Choteau and Bynum were among eight north-central Montana communities showcased for International Economic Development Council members attending a three-day rural retreat, organized in partnership with the Great Falls Development Alliance and Great Falls Montana Tourism.
The IEDC brought 400 attendees, about half of whom work in rural communities, to the conference June 23-25, based in Great Falls. Participants had the opportunity to select from among 17 full- and half-day tours, visiting locations around Great Falls and in Choteau, Bynum, Fort Benton, Browning, Cut Bank, Conrad and White Sulphur Springs.
Those attending the IEDC’s first-ever rural retreat were practitioners of economic development across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and other countries.
“It was designed to showcase how rural communities or rural economies can develop and grow,” Rebecca Engum, executive director of Great Falls Montana Tourism, said in an interview with the Acantha.
She said GFDA and Great Falls Montana Tourism worked to design a conference