We have many partners across the state, consisting of other economic development professionals, organizations, and tourism industry professionals devoted to fostering economic prosperity in Montana. Partner ProgramsEconomic Development Advisory CouncilSmall Business Development Center (SBDC) Advisory CouncilTourism Advisory CouncilTourism Regions and CVBs Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA) MEDA is an association of economic development professionals and consists of business specialists, government employees, and staff members of affiliated non-profit organizations which promote and foster economic development activities in Montana. Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) MMEC is an outreach center at the Montana State University College of Engineering. MMEC provides technical, business management, growth services and engineering assistance to manufacturers. Field consultants provide assistance with expertise in solving problems and continuous improvement for quality management systems, Lean Manufacturing, costing/financial models, and other toos for operations and future strategies. The Economic Development Advisory Council provides advice and encourages promotion of economic development in the state of Montana. The council is statutorily composed of 19 members, 15 of which are appointed by the Governor. Find more information about the council on their website. The State SBDC Advisory Council furnishes advice, gathers information, makes recommendations and performs activities necessary to comply with federal funding requirements. The Council leverages support for the SBDC Network, and provides advice to the SBDC State Director of matters relating to strategic planning, best practices, and solfing marketing and funding challenges in the statewide SBDC Network. The Governor-appointed Tourism Advisory Council oversees the distribution of the Lodging Facility Use Tax ("bed tax") to Montana's tourism regions and convention and visitor bureaus, advises the Department of Commerce relative to tourism promotion, and fulfills other functions as defined by MCA 2-15-1816. Tourism Regions and CVBs Montana is organized into six tourism regions and 18 CVBs, each of which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting its area.