Morrison-Maierle’s support for Billings’ well-known non-motorized trail network is not just a charitable donation, but a forward-thinking investment in our community—backed by years of research showing that trails contribute to economic growth, public health, and community strength.
Trails as a Talent Magnet
In today’s competitive labor market, where skilled professionals can work almost anywhere, quality of life has become one of the most powerful recruiting tools a company can offer. Jill Cook, Operations Manager for Morrison-Maierle’s Billings Office, knows this firsthand. The firm competes nationally for engineers and technical specialists who have no shortage of options.
“It benefits our company, and other businesses in Billings, when we can offer an attractive community with recreation opportunities for our employees and their families,” Cook said. Research consistently backs her up: studies by the Trust for Public Land and the Outdoor Industry Association show that access to trails and green space ranks among the top factors young professionals weigh when choosing where to live, and often above salary. A well-connected trail network indicates a city prioritizing livability, which in turn attracts talent.
Trails Build Social Infrastructure
Beyond economic development and physical and mental health benefits, trails foster something harder to quantify but equally important: social cohesion. Cook points to Billings TrailNet’s role in strengthening community across Montana’s largest city. Shared public spaces, especially those that bring together people of different ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels, build the kinds of casual social bonds that anchor neighborhoods and reduce isolation.
Events like Tour de Fleur and Ales for Trails, in which Cook and other Morrison-Maierle staff have personally volunteered, exemplify how trail organizations transform physical infrastructure into community culture. “Having a good trail system is part of having a healthy community,” Cook says.
“Having a good trail system is part of having a healthy community.”
-Jill Cook, Billings Operations Manager and BTN Member
Investing in Community Livability: A Reciprocal Partnership
Morrison-Maierle’s continued engagement with Billings TrailNet reflects our core values in action—a reciprocal partnership rooted in respect for people and a genuine commitment to the communities where we live and work. As an employee-owned firm, our work has always been about more than engineering and design—it’s about delivering lasting solutions that strengthen communities for generations. And we’re proud to continue to support the Billings TrailNet organization.
Morrison-Maierle is a 100% employee-owned firm with more than 350 professionals in 13 offices across Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, that provides integrated consulting services in engineering, planning, surveying, and science. Morrison-Maierle partners with public and private clients to solve complex challenges and deliver infrastructure and spaces that strengthen communities. Their expertise spans the following industries: agriculture, airports, commercial, education, energy, government, healthcare, housing, industrial, transportation, tribal nations, and water management.
