Projects

Bitterroot Tool & Machine – Stevensville,MT

Bitterroot Tool & Machine (BTM) LLC, located in Stevensville was founded on the basis of providing quality machine tools and parts for select industries. BTM continues to operate under a mission where the emphasis is on high quality, superior performance and outstanding customer service. They manufacture quality machine tools and parts for select industries one of which is a company that sells to impressive multi-national customers, parts produced in Stevensville, Montana.

BTM has also partnered with Wildfibre, an advanced technology company located in Hamilton, to produce bone shaped-fibers used to strengthen concrete. This breakthrough technology puts BTM and Wildfibre in a strong position to take advantage of the US government priority of $1.6 trillion in comprehensive infrastructure improvements in the next 5 years.

Bitterroot Tool & Machine became one of only 25 companies in the state of Montana to receive their ISO 9001 Certification. A USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant written by RCEDA  provided $33,000 in matching funds that was used for technical assistance for the company to contract with the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center.

Visit the Bitterroot Tool & Machine web site for further information on this Montana company.

Wildfibre – Hamilton,MT

Wildfibre® was founded in 2006, primarily to develop and bring to market a new, high performance concrete-reinforcing macrofiber which is in a family of fiber morphology known as “bone-shaped-fibers” (BSF’s).

Wildfibre® owns exclusive rights to the patent pending technology and processes for producing BSF’s. The BSF fiber technology was created at Los Alamos National Laboratories. The right to the technology for the machine that manufactures the BSF’s is owned by Wildfibre®.

A 2007 USDA investment through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant and technical assistance from Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and Ravalli County Economic Development Authority (RCEDA) have helped this company diversify and add value to Montana’s construction/manufacturing industry.

The investment in Wildfibre® resulted not only in the growth of the principal company but it has provided an opportunity for another Ravalli County business, Bitterroot Tool and Machine Company to add jobs through a manufacturing licensing agreement with Wildfibre®.

Wildfibre® is in the process of obtaining further testing which will be done by the widely recognized world expert on FRC (fiber reinforced concrete), British Columbia University’s Dr. Nemi Banthia.

Visit the Wildfibre web site for further information on this Montana company.

Huls Dairy [2008 -ongoing, Loan] Dan Huls runs the largest dairy in the Bitterroot Valley on his family farm started by his father and grandfather in 1951. He and his crews milk 350 cows in a high tech operation that is powered by electricity generated by burning methane from the operation’s supply of manure. In addition to producing milk, the methane digester also produces high value compost that Huls is marketing under the name “Afterburner”. Consumer response has been enthusiastic.

“The Ravalli County Economic Development Authority played a pivotal role in the Huls dairy methane digester project.  Without the assistance we received from the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority the project surely would have been delayed and may not have gotten started at all.” Dan Huls

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals [2006 - 2009, Grant]

The Belgian pharmaceutical giant GSK Biologicals recently completed a $137 million, 130 thousand sq. foot expansion of its Hamilton adjuvant manufacturing facility. GSK acquired the facility, formerly Ribi Immunochem and then Corixa, to capitalize on its history of pioneering work on the MPL adjuvant that greatly increases vaccine effectiveness. The facility employs 290 people with a base salary of $40,000 and plans further expansions. RCEDA provided assistance with a Community Development Block Grant for hiring and training purposes. RCEDA previously submitted successful application for infrastructure (sewer) in the amount of $2 million dollars that enabled and Corixa to remain in the Bitterroot Valley.
 

Sleeping Child Farm [2009 - 2010. Grant]

Sleeping Child Farm (SCF) is a restaurant, bed & breakfast, and farm stand owned and operated by Darla Coleman. Located in the Sleeping Child valley near Hamilton, SCF grows sustainable vegetables, berries, and flowers for use at its on-site restaurant, and for sale at its farm stand and local farmers markets.

Naturally grown produce in an aesthetic setting provides an engaging and educational venue for local residents and tourists visiting the Farm Table Café and Farm Stand. This business model takes advantage of the growing interest in agri-tourism, such as the “farm-to-table restaurant”. The Farm Table Cafe is the first of its kind in Ravalli County.

RCEDA for authored a successful USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant for with a water and sewer project necessary to meet the expected customer volume in the spring of 2009. SFC had its successful Grand Opening in May of the same year.

Catalyst Physical Therapy [2009 - 2010, Grant]

Owner Rebekah Stamp has 10 years experience in orthopedic physical therapy and musculoskeletal disorder evaluation and treatment.  She started Catalyst Physical Therapy in 2006. Rebekah was in need of funding assistance to obtain training in Musculoskeletal Disorder prevention, Ergonomics Certification and work risk analysis. With this training she could expand her business into the area of work-injury prevention and consulting to reduce the risk of workers compensation claims for area employers.

RCEDA was able to secure $9,300 in matching funds from USDA Rural Development for her to obtain this training. She is now successfully providing pre-screening and injury risk prevention consulting to a number of area businesses, diversifying her business and providing added staff.

BVS Inc. (BVS) [2010 - ongoing, Loan and Grant]

BVS Inc. (BVS) located in Florence, Montana is to pursuing a proven, multi-phase approach to commercializing a control method for the Mountain Pine Bark Beetle and the Southern Pine Bark Beetle. The U.S. Forest Service is the primary customer for this product. BVS Inc. has secured, through a tech-transfer, a unique technology that has positioned BVS, Inc as the only company that can do the testing with the agent and meet the Forest Health Protection (FHP) requirements. BVS Inc. is the only company that the US Army has licensed and established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to use the Integrated Virus Detection System (IVDS) that is integral to this testing.

Funds are being used to contract with the US Army, Edgewood Biological Chemical Center, to validate a representative sub-set of product in order to receive certification from Forest Health Protection for application of this product. The prototype biological control to be validated is manufactured by a Florence, MT company that makes a product to kill beetles. This validation is necessary for FHP, The U.S. Forest Service and private forest entities to consider a new technology to mitigate bark beetle damage. A USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant submitted by RCEDA that provided $30,000 as well as a loan from the RCEDA Microloan Fund were used to assist this project.

Mountain Spirit Inn [2009 - ongoing, Loan]

The Mountain Spirit Inn is located in the town of Darby, Montana, situated in the scenic Bitterroot Valley in Western Montana.  RCEDA provided technical assistance in the form of business plan development, assistance with financials preparation for loan write up which resulted in obtaining a loan from the RCEDA USDA/MBOI IRP in partnership with a local lender.

Ravalli Entrepreneurship Center [2006- ongoing, Grants, Loans, Technical Assistance]

RCEDA began this project with a business plan funded by the Big Sky Trust Fund and the CDBG-ED Planning Grant. The business plan for the Ravalli Entrepreneurship Center, a 10,000 square foot business incubator and training facility was funded in part by the Economic Development Administration in June of 2008 with a $1.6 million dollar grant. The additional $1.8 million dollars was made up of a $200,000 CDBG-ED, and local match.

The Ravalli County Economic Development Authority (RCEDA) had its Grand Opening of the Ravalli Entrepreneurship Center (REC) on January 21st, 2010. The RCEDA with its anchor tenant the Bitterroot Jobs Service along with the Bitterroot College Program of the University of Montana and the start-up business Falcon Asset Management Group have been sharing the facility since their move in date on November 13, 2009. The REC has become a one-stop business services facility for technical assistance, financing, and work force needs, training and development.