Lake County Community Development Corporation

Lake County Community Development Corporation- assisting small business

Lake County CDC Organizational Overview

Lake County Community Development Corporation ("LCCDC") is a 501-C(3) not-for-profit economic development organization organized and incorporated in March 1995. The organization was formed in an effort to provide centralized leadership and staff to three previously unstaffed local community development groups located in Polson, Ronan and St. Ignatius. The goal was to establish the means by which to mobilize community and economic development efforts and to address the critical growth issues as they affect residents, communities and quality of life throughout the County. Its fourteen board members are selected from throughout the County and works to be representative of county-wide needs. Primary objectives of LCCDC include:

a) Assisting in job creation by: working with existing companies to develop and expand their businesses and to structure financial resources appropriate to their situation, and, as appropriate, helping recruit new companies which may provide additional and higher wage jobs;

b) Assisting in the development of affordable housing opportunities by supporting efforts of local and county-wide housing organizations;

c) Assisting communities in developing their infrastructure by helping them analyze their needs and then structuring the necessary financing to complete defined projects;

d) Working with communities, organizations and individuals to develop and expand recreational facilities and opportunities in Lake County, such as bicycle paths, sport complexes, swimming pools, etc;

e) Facilitating community planning efforts and supporting land use planning which is directed toward preservation of Lake County's quality life;

f) Assisting with community renewal and revitalization efforts in communities throughout Lake County; and

g) Developing tourism and tourism related industries throughout Lake County.

Related activities of the organization

To further its mission, LCCDC is an active participant in and advocate of community and regional partnerships that further the economic condition and quality of life of all our residents. For further information, please follow the links embedded below to other important pages on our site!

For the past 10 years, LCCDC has operated a business development revolving loan fund which provides lower interest loans to companies that are expanding and creating new jobs in Lake County. The organization also provides a full range of business services, including assistance writing business plans, conducting business development workshops and classes, procuring specialized assistance in government procurement, manufacturing technology and regulatory requirements related to food processing, and helping with loan packaging. These programs are explained further in the Mission Mountain Business Center.
In 1999, LCCDC, with help from the USDA Rural Cooperative Service program, established a regional cooperative development center to provide technical assistance to businesses and individuals desiring to establish collaborative businesses ventures, our center is known as the Mission Mountain Cooperative Development Center.
In 2000, LCCDC developed the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center, a food business incubator and processing center located in Ronan, which assists in the development and batch processing for specialty foods and value-added agriculture enterprises.
In 2004, LCCDC was certified by the State of Montana as a Certified Regional Development Corporation in 2004, providing leadership and support to its regional partners in Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders Counties.
Since 1993, the organization has actively supported the development of affordable housing programs in Lake County , incubating and helping staff both the City of Ronan Housing Authority and the Lake County Community Housing Organization.

In addition, through our community infrastructure program, we have provided technical assistance to and/or helped develop funding for water and sewer projects in the communities of Arlee, Charlo, Hot Springs, Lakeside, Pablo and Ronan.

Strategic Planning

"The Lake County Community Economic Development Strategy is designed to foster more stable and diversified economies; to collect and document economic conditions and goals common to both non-tribal and tribal agencies; to improve the local standard of living; to provide a mechanism for guiding and coordinating the efforts of individuals and organizations concerned with the economic development of this area; and, to be a tool for creating employment opportunities for all residents of Lake County."

Our Guiding Principals are:

Cooperation between Lake County Communities including Non-Tribal and Tribal groups, agencies and departments is essential to ensure integration of the Lake County economic development process with local government and Tribal plans;
Economic development in Lake County and the Flathead Reservation should be accomplished through policies and business practices that do not damage or degrade the environment.
Emphasis should be placed on promoting growth and expansion of locally owned businesses and the recruitment and growth of new business opportunities;
Education and training programs should be implemented to encourage business development;
Policies should be supported that encourage planned growth as opposed to unplanned and haphazard development;
Support should be focused on economically viable businesses and industries committed to paying livable wages.
Development activities by LCCDC should be actively and aggressively publicized to encourage public involvement in LCCDC sponsored programs.

Project Priorities for FY2005 - Public Infrastructure:

Complete project management of the Hot Springs and Charlo infrastructure projects.
Continue to work with communities and districts as needed to fund infrastructure development and expansion activities in the region.
Assure that community planning requirements are up to date by assisting with planning grants and planning board activities.

Project Priorities for FY2005 - Business Resources:

Organize and recruit board and other individuals who can increase the organizations political and public awareness of the LCCDC role in business development.
Expand cooperative efforts with Small Business Development Center, Missoula Area Economic Development and others to assure that local businesses have total access to all available services.
Increase publicity efforts to expand visibility of the organization's efforts in community building and development and participation in business building activities.
Develop a business resource data base to include commercial services for business such as accounting, legal, call center and piece manufacturing resources.

Project Priorities for FY2005 - Financial Resources:

Grow revolving loan fund to $3 million.
Expand coalitions with other community loan funds, banks and access to state and federal funds for business expansion

Project Priorities for FY2005 - Commercial and Retail Business:

Advertise and promote availability and use of store front improvement loan program ($10,000 for 5 years at 5%) to upgrade stores and businesses to assist them in attracting more customers, at least five.
Update websites and links to increase user access

Project Priorities for FY2005 - Manufacturing and General Industry:

Focus on the expansion and development of small manufacturing operations by providing training opportunities, financial services such as small loans and marketing assistance.
Create a data base of existing manufacturing and other business resources. (See business resources)
Investigate Port Authority feasibility and viability as a means of establishing zones for industrial development and developing incentives for companies to establish facilities within identified zones by holding at least one public hearing or presentation inviting people experienced in port authority development.
Create a distribution packet and guidelines to assure that businesses wishing to locate in the area get a sense of welcome and receive information on incentives and opportunities in Lake County.
Maintain a website with the above information linked to state and economic development agencies providing relevant information about business conditions in Lake County.
Build a public relations campaign that involves the elected, public and private enterprises in community development efforts, methods include public forums, trade shows, press releases and local radio.

Project Priorities for FY2005 - Agriculture and Mission Mountain Food Center:

Increase co-packing 25% by August 1 and 100% by December 31.
Increase Kitchen use 25% September 30 and 50% by December 31.
Not mentioned in the plan, but proceeding, develop in-house products for sale that use Center resources.
Expand the sales area into the present library to increase availability of local and regional products.
Financial projections are not available, but the board mentioned supporting an operating loss of no more than $30,000 for 2005-06 as a basis for future center support.
Broaden the scope of technical assistance offered to businesses through the cooperative development center and collaborations with Kalispell's Small Business Development Center and Northwest Business Centers micro-loan program and Government Marketing Assistance program.
Support the growth of a community food system by assisting local producers in developing contracts with local markets and establishing a delivery/distribution system.

General Management Priorities:

Continue development of adequate funding to support core activities of the organization.
Improve board review of personnel policies and compensation.
Continue to improve reporting to the board on finances, projects and activities to enhance the board's management capacity.
Assure LCCDC has the political and public recognition necessary to achieve its goals by taking any and all opportunities to increase public input and awareness of its activities.