I grew up in the tourist business. My family owned a camp, and I worked as a dockhand, a cook, a hunting and fishing guide, and in the back office. I learned early that business is not theory. It is service, hard work, and constant problem solving.
Tourism is real work, and it matters.
And it taught me something else too. A healthy economy needs balance.
If you want real stability, real opportunity, and prosperity that lasts, you also need productive industries. You need an economy that makes, builds, moves, and powers things.
That is how you build an economy that works for the people who live here, not just the people passing through.
These career stories were originally posted on Facebook. You can follow the entire story at facebook.com/leman4mt.