Frequently Asked
Questions

Mission West CDP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Certified Regional Development Corporation (CRDC) based in Ronan, Montana. We've been supporting rural western Montana for more than 25 years through four departments: the Business Development Center (BDC), the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (MMFEC), the Cooperative Development Center (CDC), and Community Economic Development (CED).

We serve businesses and organizations in Lake, Sanders, and Mineral counties and the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana. Our office is located at 407 Main St SW in Ronan, in the heart of our service area.

Most of our business development and consulting services are free, funded through state and federal economic development grants. This includes business planning, loan assistance, workshops, and one-on-one consulting. Walk-ins are welcome. Facility use at the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center is priced on a per-use basis. Contact us to learn more about what's available at no cost to you.

Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm. You can reach us at (406) 676-5901 or info@missionwestcdp.org. Walk-ins are welcome at our Ronan office.

No. We're a private, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not a government agency. We're part of the Montana Certified Regional Development Corporation (CRDC) network, which includes 11 CRDCs statewide. We receive government grant funding, but we operate independently.

We offer a range of loan products including working capital, equipment financing, business expansion, commercial real estate, gap financing, and credit enhancements. We work alongside conventional banks to fill financing gaps when traditional lenders can't fully meet the need.

A completed loan application typically requires a business plan, financial statements, two to three years of tax returns, and financial projections. Additional documentation may be requested based on your specific situation. Contact John Whitworth to discuss your needs before applying, john.whitworth@missionwestcdp.org or (406) 676-5911.

Approval decisions typically take 2 to 4 weeks from a completed application. Timelines can vary based on application volume and the complexity of your request. Our loan officers work to move as efficiently as possible.

We still want to work with you. If you don't currently qualify for financing, our business advisors can help you understand what's holding you back and build a plan to get there. Free consulting is available to anyone in our service area, you don't have to be a current loan client to access it.

We manage eight revolving loan funds, each designed to serve specific business types and financing situations:

• Montana Local Food Financing Partnership (MLFFP-HFFI)
• Tourism Development & Enhancement RLF
• Economic Development Administration (EDA) RLF
• Montana State Small Business Credit Initiative RLF
• Big Sky Economic Development RLF
• Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) RLF
• Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) RLF
• CDFI Fund RLF

Visit our Loan Programs page for details on each fund.

Our Business Development Center offers free consulting on: business planning and registration, financial analysis and projections, market research, operations and management, financing and funding, budgeting, marketing strategies, website development, technology, HR, and accounting tools including QuickBooks and Excel. Walk-ins are welcome, no appointment necessary.

Any business, entrepreneur, or aspiring business owner in Lake, Sanders, or Mineral counties or the Flathead Indian Reservation. Services are free and available regardless of whether you're currently a loan client.

The Learning Hub is a free library of on-demand workshop recordings covering marketing, QuickBooks, financial projections, AI for small business, and more. Access requires a free Mission West client account, which you can create here. Visit our Learning Hub page to access the recordings.

Walk-ins are always welcome at our Ronan office. You can also schedule a free consultation online through our online booking page, call us at (406) 676-5901, or email info@missionwestcdp.org.

The MMFEC is a 13,000 square-foot shared-use food processing facility in Ronan, the only facility of its kind in Montana. It's FDA registered, USDA Meat Inspected, Certified Organic, and SQF certified. Food businesses book time in the facility by the hour through our online platform and access professional equipment they couldn't afford to own independently.

Qualified food businesses. Before booking, all clients must hold a current food manufacturing license, carry a minimum of $2,000,000 in general liability insurance, and complete a facility orientation. The facility is open to farmers, food entrepreneurs, specialty producers, and established food businesses.

Apply online through our new client portal, the process takes 10 to 15 minutes. Visit our New Client Application page to get started.

Approved clients book sessions through the Food Corridor platform, our online system for scheduling, payment, and compliance tracking. The facility is staffed Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm. Key-access clients may use the facility 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Yes. We offer formal food safety training programs including Concept to Consumer, Better Process Control School, Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). Contact our food safety team at info@missionwestcdp.org for upcoming training dates.

A cooperative is a business owned and democratically controlled by the people who use its services, work for it, or produce its goods. Cooperatives operate on a one-member-one-vote basis, and profits are shared among members based on their participation, not their investment.

We work with consumer co-ops, worker co-ops, agricultural co-ops, housing co-ops, food co-ops, and multi-stakeholder co-ops. Our focus is on co-ops that build wealth and resilience in rural western Montana communities.

Starting a co-op typically begins with a feasibility study and member education. The CDC provides facilitation, legal templates, business planning, and capitalization strategies through every stage of formation. Learn about CDC services or start a conversation.

Most CDC services are free, funded through grants from USDA Rural Development and other public sources. There may be costs for specialized legal review or third-party services we coordinate, but Mission West's technical assistance is provided at no charge.

Yes. Business conversions, especially worker-owned conversions when an owner retires, are a growing area of CDC work. We support feasibility analysis, member organizing, financing, and the legal restructuring needed. Reach out to discuss your situation.