By Russ Lawrence
“We believe this is temporary,” said ATR owner Elliott Lander, of a scale-back at their Hamilton office, which is currently running with only two employees. The Main Street office opened earlier this year, and grew to five employees, with plans to expand rapidly to more than two dozen.
“The drastic fall in oil prices has caused a slowdown in the energy sector, our historical client base, with some major expansions and projects cancelled,” Lander explained. That, in turn, has cancelled or delayed projects they had in the works with their standing clients. Projects they hope to develop with some local Hamilton facilities, in turn, are “taking a lot longer than expected to be consummated.”
ATR assists companies, typically but not exclusively in high-risk industries, to write procedure manuals and other products.
The firm received an economic development grant from the state’s Big Sky Trust Fund to help expand its Hamilton work force by up to 32 positions by February of 2017. John Schneeberger, Economic Development Specialist with the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority, said that in ATR’s recent semiannual report, the company acknowledged no new jobs created yet, but forecast an upturn in the fourth quarter of this year.
“That’s not unusual, things change,” Schneeberger said, noting that no money will be paid out from the grant until new jobs are created, beyond their baseline of five local jobs.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock visited the Hamilton office on August 4 as part of his visit to the valley. The layoffs came just four days after that visit, following the voluntary departure of another employee responsible for business development. Lander said that employees who were cut were given “some severance,” and would be restored to full benefits if re-hired.
He termed it a case of “right-sizing,” that current conditions forced him to reduce his workforce temporarily, noting that “we have to be fiscally responsible.” The remaining employees are focused on procedure writing, more than on business development.
ATR is going ahead with a “Procedure Writer Training” to be held in September, utilizing the facilities of both the Bitterroot College, and the Stock Farm Club. Lander said they currently have 10-15 clients signed up. “A lot of our customers don’t really know how to write good procedures. They’re good at what they do, but not good writers.” The course will make use of the Bitterroot College computer lab, while also offering the amenities of the Stock Farm Club.
“It’s a way to attract people,” he said, and they are encouraging attendees to come early to enjoy the Bitterroot’s recreational opportunities. If the course goes well, he hopes to repeat it several times a year.
Lander said that he “absolutely” remains committed to the Bitterroot valley and to the Hamilton office. “There’s a lot of work in progress,” he said. “From a new business perspective, we are busier than ever, and have a record number of prospects and sales activities in the works.
“A lot more than in a long time,” he added, confidently.