the progress january 2016
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January 2016 Volume 36 , Issue 1
Thursday, January 14th – 12 noon
Chamber Ambassadors Meeting @
the Chamber
Tuesday, January 19th – 12 noon
CVB Meeting @ the Chamber
Wednesday, January 20th – 8 a.m.
Chamber Board Strategic Planning
Session @ the Comfort Inn of Butte
Thursday, January 28th – 5:30 p.m.
Business Card Social @ Big Sky Senior
Living
Tuesday, February 9th - 10:30 a.m.
Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening @
Staggering Ox
Wednesday, February 17th – 5:30
p.m.
Business Card Social hosted by Butte
Cares
Tuesday, March 15th – 5:30 p.m.
Southwest Montana All Star Classic
@ Montana Tech HPER
Thursday, September 29th – 5:30 p.m.
105th Annual Chamber Dinner @
Butte Civic Center
www.buttechamber.org
The Butte Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Strategic Planning Session later this month.
The purpose of the Strategic Planning is to give the Chamber a focus and to invigorate the board and staff as we gear up for another amazing year in Butte.
Ray Rogers of the National Center for Healthcare Informatics will be on hand to lead the discussion and help the Chamber see and focus on our potential for 2016.
During the Strategic Planning Session we will:
Review our progress in 2015
Discuss all of the ideas we have for improvement
Brainstorm and plan ahead for 2016
Select Board Committees who will guide the Chamber through 2016.
The Chamber Board is glad to have this annual chance to regroup and recharge!
Thank you to all of our members who help make Butte the Best Place in the Best State!
We look forward to a truly outstanding 2016!
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Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce
Visitors’ Center 1000 George St.
Butte, MT 59701
(406) 723-3177
Marko Lucich Executive Director
Maria Pochervina CVB Director/TBID Executive Secretary
Stephanie Sorini Marketing, Membership & Bookkeeping
Director
Sue MacPherson Receptionist/Staff Associate
Alana Ferko, Butte Plaza Mall
Andy Zdinak, BLDC
Becky Sprunger, Human Resources Council, District XII
Bill Melvin, Butte Civic Center
Bob Bentley, Jr., Bentley Construction
Cindi Shaw, Council of Commissioners
Colin Higgins, MacKenzie River Pizza Company
Craig Tippett, Newland and Company, P.C.
Desiree Shogren, Comfort Inn of Butte
Donald Blackketter, Chancellor Montana Tech
Don Peoples, Individual Member
Ed Stepan, REC Silicon
Francene Archibald, NBC Montana
Jamey McDaniel, Wal*Mart
Jenean Salle Kujawa, Montana Standard
Janel Morgan, Harrison Avenue Realty
Jeff Gorman, McDonald’s
John Winston, Glacier Bank
Judy Jonart, School District #1
Karen Corbin, KXLF TV
Kevin Dennehy, St. James Healthcare
Kristen Rosa, Butte-Silver Bow
Linda Granger, School Trustee/Highlands College
Marsha Foster, Individual Member
Maura Uggetti, Copper Ridge Healthcare
Matt Vincent, BSB Chief Executive
Machelle LeProwse, Northwestern Mutual
Mike Paffhausen, State Farm Insurance
Pat Fleming, Fleming & O’Leary Attorneys
Paul Babb, Northwestern Energy
Paul Tash, Tash Communications
Shane McCarthy, Safeway
Tami O’Connell, Stix & Stonz
Colin Higgins, President
MacKenzie River Pizza
Company
Paul Babb, President-Elect
Northwestern Energy
Craig Tippett, Treasurer
Newland and Company, P.C.
