After considering an offer a number of months ago to sell the company, which would essentially have allowed me to retire, I declined but made some other changes after a chance meeting with some officials in NoDak. To make a long story short I made the difficult decision to move the nuts and bolts of my operation to NoDak, where the business climate is generally more favorable for continued expansion. From taxes to the insurance rates I pay for my employees and myself, NoDak is hard to beat, especially compared with the outright hostility many in Montana hold for private enterprise, so for the first time in over a decade I'll be sending money to somewhere other than Helena. I can't say enough positive things about the move. From a chance meeting with an official in NoDak who encouraged the move, to receiving personal handwritten letters of encouragement from Governor Hoeven to local bank presidents the move was easier than expected.
Now comes the difficult part. I'll spend the rest of the week interviewing real estate agents in hopes of finding someone who can liquidate about 9,500 acres of land I'll no longer need here in Montana, along with a few houses scattered throughout the state. I'll keep some rental property in Missoula and West Yellowstone, as well as the house near the hot springs and the one here in Opheim. Unfortunately though I've had to let two employees in Montana go because they were not in a position to relocate, a decision that has always left me feeling depleted, but was ultimately necessary. Still, I'm only freeing myself from about one-third of my property here and will continue to have not only a presence but residence as well.
It's good to be home. More later.
Mike
2 comments:
Does this mean I can't tell you North Dakota jokes anymore?
Seriously, though, congrats on the move, sounds like a good thing all around.
I guess if you're getting further away from Helena, I'll have to catch you in Orlando one of these days. :)
The only reason you can't continue to tell me NoDak jokes is if I beat you to it :-)
It's not a move I made easily but I trust it will allow me to expand and grow enough to be able to meet my goal of retirement at age 55...so there's plenty of time to drive Rachel nuts before I get too old and decrepit!
I'll still be hanging in Opheim for the time being...we've done too many upgrades here to sell the house and recoup the $$. The move was mainly a financial one...getting away from the business and taxation climate in MT. Of course that means my trips to Helena will be few and far between but I still get around.
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