and more. According to a past participant, "(NEED) should be a part of orientation for all new tribal council members so they can make good economic development decisions and see opportunities for development." Another stated, "I now have a better understanding of what my community needs to do to assist our entrepreneurs."

"The Native Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development model is important to the success of Native economies because it involves two essential components - training and technical assistance," shared Michael E. Roberts, president of First Nations Development Institute. Roberts said, "We encourage any interested Native CDFI to participate in the upcoming training, because what you will learn you will be able to bring back to strengthen your community."


Contact:
Kellie Jewett, Director of Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Development
(605) 430-4249
kellie@oweesta.org

September 8, 3:00-4:30pm, Granite Tower, Billings. The community development specialists at Big Sky Economic Development will present a free introductory workshop about the grant-seeking process on Wednesday, September 8, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in the Big Sky Economic Development conference center located on the first floor of Granite Tower, 222 North 32nd Street in downtown Billings. Contact Jeremy Vannatta for additional information.

INVITATION: 2010 MONTANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT





Fellow Montanans,

I am excited to be co-hosting the 2010 Montana Economic Summit with Montana Tech and the Montana Economic Developers Association at Montana Tech in Butte on September 13-14. We hope you can join us as we gather to share Big Sky ideas on sparking innovation, boosting exports, and creating good-paying jobs. To register for the Summit, please visit our website: http://www.senate.gov/cgi-bin/exitmsg?url=http://www.montanaeconomicsummit.org/. If you have any questions about registration, call my Montana toll-free number, 1-800-332-6106.

As we emerge from difficult economic times, now is the time to get focused on the opportunities of tomorrow. This event will feature world-class speakers and presenters who will converge on Butte to discuss and develop strategies for jump-starting and growing our companies, our communities, our universities, and our state. We must have the right tools to clear the path before us, the resilience to absorb bumps in the road, and the resources to improve and expand as we move forward.

The 2010 Montana Economic Summit will feature American business and agency leaders:

�¡Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft
�¡Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE
�¡Bob Iger, President and CEO of Disney
�¡Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate and Secretary of Energy
�¡Karen Gordon Mills, Administrator of Small Business Administration
The 2010 Montana Economic Summit will also bring Ambassadors from China, Chile, Ireland, and New Zealand touring through Montana to explore partnerships and opportunities with Montana businesses.

Along with presentations from our keynote speakers, we will be facilitating networking opportunities and holding over 30 breakout sessions to explore critical needs. Let's all roll up our sleeves to come up with Montana solutions to create more good-paying Montana jobs and make this our best Summit yet!

See you in Butte!

Dear MEDA Members:



MEDA September Online News is now available. A few items of note:

1. The MEDA Fall Conference will now begin at 2:00pm on September 14th to allow more time for the Summit wrap-up. See the Revised Agenda.

2. Congratulations to our Rick Jones Memorial Scholarship Winners: Julie Jaksha, Kellie Danielson, Gib Turner and Jim Rexhouse.

3. If you haven’t yet registered for the Summit and the MEDA Conference, do so today!

4. Save the date: The 2010 BEAR Roundup will take place via conference call Monday, November 15th at 10:00am.



See you soon in Butte,

gloria



Gloria O'Rourke, Member

Montana Economic Development Services, PLLC

118 E. Seventh St.; Suite 2A

Anaconda, MT 59711

Ph: 406.563.5259 MEDA, ACF, MEDS

Ph: 406.563.5353 MT Ambassadors

Fx: 406.563.5476

email: gloria@montanaeds.com

September 15-17, Holiday Inn-Downtown, Missoula. The Montana Downtown Forum, the most comprehensive downtown development and historic preservation conference in the state, is Sept. 15-17 in Missoula at the Holiday Inn -Downtown at the Park. For more information about the educational sessions and to register online, please visit the event website. The cost is $175, which includes some meals.

September 16-17, Missoula; September 20-21, Billings; November 15-16, Billings.
A presentation entitled "Where to Find the Grants and How to Get Them" will be held in Missoula, September 16-17, 2010 and in Billings, September 20-21, 2010. A second event, "Stay in Compliance and Keep the Money" will be presented in Billings on November 15-16, 2010. Contact Cathy Rittenhouse for more information.