Ed Stepan, Vice President
REC Silicon
Bill Melvin, Vice-President
Butte Civic Center/CVB
President
Desiree Shogren, Vice-President
Comfort Inn of Butte
Paul Tash, Vice-President
Tash Communications
Marsha Foster, Vice-President
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Last year, I was surprised and honored to be invited by Mr. Lucich and our Chamber Board to represent our business community as the Chamber Board President. And what a tremendous year of personal and professional growth it has been! I have personally seen this community of leaders and innovators grow in such amazing ways over the last year, and that pride and growth continues to blossom. I want to sincerely thank our Chamber Board and business leaders in Butte Silver Bow for all of the hard work and effort into making our business community the strong force that it is. I’d also like to offer them another round of praise, and particularly our talented and hard-working Chamber staff, for stepping up in relief of our fearless leader, Marko Lucich. Marko has unfortunately been fighting a recurring neurological issue over the last few months, and in his absence we hardly skipped a beat due to the huge efforts of our staff and board members.
There are some really exciting things happening in our community right now, and even more coming down the road in the near future. I am truly blessed to raise my family with my wife and further grow my business in such an amazing place that we call home.
Cheers friends,
Colin W. Higgins BSB Chamber President
If you’ve ever wondered who those happy and festive ladies in the blue vests are, they are our Chamber Ambassadors.
The Ambassadors are hardworking advocates for the Chamber — they handle everything from helping out with donation requests, updating the Chamber Membership lists, attending any and all Chamber events, and helping with tasks like registration at Chamber seminars and manning stations at events like the Golf Tournament and Color Run.
We meet each month for fellowship, schedule coordination, and lunch and we’d love to welcome some new members. If you have some time in your schedule and would like to see what the Chamber Ambassadors do, think about attending our next meeting—Thursday, January 14th at 12 noon at the Chamber.
We love Butte!
Dorea A. Wilmoth Chamber Ambassadors Chairperson
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1. How did you get involved with the Chamber and what keeps you involved?
I have had various connections with the Chamber professionally as a chamber member through my company. I have also been responsible to oversee the production and project management of The Chamber's Report, Relocation and Recruitment Guide. I stay involved due the amount of connections I have with other businesses and the important work the Chamber does to make sure our community thrives.
2. What is your favorite event or program of the Chamber?
The Annual Golf Fundraiser.
3. What are some of your other community leadership roles?
Secretary for the United Way Board of Butte and Anaconda
A member of the St. James Foundation Fund Development Committee.
4. What is your most memorable experience during your time working with the Chamber?
Being voted in as a board member at the 2015 Annual Dinner.
5. Finish these sentences:
Never again will I....
…Never say Never…
What makes Butte great is ...
...The people.
The best piece of business advice I've ever gotten is …
...If you keep the customer's best interest at heart you will never fail.
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Did you see the billboards of Butte’s own, handsome JP Gallagher, around town last year? JP’s billboard was a part of the Meeting and Conference campaign sponsored by the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID). This campaign not only had JP’s “mug” on billboards, but also had newspaper, radio, regional trade publications and digital components. The premise for this campaign was simple; Butte is in the meeting hosting business.
We encourage you to think beyond the days of the Copper King Inn. Butte offers the newest, most beautiful and unique meeting venues anywhere in the state of Montana. Let’s take a quick tour:
Fairmont Hot Springs Resort just completed new construction and renovation doubling their convention center facility. Fairmont offers complete state-of-the-art audio visual, in a resort setting known for being affordable and easily accessible.
Hotel Finlen is the crown jewel of Historic Uptown Butte. This facility, with its opulent Ballroom, retro Cavalier Lounge and Copper Bowl continues to capture the elegance the days of grand hotels.
Hotels with great meeting spaces offering Butte’s local flavor of hospitality: Comfort Inn, La Quinta Inn & Suites, Days Inn and Holiday Inn Express & Suites. Since they are all in the same neighborhood book them all, with space to breakout.
Unique settings offering flexibility and staff to wow!
Butte Brewing Company: who knew you’d find the fastest high-speed internet and 2,000 square feet of meeting space in a new building with a craft brewery next door?
Butte Civic Center: work with a professional staff who all know more than tournaments and rodeos. Complimenting their expertise is equipment to transform arenas into meeting, meal and tradeshow spaces.
