Page 22 - B2B Fall 2018

SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23
Broadwater County, moved back to Townsend in 1995 and spent a year building a straw bale house on their property in Broadwater County.
They spent the next dozen years on the road together, living the life of a professional artist, traversing the country’s art shows. After
years of life on the road, they desired a more stable and secure way of life, ending that nomadic lifestyle. Brian began his tenure with MBAC at an entry level in January of 2006 – he worked his way through several positions there
and within ten years, he was named Executive Director.
Brian is eager for the o cial rollout this fall of MBAC’s newest collaborative project, called Helena’s Accelerated Startups.
This is an intense collaborative business assistance program that brings together no more than six entrepreneurs for six monthly meetings. During these meetings, along with the collaborative efforts and expertise of experienced local business people, local banks and area successful entrepreneurs, MBAC’s staff guides the future business owners through the
process of creating goals and outcomes, keeping them on task over time and helping them achieve in-depth results. Through this results-based program, Brian hopes to nurture Montana’s home-grown entrepreneurs into the next generation of successful businesses. The program made its debut this past spring, with three business owners participating. There is a full application process for entrepreneurs who wish to participate, and Brian foresees Helena’s Accelerated Startups as a program that will be offered each year.
DONNA DURCKEL OF HBIA
BY DAWN ZEHR
Donna Durckel is the Executive O cer of the Helena Building Industry Association (HBIA). She
When she was in middle school, her family moved to southern California. She obtained a degree
in Journalism, with an emphasis in Political Science, from San Diego State University, during which she spent a year on exchange at the University of New Hampshire. After completing her degree, Donna hit the ground running as a reporter for City Hall in Poway, CA, a community of San Diego. She then went to work in Public Relations for a big agency there. After working on political campaigns and for a variety of other public relations clients, Donna started her own
PR rm, with a focus on serving smaller businesses. After a couple of years, she joined the public sector, serving as the communications director for a county supervisor.
She then had the opportunity to pursue her love for the business world back in the private sector, and for the next 11 years, the building industry became her passion as Vice President of Communications for
the Building Industry Association
of San Diego. In 2008, that passion for the building industry was replaced by a more compelling
one – a daughter, adopted at birth; Donna left the BIA when her daughter was born, and spent the next 4-5 years raising her and doing some consulting.
Donna’s vision for the HBIA is to provide a broader, more resonate voice for the local building industry. Her goal is to improve lines of communication with those in
local government, including city and county planners, regarding
the value of home building in our community; to position the HBIA
as a respected partner among Helena’s decision makers; and ultimately make it easier for builders to do business in Helena. She is encouraged by a growing membership in the HBIA, as well
as a rising level of involvement, energy and momentum among the passionate and dynamic people who make up the building industry. ■
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BUSINESS TO BUSINESS CONNECTION
DONNA DURCKEL
came to Helena this past spring, assuming the leadership at HBIA in March. Donna was born in Wisconsin into what she describes as a “big Italian-Slovak family.”