By JEFF MANGAN, mtbusiness.com
Make it Missoula is excited to collaborate with our good friend, Jeff Mangan of mtbusiness.com, on a new series of interviews and profiles on Missoula-based businesses. This is the second part of Jeff’s interview with Paul Gladen and Todd Taylor of Muzeview Research. Read part one here.
Jeff Mangan, mtbusiness.com
Let’s talk about Missoula. Obviously you chose, Paul, to settle in Missoula and start your business in the area. Why Missoula?
Paul Gladen, Muzeview Research
The story starts with a very good friend of mine from university in the UK, David Firth. David is a professor at the Business School at the University of Montana.
David met his wife Mary, an American, in the UK. They subsequently moved to the US, where David received a Ph.D., and then ultimately ended up taking a teaching position at the business school.
When he and his family moved to Missoula, I was living in New York at the time, and David said, “Hey, we are moving to Missoula”, and in fact, my response was, “Where the heck is that?”. He said, you must come and find out, so I came out to visit.
David then invited me back a few months later to lecture at the business school. At that time, I was starting to think about setting up my own research business and David suggested I consider hiring in Missoula, which is where Todd enters the story.
Todd Taylor, Muzeview Research
I had run a business from Missoula for about 17 years and had made a decision that I needed to change careers, so I went back to university in 2003.
In 2006, I was taking a class that David was teaching. I had written a business plan and presented it to David and said, this is something I’d like to do in the field of executive education, and he said, you really need to meet this friend of mine. In October of ’06, Paul and I were introduced by David, just as I was entering my senior year.
I still had my other businesses running. Paul and I met, and as I finished up my senior year at UM over the next 6 months, we developed & formed Muzeview Research, LLC.
Over the course of the next several months, Muzeview started to grow, hired employees, and I continued to encourage Paul to think about moving to Missoula. Then, through his relationship with David and seeing that we were going to be successful as a business, said, “I think this is a great idea”.
Paul Gladen, Muzeview Research
As Todd said, it was a long-distance communication process. Then, in early 2008, with the business under development, and as Todd said, we had hired a couple of employees, my New York tax accountant came to me and said “I have discovered another New York State tax you are supposed to be paying”. At the same time, the rent increased on my New York apartment. It was those triggers that led me to think, “What if I did move to Missoula?” and moment I thought about it, it was a no-brainer.
Our clients and the business relationship that I had were scattered around the world. I didn’t specifically need to be in New York, and from a financial and quality of life perspective, it made perfect sense. I moved to Missoula in March of 2008, and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Jeff Mangan, mtbusiness.com
You could have located anywhere in the world, and you’ve lived in a number of different locations such as London, Rome, Dublin, and New York. What is it about the Missoula area that is really intriguing, that folks should think about when they are building a business or moving to either that area or Montana in general? What were some of the things that you took into consideration when you made that decision?
Paul Gladen, Muzeview Research
To give you a fair response to that question, it wasn’t that I weighed up Missoula against other places similar to Missoula. The connection with David and the introduction he made to Todd, meant that in some ways it was more about Missoula versus New York.
The attractions were, clearly in terms of starting a business, that Montana is a much lower cost place to start. I was comfortable that Missoula was a place that we could find personnel with the skills we needed, and then it really was a lifestyle decision.
I’ve always loved skiing and being in a part of the world where I can have great skiing located nearby, and subsequently discovering mountain biking! I have always loved hiking and the outdoors, so from the lifestyle perspective, it was an easy decision to make.
The fact that I now work from my home office with no commuting, these are all factors that mean, as I said earlier, that I haven’t looked back on the decision.
Jeff Mangan, mtbusiness.com
I imagine your commute in Missoula is a bit less hectic than your commute in London.
Paul Gladen, Muzeview Research
Exactly, and I have a view from my desk that you could never have in London or New York.
Jeff Mangan, mtbusiness.com
How did you find the Missoula and Bitterroot areas in terms of developing a high-quality professional workforce?
Todd Taylor, Muzeview Research
It’s actually pretty interesting. I think many people come to Missoula for the same reason. They love the lifestyle. They want balance in their life. They love the environment. They love the community that makes up the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys.
Since many professionals that we deal with are people who had careers and have since started families, they want to be able to work, but they don’t want to work full-time.
The majority of our employees have come by word of mouth, and we have tied into the University. We have found great young people who are technically adept and forward-thinking. Their schedules don’t allow for a full-time job, so the flexibility that we offer as a company is a real plus.
The final part of Jeff’s interview with Paul and Todd is coming soon. Read part one here. Find Muzeview Research at muzeview.com, facebook/Muzeview, twitter @Muzeview, and LinkedIn.
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Since 2005, mtbusiness.com had served as Montana’s premier business news and resource portal. Passionate about #mtbiz, Jeff Mangan is the Managing Partner at Fatmoose Media, LP, and the founder of mtbusiness.com, your resource for Montana small business and entrepreneurs. Much success!