Mother Lode Theatre; “lights, camera, action”, add comfortable seating, staging, sound and technical staff to handle all of a meetings audio visual needs. Book the Orphan Girl Theatre in the same building as the MLT and you have an amazing breakout room. Mining City Center, across the street from the MLT is available for meals, tradeshow and more meeting space. The Masonic Temple just around the corner is another venue, spread-out and get work done.
Venues offering the 3M’s (Meetings, Meals and Memories): Front Street Station, Star Lanes Event Center, Butte Archives, Butte Library, Montana Tech, Highlands College and many, many more.
Our request is simple, think of the meetings you attend: professional, religious, fraternal, reunion, continuing education and trainings, be a part of the meetings and conference economic driver for Butte-Silver Bow.
Call me at the Chamber office, I’m here to offer my assistance and the strong relationships I have with Butte’s amazing meeting venues. Then let’s talk about: free time activities, food and beverage, and the great work we can accomplish in Butte.
And all along you just thought JP was just another pretty face….
Let’s Plan a Meeting!
CVB/TBID
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The Butte color run was a fun event that brought the community together. Everyone who came had a blast. Whether you were running alone or on a team, you could not help but smile as you looked on at the multitudes of people turning each other into what resembled pieces of abstract art.
Excited attendees could hardly wait for the race to begin, and could not help but start a small color war in the parking lot of the Butte Chamber of Commerce. People from around the city leapt at the opportunity to support local organizations, and have fun doing it.
Our very own Butte Cobras volunteered at the run, without whom we would never have been able to set everything up in time. By the end of the day, they had used so much color on each other that it was hard to identify one from the other! Even Butte figure Chris Fisk came down to act official announcer for the race. He took great joy in throwing packs of color on the employees of the Butte Chamber.
The festivities themselves included live music and free food, so people could recharge after the run. All in all, it was a great day, and an amazing experience for all those present.
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305 W. Mercury Butte, MT 59701
406-565-5226 Contact: Linda Lowney
465 E. Galena Butte, MT 59701
406-491-5980 Contact: Tony Olson
https://www.facebook.com/ButteBrewingCompany
3745 Harrison Avenue Butte, MT 59701
406-294-6553 Contact: David Moorhead
www.buffalowildwings.com
146 W. Park Butte, MT 59701
Contact: Carrie Fisher www.tacodelsol.com
2907 Harrison Avenue Butte, MT 59701
406-494-5672 Contacts: Lisa Gransbery
& Teresa Reed
445 Centennial Ave Butte, MT 59701
406-723-4075 Contact: Jessica Cotton
www.swmtchc.org
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Buddy & Carrie Fisher ~ Pita Pit
Stordahl Family ~ Triple S Building Center
Beautify Butte Committee
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Home is where the heart is, and for Syrian-born physician brothers, Hassan and Marwan Massouh—“home” is southwest Montana. Hassan Massouh, MD has worked as a practicing radiologist in Helena and Butte since 2004. He was recently joined by his younger brother, Marwan Massouh, a medical oncologist/hematologist who began practicing at the St. James Healthcare Cancer Center in Butte in
September of 2015.
The brothers’ decades-long journey to southwest Montana began more than 6,600 miles away in their native Syria (see SIDEBAR). Though the American West may seem like an unlikely destination, both physicians agree that their parent’s emphasis on education, strong family values and Christian faith
were paramount in their finding their way to the United States, and ultimately to St. James Healthcare in Butte.
According to Marwan, their parents met while students at Damascus University in the 1950s. His father, Ramez, was studying biology and chemistry, and his mother, Asma, was studying literature. The couple was married in 1956 and both worked as educators, until Asma
left the workforce to concentrate on raising children. (Hassan, 58, and Marwan, 56, have two younger siblings; a sister, Masha, who is a school principal in Cleveland, Ohio; and a brother, Naji, who is a lawyer in Manhattan, NY.)
