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HAPPY RETIREMENT!
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the Montana Chamber retained 95.2 percent of investor pledges and raised more than $1 million dollars for En- vision 2026. The investors range from companies such as Stockman Bank to TowHaul. One of these investors is NorthWestern Energy.
“Webb’s focus on Montana infrastructure is really a part
all of us keep our eyes on the ultimate goals, while tak- ing care of today’s business as well.”
BRIDGING THE AISLE
The Montana Chamber of Commerce prides itself on being a nonpartisan organization, and Brown has led the charge. Over the years, the Montana Chamber has endorsed candidates at levels who are both democrats and republicans. In its Champions of Business recogni- tion, the chamber has also recognized state legislators from both sides of the aisle.
“I’m a democrat, and sometimes when you meet some- one who is a republican they might stiffen up and you can’t talk to them,” Baucus said. “Not with Webb. I don’t even know what his political af liation is and I never asked him. I didn’t care. It was an opportunity to work together. Webb saw a great advantage to working with both sides, and he saw the twinkle in my eye and I did too. We just connected.”
During his 20 years at the Montana Chamber of Com- merce, Brown quickly became a mainstay at the capitol.
“ALWAYS PUTTING MONTANA FIRST, WEBB BROWN HAS BEEN A TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR MONTANA BUSINESSES. I GOT TO KNOW WEBB AS WE WORKED TOGETHER ON INITIATIVES PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EXPANDING TELECOMMUTING TO BRING OUR KIDS BACK HOME TO MONTANA. UNDER HIS STEADY LEADERSHIP, THE MONTANA CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE HAS GROWN LARGER AND STRONGER, EFFECTIVELY ADVANCING THE INTERESTS OF MONTANA BUSINESSES AT THE LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LEVELS. THANK YOU, WEBB, FOR YOUR DEDICATED SERVICE, AND BEST WISHES. YOU WILL BE MISSED.”
- REP. GREG GIANFORTE
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Eye on Business ||| December 2018
of his overall commitment to Montana,” said Bob Rowe, the president/CEO of NorthWestern Energy. “Investing in infrastructure is a long-term commitment. There are immediate paybacks, but the real value is over the years and decades to come, and those are tempting to dis- count when facing short-term pressures. Webb helped
Over the years, he helped lobby on a number of bills while also helping to lead the Business Caucus. Some of the bills Brown and the chamber supported includ- ed: workers’ compensation reform in 2011 (HB 344), business equipment tax relief in 2013 (SB 96) and the Bridge and Road Safety and Accountability Act of 2017 (HB 473).
HB 344, which was signed in 2011 by Gov. Brian Sch- weitzer, brought savings of about 25 percent or about $100 million, on Montana’s workers’ compensation premiums. Brown lobbied at the capitol for this bill with then-government relations director, Jon Bennion.
“For somebody like me coming from the legal side, I wasn’t familiar with a lot of business issues,” Bennion said. “It was like going to school. Webb of course had at least four sessions under his belt. He was an incredible mentor on the legislative side and introduced me to key people within the business community, in the Legislature and people who represented organizations that often opposed chamber priorities.”