"Montana officials tout airport capabilities"

Friday, August 6, 2004

Falls officials tout airport capabilities 
The Associated Press 


GREAT FALLS (AP) - Local officials promoted the cargo capabilities of
the airport here, as ambassadors and representatives of seven Asian
countries, Australia and New Zealand began a three-day economic tour of
Montana on Thursday. 

"This is what we want to push right here," Great Falls Mayor Randy Gray
said, while standing in front of the FedEx facility at the airport. 

"We need to show them our wide open spaces, that we are not congested
like the port cities." 
  
In Great Falls, international freight can be cleared within a day,
compared to several days or weeks in busy ports such as Seattle and Los
Angeles, he said. 

Local officials are pushing that asset and trying to attract deals with
Asian companies that export goods to the United States. 

The trip also was a chance for the dignitaries to see the variety of
industries in the state. 

"We thought of Montana as agriculture and mining, but now that we are
here we are seeing your service industry and the high tech," said David
Tawei Lee, a representative from Taiwan. "Those were things I didn't
anticipate. There are some great opportunities here. Those are the
things you don't know about a place until you see them." 

"This is giving us a better idea of what goes on here," said Michael
Thawley, the ambassador from Australia. "And for what more might be
done." 

This was the first trip to Montana for Indonesia Ambassador Soemadi D.M.
Brotodingingrat. By noon Thursday he had a list of possibilities for his
country and Montanans to do business together. 

"We import meat and we have a lot of seafood, so maybe we can trade your
beef for our seafood," he said. 

Indonesia has a strong timber industry because of its vast tropical
forests and Brotodingingrat said there are opportunities to sell new
technology for natural resource management to his country. 

"We are also trying to sort out the possibility of student exchanges,"
he said. "We need more expertise in forestry and natural resource
management and maybe our students can get that here in Montana." 

Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan and Thailand are the other countries
represented on the trip. 

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who invited the group, said it is intended to
get people thinking about possible business partnerships. 

"Now we need to follow up and get specific ideas," he said. 

After the tour at the airport, the group headed to the Dana Ranch to see
the inner workings of a Montana cattle operation. 

Friday's agenda includes a tour of Helena defense contractor Summit
Engineering. 

They also are meeting with Gov. Judy Martz and other state officials. 

Saturday they'll attend the Sweet Pea Festival parade in Bozeman and
tour the Tech Ranch, an incubator for startup technology businesses.


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