Company Philosophy

Montana Power Told Us No

In 1995, our Cut Bank based production company's natural gas contract with Montana Power Company was nearing expiration. We went to their Butte offices and were told that Canadian gas was cheaper and that they did not care about the royalties, taxes, and jobs created by buying Made-in-Montana gas production. Basically, they said we had no real choice but to sell to them.

We Wanted A Choice

Like any business, we wanted to make our own choices. So in 1996 we formally asked the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) to provide the opportunity to sell our daily gas production to other businesses in Montana. After more than a year of traveling from Cut Bank to Helena to plead our case, the PSC agreed. The PSC ruled that beginning November 1997, all businesses that consumed more than 5,000 dekatherms a year could choose who they trusted to supply their natural gas.

Commercial Energy Had The Answer

With the support of some local highline businesspeople, we launched Commercial Energy of Montana, Inc. in May 1997. We set our goals and went about setting the standards by which businesses buy energy in the deregulated market. Our biggest competitor was Montana Power, the company that refused to treat us fairly. Five years later, in our first year of eligibility, we placed 44th on the INC500 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America, and they no longer exist. Even more important than growth or competition, we retain over 99% of the customers that we offer to renew each year. That loyalty makes this business very fulfilling for all of us here in Cut Bank.