Montana Secretary, Cory Stapleton, spent a few days in Mineral County last week as part of his “Things that Matter” tour. Along with a few members from his office, Stapleton has set a goal of visiting all 56 Montana counties during his four-year term.

Rather than just making a brief stop, he stays two days and visits with local business leaders, students and government officials to discuss issues and concerns facing each county. During a luncheon with business owners he discussed the impact fee increases had on a local fly fishing business, “you don’t always realize the unintended consequences of these actions,” he said.

They also discussed the fires from last summer and the impact forest restrictions are having on the timber industry. In addition he visited with a small group of high school seniors in the music room at Superior High School. There were only eight students from the class and it was a much smaller group than he normally addresses. He said he had just come from Hellgate High School where students filled the auditorium and some got into heated discussions about topics like abortion, legalizing marijuana and President Trump.

But the Superior group was more subdued and he explained what his office does which includes handling elections, making sure businesses are properly registered and licensed, and documenting legislative actions. He asked how many students planned on attending college after graduation and the entire class raised their hands.

One student asked how to go about starting a business and Stapleton explained the steps it would take from registering the business name to acquiring an EIN number for tax purposes. The student was interested in starting a raft guide company.

“That would be perfect for banding together several different types businesses,” he explained. “With a rafting company you could work with a local hotel and restaurant and offer more than just a trip down the Clark Fork. But rather an entire destination experience and market it to people from out of state.”

Stapleton has seen counties thrive with entrepreneurs who have a vision and are willing to take a risk. He cited Livingston where a small print business started 10 years ago and are now a running a multi-million dollar business that employs over 250 people. They found a niche in the market and cater to customers all over the world.

He said manufacturing is a key to success, like the Diamond Match Company that used to be in Superior, “rather than just cutting down the trees, you have a company that uses those products. So many of our natural resources are shipped out of state. But it’s in the manufacturing where a lot of the money is made.”

He also talked about the great tourism opportunities Mineral County has to offer with Interstate 90 connecting states, the beauty of the area and the outdoor recreation in the area. By clustering like-minded businesses there are so many avenues for growing and bringing revenue into the area he commented.

In addition to the business luncheon, and stop at the high school, Stapleton visited Mineral Community Hospital and the Tricon Timber in St. Regis.