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HAPPY RETIREMENT!
Retirement continued from page 17
Brown was the MACE president in 1995 while at the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce. In his role with the state chamber, Brown served as the Treasur- er since 2009. During his tenure, he also started the
towns such as Billings, Glasgow, Polson and Butte. This geographic diversity allowed for chambers to network and see different towns.
“I still cherish and look forward to MACE conferences,” said Kim Latrielle, the executive director of the Missou- la Area Chamber of Commerce. “I look forward to the sharing of how people do things different ways. You can always learn something. It is a profession.”
Unlike the local chambers, the state chamber’s main role is as a business advocacy organization. Joe Unterreiner, the president/CEO of the Kalispell Chamber of Com- merce, has seen Webb’s work at the state level in Helena during the Legislature. Over the years, the two entities have teamed up.
“He’s been a real mainstay for the chambers,” Unterreiner said. “Certainly at the state level, but he’s made sure to work with the local chambers. ... We’ve always worked very closely with the Montana Chamber of Commerce.
“FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, WEBB BROWN HAS ACTED AS A TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR BUSINESSES ACROSS BIG SKY COUNTRY. AS THE HEAD OF MONTANA’S LARGEST BUSINESS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION, WEBB DEDICATED HIS CAREER TO BUILDING AN EDUCATED AND COMPETITIVE WORKFORCE, REDUCING BARRIERS TO BUSINESS GROWTH, AND ADVANCING PRO-BUSINESS POLICIES ON BEHALF OF MONTANA’S HARD-WORKING MEN AND WOMEN. I
AM PROUD TO CALL WEBB A FRIEND OF THE CHAMBER AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. HIS COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MONTANA’S ECONOMY HAS MADE WEBB MORE THAN A BUSINESS LEADER—IT HAS MADE HIM AN ICON OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR HIS SERVICE AND WISH HIM ALL THE BEST.”
- TOM DONOHUE, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT/CEO
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Eye on Business ||| December 2018
Butch Ott Memorial Scholarship, in memory of the former Billings Area Chamber of Commerce executive director to help awardees offset the costs of attending MACE conferences.
Each MACE conference is held in a different town. Under Brown’s tenure, meetings were held across the state in
THE LEGACY OF WEBB BROWN
So how do you wrap up a story about someone’s dedication and career of 20 years to Montana and its businesses? By talking to his best friend of course.
Ed Bartlett was on the Montana Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors when Brown was hired. Bartlett
said it wasn’t long before the two became best friends outside the chamber and the duo began spending time together outside of work with their wives.
Bartlett was there when Brown came in and helped the state chamber overcome a large political practices fee. He was there when Chamber Days at the Capitol was rebranded as Business Days. He was there for the nine sessions when Brown lobbied for Montana businesses.
There have been numerous moments Bartlett has shared with Brown over the years, and Bartlett has seen every chamber success.
“Whether he’s with the chamber or not, he and I will continue as best friends.” |||