MISSOULA — The Montana District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), is on a statewide small business tour, to highlight the importance of supporting small businesses during the holidays.
Brent Donnelly is visiting a business in each of Montana’s 56 counties through Dec. 18. as part of his “Peaks to Plains Business Resiliency Tour.”
Small businesses make up 99.3% of Montana’s businesses and employ more than 245,000 according to the SBA.
The tour launched with Donnelly stopping last week in Helena, before making his way over to Missoula and Flathead counties.
"We just want to encourage and urge Montanans, as they kind of round out this last of couple weeks of the holiday shopping season, to shop local, eat local,” Donnelly said. “If you're going to spend some funds or buy some products or services, try to do it if you can, to the best of your ability, in your hometown.”
“Because it really does matter, it matters to the small businesses, because it matters to the small businesses it matters to the community, and it's a really big deal,” he added.
The tour continues Monday in Broadwater County.