Message from president George Dennison.

• Author: Dennison, George M.
• Position: Brief article

During trying rimes such as the present, we appreciate all the more the Montana Business I Quarterly as the source of relevant economic news, whether good or bad. We simply rely on the staff and analysts to keep us informed. The current economic downturn hit Montana after wreaking havoc elsewhere, and we have benefitted greatly from the perspective provided by the even-handed analysis of trends and likely consequences the Quarterly has provided. Local developments make sense within this larger economic framework, even if we sometimes prefer quieter times. The analysts for the Quarterly remind us that the differences between the Montana and the national economy will not shield us from many of the impacts, even if we have had a bit more time to prepare.

In a very real if sometimes problematic sense, when the macrocosm becomes the microcosm, we sometimes lose our bearings. However, we must keep in mind that economic developments frequently if not usually generate new opportunities that take shape following a period of creative destruction. To navigate uncharted terrain and emerge...