The Billings Chamber’s annual meeting Wednesday was based on the theme “Limitless.” It was chosen to inspire us all to think without boundaries — or any perceived ceiling on what we can accomplish.
We have a beautiful community with good jobs. But at times we are a complacent community. We have become accustomed to tradition, often looking at what has worked in the past rather than what we need to move us forward.
We are a community with challenges.
- We’re challenged with antiquated, or too small, professional meeting space. In the next four years we could see up to a 25 percent reduction in meeting business without new state-of-the-art space according to a recent study.
- Billings is losing ground with air service. We no longer lead the state in passenger enplanements. We are the largest city and the region’s economic driver. Air service is essential to maintaining that position.
- We are challenged with our gateway aesthetics. We have a once-in-a-century opportunity to take back part of the Yellowstone River and convert the Corrette plant footprint into a community asset to be enjoyed by all and seen as a welcoming gateway.
- Above all, we struggle to secure resources to invest in quality of life assets that help build a stronger economy while luring workers and their families.
We must be given the ability to implement a local option sales tax by our state legislators who represent us. That's our game changer.
These issues are not exclusive to Billings. We have a great deal to learn from our Oklahoma City guests. They traveled to Billings this week with a great story to share on how their city overcame unfathomable challenges.
Bozeman, Missoula, Sioux Falls, Oklahoma City are our competition. We need to be deliberate in listening to their message and understanding that we are competing against — not just 1,200 miles away in metro Oklahoma City, but right down the road in Rapid City, S.D.; Sheridan, Wyo.; and Williston, N.D.
Your Chamber is committed to learning from other communities. We are stealing great ideas. We are aspiring to be the best Billings we can be.
