About MAEDC
MAEDC is a non-profit, community-based, membership organization. It has been designated by the City of Missoula and Missoula County as the "lead agency" for economic development under the State of Montana Certified Communities Program. The MAEDC program was granted a "certified" status by the Montana Department of Commerce in 1987 and recertified in 1994.
The Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation (MAEDC) was originally incorporated as the "Missoula Jobs Development Corporation" on July 7, 1980. The idea for the creation of a separate non-profit corporation "grew out" of the economic development committee of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce. At that time, in the early 1980s, the Missoula economy was in a freefall due to the national recession and Missoula's heavy dependence on the wood products industry. (In 1979, almost 40% of the county's labor income came from the wood and paper products sector.) The new organization was seen as a "proactive" and highly-focused entity, needed to promote economic diversification in the region, to help create employment opportunities for Missoula County residents, and to take a leadership position on community issues affecting the local economy.
MAEDC has been in continuous operation since 1980, having changed its name to the "Missoula Economic Development Corporation" on November 1, 1983, and to the "Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation" on October 12, 1993.
Board of Directors
Mission Statements