With the long history of political instability in Syria aside— the Massouh brothers said that during their formative
years their family kept its focus on three things: education, family and their Christian faith. “My father was a prominent educator in our country,” said Hassan.
“We also have a long (Maronite) Catholic tradition within our family,” added Marwan, explaining that their extended family have had a member serving in the priesthood of this Eastern rite Catholic
Church dating back, almost consistently, for 600 years. Marwan added that his Aunt Julia is a nun who was an administrator in the Catholic school system in Lebanon.
Overall, the Massouh brothers agree that their childhood memories were primarily positive. “We spent happy summers in the
“Family” Medicine: Syrian-born physician brothers call Montana “home” Story and photos by St. James Healthcare
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mountains and swam in the rivers,” Marwan recalled, setting the stage for their attraction to Montana’s mountains and rivers. Marwan said that the family had previously lived in the United States during 1968, while their father attended college here, but that they had returned to Syria for the rest of their education and upbringing.
With parental support and encouragement, Hassan and Marwan both chose to pursue careers in medicine—completing medical school in Syria before continuing their education in the United States. With extended family in Ohio, they gravitated toward the Midwest to complete their medical training and begin their careers. “You go where your family is,” Hassan said.
Hassan first visited Montana while on a ski trip in 1989. “I was the one who started the Montana craze,” he said, laughing. Trips to Montana became a regular vacation destination. Though he’d spent most of his life in an urban setting, Hassan totally embraced the western way of life. He continued to ski, tried hunting and even learned to ice fish and fly fish.
Lured by the Montana mystique, his wife, Donna, encouraged him to leave Ohio in 2004, to move closer to where he loved to recreate. “I’ve been bugging my brother to come here ever since,” Hassan said.
Like Hassan, Marwan’s first trips to Montana were on vacations, when he visited his brother and his family. “My kids loved it,” he said. Marwan obtained a license to practice medicine in Montana in 2007 and has been waiting for an opportunity to relocate since then.
“The opportunity came up this year, so I took it,” he said. With his kids, who live with his former wife in Cleveland, nearing the end of high school, he said “the timing was right.”
Marwan is happy with his decision to relocate to Butte. “I love the city. Everywhere I go I feel welcome,” he said.
Working in the same community with his brother again, is also a plus.
“We’ve always been close,” he said. And with overlapping specialties of interventional radiology and medical oncology, the two will be seeing plenty of each other, both in and out of the work place.
Both physicians are also excited about the ongoing expansion of the St. James Healthcare Cancer Center and its services and what that means for local patients needing cancer care. Phase I of the expansion included the addition of a new linear accelerator used in radiation therapy, and was completed in March of 2015. “With expanding treatment options, patients won’t have to go to other medical centers,” Hassan said.
“We have an excellent framework to do what is done in most major medical centers and offer it to patients under one roof, making the quality of life for patients, better,” Marwan added.
Barbara Nawrocki, oncology service line director is thrilled to have Marwan Massouh on board.
“We’re benefitting from his experience and affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic, which is one of the top hospitals in the nation for cancer care,” she said. Nawrocki said that Marwan Massouh’s transition into patient care has gone smoothly and his arrival is just in time for Phase II of the Cancer Center’s ongoing expansion, slated to begin in February. Phase II will involve renovations and the addition of private treatment areas within the chemotherapy infusion area.
Hassan Massouh, MD graduated from Damascus University School of Medicine in 1980. He completed a one year residency in surgery at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio—part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System—in 1981. He completed a three-year residency in diagnostic radiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland in 1985, followed by a one-year fellowship in interventional radiology at St. Luke’s
Roosevelt Hospital Center of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, NY.
