Jennifer Buchanan Sales Executive

Teresa Darby Account Specialist

Merissa Adams Account Specialist

Nikole Wieweck Account Specialist

1283 North 14th Ave. Ste. 101 Bozeman, MT 59715 406-586-3351

Your PayneWest Team

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Business is booming in Bozeman, and if you are looking to launch a new business or grow an existing business in the area, you should know about Prospera Business Network.

Prospera is a nonprofit organization that provides free and confidential business counseling, financing, professional development and economic research for business owners and entrepreneurs in Gallatin and Park counties.

“In a nutshell, we help people start and grow their businesses,” says Paul Reichert, executive director. “We are incredibly blessed here in Bozeman to have all the ingredients for a strong economy. We are one of the fastest growing communities in the United States... We have a mix of homegrown entrepreneurs and people moving here because it is a great place to live and to start a business.”

Suzi Berget White, director of Prospera’s statewide Montana Women’s Business Center program, says, “I like to connect people. We are a small community and I try to help people receive that personal touch.”

PayneWest supports Prospera and branch members Jennifer Buchanan, Joe Schmidt and Heather Ceccacci participate in the organization’s events.

“For a community to thrive, it needs to have successful businesses,” says Paul. “By helping businesses succeed, we are also helping our community be a vibrant, great place to live.”

As a nonprofit organization, Prospera looks to private and corporate membership and sponsorships to fund its free services. A major fundraiser is its Annual Business Excellence Awards Dinner, which is set for November 3rd this year. For more information on Prospera, visit www.prosperabusinessnetwork.org.

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Prospera

Montana Party Rentals

Wildfire Preparedness Expo

Community Calendar

Refer A Friend

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Refer A Friend

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Prospera is a nonprofit organization that provides free business counseling, financing, networking and professional development.

Business Support Network

Tick- tock, tick- tock, time keeps slipping past, and it seems there’s always more to do. Your insurance professionals at PayneWest Insurance are here to save you time, by taking care of your insurance shopping. Our partnership with many of the industries major insurance carriers allows us to provide you with solutions and options tailored to specifically meet your needs, at a price that fits your budget.

Your referral of a friend or family member is the highest honor we can receive, and we consider it a privilege to assist them with their insurance requirements.

Every time we provide an insurance quote to someone your refer, it will be our pleasure to make a $5 contribution to Prospera Business Network!

There’s no place like home! Now is the perfect time to start preparing your home for the upcoming cold weather season. You can get started by cleaning gutters, wrapping exterior pipes, getting your chimney swept and checking the weather stripping around windows and doors. You may also want to get your furnace serviced so

you’ll be ready when that first cold snap hits.

Contact your PayneWest Insurance advisor if you have questions regarding your homeowner’s policy. Providing you with the peace of mind is always our top priority. We thank you for your loyalty and trust.

We’d love to have your feedback, please go online and fill out our short survey.

“We have never wanted our items to look like they are from a rental shop,” says Jill Redmon of Montana Party Rentals. “We want our client’s personality to shine at each event.”

Since 1996, Montana Party Rentals has served Bozeman residents with an extensive inventory of party supplies and professional service to make their events truly special. Along with her brother, Troy Redmon, and their partner, Scott Schwartz, Jill started the business out of the family garage.

Today, the company employs about 35 people in the busy summer season and about 10 the rest of the year. Recently, the company also opened a second location in Jackson Hole. To give back to the community, Montana Party Rentals offers discounts to local nonprofit organizations.

Jill, who says she enjoys the fact that “no two days are the same” in her job, says the rental business has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. “When we started out, rental shops were not known for their diversity and selection,” she explains. “As the demand has grown, we have filled a niche for specialized rentals.”

Outdoor parties in the Montana area offer spectacular scenery but also pose some logistical challenges. As an example, Jill recalls a recent event when a client was “literally sawing tree limbs so that we could drive up the road.”

Jill says she switched to PayneWest for her business insurance last year because she wanted to have a local agent “who really sees what our needs are.” She says she is pleased with the service she receives from her agent Brad Huse.

For more information, visit www.montanapartyrentals.com.

“When we started out, rental shops were not known for their diversity and selection. As the demand has grown, we have filled a niche for specialized rentals.”

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Out of the Darkness Walk Saturday, Sept. 17th Gallatin County Regional Park www.afsp.donordrive.com

Bozeman Walk to End Alzheimer’s Sunday, Sept. 18th Bozeman Ponds www.act.alz.org/site/SPageServer

Bridger Raptor Festival Oct. 7th – 9th Bridger Bowl Ski Area www.bridgerraptorfest.org

Homemade Holiday Bazaar Saturday, Nov. 19th Holiday Inn, Bozeman www.bozemanevents.net

Montana Party Rental’s wide selection of specialized rental items allows clients to personalize their special events.

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Personal Attention Makes Events Special

Special thanks to Safeco, our newsletter sponsor.

• 24/7 Live Service • Simple Policy Changes• Billing Questions• Payments

• 866-472-3326

As always, your local PayneWest team welcomes the opportunity to serve you.

Safeco Gold Service(For Safeco Policy Holders)

• 24/7 Live Service • Simple Policy Changes• Billing Questions• Payments

• 866-472-3326

As always, your local PayneWest team welcomes the opportunity to serve you.

Safeco Gold Service(For Safeco Policy Holders)

Joe Schmitt and Bonnie Braaksma man the PayneWest booth and answered

questions at the Wildfire Expo.

Jill Redmon

Wildfire Preparedness Reduces Risk

The conference included a general overview as well as breakout sessions that allowed participants to get more in-depth information from the presenters.

Northern Rockies Structure

Protection Specialist, Scott Waldron, discussed considerations to help firefighters defend properties. Toby Day, a horticulturist from the MSU Extension, and arborist, Robert Dillion, talked about planting, trimming and removing plants to reduce fuel and make a property more defensible. Kevin Fuhriman from Chubb Insurance shared information on how to work with insurance providers to decrease wildfire risk.

Fire Safe Montana representative, Christine Johnson, joined Dave Cook, from the Montana Department of Labor, in presenting information on building

considerations when constructing a new home. They also discussed the Wildland Urban Interface Building Code, adopted by the state of Montana, and what it means to homeowners. Managing the forest and reducing the risk of wildfire near homes and roads was covered by Brad Bauer, a natural resource agent from MSU Extension, and Erik Warrington of Montana DNRC.

The information that my colleagues and I received during the Wildfire Expo helps us advise our clients on how to prepare for the wild land fire season. PayneWest was proud to be a sponsor of this annual event.

As insurance professionals, we understand that wildfire preparedness is essential in protecting property from the risk of wildfire. This past June, industry professionals, including some of my PayneWest colleagues and me, attended the Southwest Montana Wildfire Expo where we learned how to diminish the risk of loss from wildfires.

by Jennifer Buchanan