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Riding high
$10 million hospital in Ennis a ‘springboard’ for economic growth
Sam Korsmoe, director of the Madison County Economic Development Council, stands in front of the new Madison Valley Hospital and Clinic job site in Ennis.
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ENNIS — Sam Korsmoe sees this rural community as “The Little Engine that Could.” Just like the train and its “I think I can attitude, the Madison Valley is able to accomplish big things through sheer determination.
Build a $10 million hospital in a town of fewer than 1,000 people — no problem.
Raise $800,000 to expand and upgrade the town library — done.
Put on events and festivals to draw people to one of Montana’s most beautiful valleys — happens all the time.
As director of the Madison County Economic Development Council, Korsmoe said that once this town showed it could finish something as grandiose as the hospital so quickly, the sky’s the limit.
Ennis and the Madison Valley now have a can-do attitude that Korsmoe is banking on to help the entire county grow its economy in a number of ways.
“It was kind of the birth of our organization, ‘OK, here’s a hospital, build it,’ ” Korsmoe recalled the day in 2004 that he took the reins as the fledgling council’s first director.
Nearly four years and $4 million in donations later, the hospital project has been a huge success. Construction of the 36,000-square-foot facility began in September, and the first phase came in under budget.
“That project really could not be going better,” he said.
The hospital is slated to open in December and will offer state-of-the-art technology that will allow Madison Valley residents to get numerous services for which they previously had to drive to Bozeman or Butte.
Korsmoe projects that annual revenue at the hospital will increase within a few years from its current $3 million to more than $5 million. That’s money that stays in Madison County.
The new facility will employ more staff too, including doctors and specialists who can provide health-care services. And in the short term, a large construction project pumps money into Ennis.
See ENNIS, Page D3 Boost in confidence But even more important is the boost in confidence the hospital project has given the overall community, Korsmoe said. The hospital drew contributions from more than 600 individuals and businesses, showing that Madison Valley residents can get something done.
“I came to appreciate how much a project like that bands a community together,” he said. “Whether they make a $10 donation or a $100,000 donation, people felt they were contributing to a community effort.
“Building a $10 million building in a town like Ennis bands the community together to the point where we say, ‘If we can do that, we can do anything.’ ” Now it’s time to turn that energy into other efforts to grow not just the economy in the Madison Valley, but also throughout the county. Korsmoe said as his role in the hospital project winds down, he’s setting his sights on other endeavors and looking at ways to boost economic growth in the Ruby Valley, too.
Korsmoe already has other projects in the works. They include:
Montana Black, a marketing program that aims to push people to eat beef that was raised from start to finish in Montana. Korsmoe said most ranchers ship their feeder cattle to out-of-state feedlots, making it almost impossible to get Montana beef here. The goal of the project is to push grass-fed beef that gets finished in Montana. Consumers have to be willing to spend a little more for the product with the knowledge that they’re helping to keep ranchers on their land, preserving open space, wildlife habitat and the scenic views that make Big Sky Country so beautiful.
“Two Days More,” another marketing campaign that targets tourists who are already coming to Montana. Every year, more than 900,000 tourists come through Madison County, often passing through on the way to Yellowstone National Park and other destinations, Korsmoe said. The goal is to get them to spend an additional two days in the county to enjoy the natural splendor, whether they go horseback riding, play golf or take a float trip. The effort will aim at basic advertising, such as placemats at area restaurants.
The inaugural Madison River Marathon, slated for Labor Day weekend in Ennis. Korsmoe said Montana has five marathons, and this event would be the sixth. He’s working with running clubs, which have enthusiastically supported the idea.
“Trout on the Madison,” a one-time event that involves painting 15 large ceramic trout. Similar efforts have been done in other communities, including West Yellowstone where they painted bison. The idea is to have local artists — sponsored by businesses — who will paint the trout with their own, individual designs. The ceramics will then be set up throughout the county. Artists will use themes including Montana history and heritage, nature and wildlife, etc. Korsmoe said the event may not be long-term economic development, but it will be a quick boost and help beautify towns throughout the county.
Reaping natural amenities All of those projects are centered on getting more out of what Madison County has in abundance, Korsmoe said.
“My approach to economic development has always been that you have to take the asset that you already have and get more value out of it, as opposed to trying to bring other assets in,” he said. “My job as economic development director is to take those things and make them earn more money for us.” It’s a sharp contrast to the old approach to growing a local economy. Korsmoe called the old philosophy “elephant hunting,” a metaphor for trying to lure a major corporation such as an IBM, General Motors or other major employer.
But that simply wouldn’t work in Madison County. Its limitations to attract larger companies are too daunting.
The county is too isolated from major transportation routes. Its population of 7,000 residents isn’t enough to support a major factory or business. And its population is among the oldest in Montana and continues to age, Korsmoe said.
“We don’t have a lot of people and therefore we don’t have a large market, and we don’t have young people,” he said. “Why would any company come to Madison County and create jobs unless you have something that nobody else has?” Fortunately, Madison County does have unique assets. In short, it’s all about the incredible natural wonders that are abundant throughout the county.
For starters, it’s half public land. And those areas are some of the most breathtaking in Montana, with the Madison, Gravelly and Tobacco Root mountain ranges among them, as well as the Madison, Jefferson, Big Hole and Ruby rivers.
Those lands and waters teem with wildlife, including game animals such as deer and elk, and some excellent trout fisheries. Korsmoe said that, although the county has a lot of small businesses that are already tapping into that bounty, it needs to do more to generate money from those resources.
It’s not just small businesses that are benefiting from the natural amenities the county has to offer. In the Big Sky area, Big Sky Resort, Moonlight Basin and the Yellowstone Club are all ski resorts and recreational residential developments that are profiting from the mountains.
Korsmoe said all three may be ski resorts and each has its own business model. The Yellowstone Club is unique because it’s a private ski resort and golf course, open only to people who can show $3 million in worth and buy property in the development.
But all three projects are similar in working to become year-round destinations by offering activities during the spring, summer and fall as well as skiing. The resorts offer good-paying jobs in construction, professional services and more as construction continues there.
“They’re a classic case of trying to develop our asset,” Korsmoe said. “Over time they’re going to develop better jobs than just service jobs.” Madison County will always have plenty of challenges to growing its economy. But Korsmoe said he’s confident it’s on the right track. He just has to look at the hospital to see tangible proof.
“It’s almost like a badge of honor,” he said.
County Commissioner Dave Schulz said he’s glad Korsmoe has been so proactive in getting the hospital done. Now Schulz and others in the community are eager to turn that energy toward other projects.
He doesn’t want Madison County to suffer the same problems so many communities in rural parts of the state are experiencing. Businesses shutting down, and people leaving the downtowns and the commerce they support are common in many small towns.
“The only business in many small towns that are doing well is the plyboard business — they are putting plyboard on the windows of every business on Main Street,” he said.
Schulz added that he shares Korsmoe’s view that economic development should be focused on growing the existing businesses and taking advantage of the assets already here. He said Madison County is blessed in many ways and he hopes its residents can find a way to tap into that to build a sustainable, healthy economy.
“We have an incredible amount of opportunity here,” Schulz said.
— Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com.
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