News Release
B2BMT.com Gives an Online Face to Every Montana Business
3/7/2003
Jason Hanson
406-444-5634
jahanson@state.mt.us
"The official business directory for the State of Montana, B2BMT.com is a dynamic online resource that promotes active Montana businesses, allowing them to better position themselves to compete in the new economy," said Governor Martz. "This public-private partnership will help every business in the state to increase their bottom line."
Business-to-Business Montana or B2BMT.com, was developed by the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity in partnership with a leading Montana software and communications firm, Sofast Communications of Great Falls. The site is designed to help Montana businesses showcase their products and services to local customers as well as businesses and consumers worldwide. The site provides every active business in the state and online presence, free of charge.
"We are excited to deliver this tool to the Montana business community. B2BMT.com will facilitate more business-to-business interaction by allowing businesses to promote their products in the global marketplace," said Chief Business Officer, Dave Gibson. "The Internet and Internet commerce are here to stay. The state is taking a leadership role in providing an Internet presence for our businesses - this project has been a major initiative for the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity."
Electronic commerce has been growing at a fast rate over the last ten years, a fact that illustrates the importance of the Internet to business activities. According to the US Census Bureau, business-to-business commerce sales totaled $990 billion in 2000. From 1999-2000, business to consumer sales increased by 65% - from $40 to $66 billion.
Through B2BMT.com, legitimate Montana businesses have a free Internet presence. The basic level of information provided automatically on the site for companies includes the company's name, address and phone number. This information has already been included on the website for active Montana businesses.
In order to take advantage of additional levels of service on B2BMT.com, companies can sign a user agreement with the state. This agreement allows companies to manage their profile online, and includes additional services like a company description, a link to the company's website and a keyword search option. Updates are made immediately on the website.
The service allows other businesses and consumers to find companies in Montana that provide goods and services. The website includes a number of ways to search for businesses, goods and services, including business name, keywords, industrial classification, and location.
Sofast Communications was awarded the opportunity to build the site as a result of a competitive bid process, developed in conjunction with the Department of Administration.
Founded in 1999, Montana-owned and operated Sofast Communications provides nationwide dialup Internet access, regional broadband Internet access, and Sofast web(tm) - the internet-based web site building product. The Sofast network primarily delivers IP data services throughout Montana. Sofast currently offers business class, high-speed, broadband Internet access to over 50% of Montana's population. Sofast is the first Montana-based service provider to offer nationwide dialup Internet access.
###
