Continental Divide Trial, mountain biking, horseback riding, and a host of Airbnbs all over southwest Montana.” Tourists also flock to two well-known resorts in the area, Rock Creek Cattle Company and the Ranch at Rock Creek.“People, especially on the private charter side, are flying in to spend time at those resorts.” “Tourism has a huge impact on southwest Montana and the airport tries to do as much as we can to help promote that.” Beyond the tourist draw, the economic strength of the airport itself is reflected in its numbers. “This airport brings into the local economy close to $40 million per year, which ranges from business travelers to tourists, you name it,” Ryan summarizes. “We are a huge economic driver for the local economy.” “We support Montana Tech through the University of Montana system which is a top-notch engineering school and we support all of their efforts and travel whether it be sports teams or mining competitions that they put on. Ryan adds that the Montana Connections Business Park is also a significant industrial area currently being developed west of the town and supports various businesses, adding to the local economy. “We have all sorts of industrial growth and we [the airport] support and help as best we can.” Ryan goes on to indicate that the area is expecting even more growth. “The community is also trying to attract another airline through a minimum revenue guarantee. We are working on that and will try to get a third airline to start service in Butte which we are excited about and keeping our fingers crossed.” LANDING INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES Aside from welcoming increasing numbers of passengers through the terminal doors, the airport is busy at work on several key infrastructure upgrades as part of its overall master overlay plan. 153 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 04 BERT MOONEY AIRPORT
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