His professional experience in practice includes almost 20 years in the Cleveland area before relocating to Montana 11 years ago. He spent five years at St. John and Lake Shore Hospital; ten years at Fairview General Hospital of the Cleveland Clinic Health System, where he was head of vascular and interventional radiology; and three years at Hillcrest Hospital. He came to Montana in 2004 as a partner in Montana Interventional & Diagnostic Radiology Specialists, PLLC and has worked in Butte and Helena ever since. He lives in Clancy, Mont. with his wife, Donna. They have two adult children: a daughter, Alia, who works as a chemical engineer in Salt Lake City; and a son, Alan, who is attending medical school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Marwan Massouh, MD graduated from Damascus University School of Medicine in 1982. He completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1988. He completed a Fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University Hospitals of Cleveland- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine—in Cleveland, Ohio in 1991. His professional experience in practice spans almost 25 years in the Cleveland area and includes ongoing service at St. John Medical Center, University Hospitals Health System; and Fairview General Hospital of the Cleveland Clinic Health System before coming to St. James Healthcare in September of 2015. He lives in Butte, and has two children, a son, Philip, and a daughter, Claire., both of whom are attending high school in Cleveland.
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Raising Great Kids Discussion Series The Butte Cares Coalition has teamed up with the Butte Community Council to present a free
informational series of discussions. The series; "Raising Great Kids" addresses real local issues facing our youth on a daily basis. These discussions are designed to provide information to help parents
build resiliency skills in their children. This series targets all age groups.
The Raising Great Kids Series will be held at the Emergency Operations Center (Drivers Examiner Building) South Entrance 3615 Wynne, Butte MT 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
January 20, 2016 Sergeant Jimm Kilmer will introduce
Internet Dangers This presentation addresses real local issues that
tech savvy youth may be involved in.
February 24, 2016 Laura Cross, LCPC, will present
Recognizing Warning Signs Initiating conversations with your kids to identify
mental health red flags.
March 30, 2016 Lynette Petritz and Terri Amberg will discuss
Conscious Discipline This subject can be challenging!
April 20, 2016 Butte School District #1 Counselor Kerry Weigle
will discuss Relationship Ups and Downs/ Bullying
Every child faces rejection from peers at some point.
Ideas to help them cope.
May 18, 2016 Linda Lowney, Executive Director Butte Cares Inc.
Oh! The Choices They Make! Prevention begins at home! Starting the tough
conversations early!
In November, in conjunction with Montana Resources, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington
Foundation donated about 500 mascot hoodies to all 5th graders in Butte, Anaconda, Whitehall
and Ramsay schools to boost school pride.
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Annual Economic Outlook Seminar Headed to Butte Thursday, February 4th
MISSOULA – For the 41st year, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana will visit nine Montana cities including Butte to deliver its local, state and national economic outlooks. New this year, BBER will release its inaugural Montana Economic Report 2016, a comprehensive assessment on the Montana economy, at the half-day events which kick off Tuesday, Jan. 26, in Helena.
This year’s program focuses on property tax growth across the state, an issue of importance to many living or doing business in Montana. According to BBER economists, one of the reasons why Montana’s oldest tax is among the least popular is because it is also the least understood. And in most communities, it continues to increase. The BBER’s 2016 Economic Outlook Seminar series, to be held around the state January-March, take aim at that issue.
The program will address how the tax works, whether it’s working well and why its growth is seemingly endless. It also will question whether the state’s oldest tax is prepared for the future.
The half-day seminar and luncheon will highlight the latest economic trends for local, state and national economies. BBER economist Patrick Barkey will deliver the national and state outlooks, BBER economist Paul Polzin will present economic forecasts for each seminar city, and industry specialists will provide the outlook for Montana’s important economic sectors: nonresident travel; health care; real estate and housing; agriculture; manufacturing; forest-industry products; and energy.
Registration costs $85, which includes the Montana Economic Report 2016, a copy of the PowerPoint presentations, lunch and a one-year subscription to Montana Business Quarterly, BBER’s award-winning business journal. Continuing education credits are available. Groups of five or more can receive a discount by registering online at http://www.bber.umt.edu/.
The seminar runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4 at NorthWestern Energy’s Butte general office
For more information or to register, visit BBER online at http://www.bber.umt.edu/ or call 406-243-5113.
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