Montana Association of Counties

What Montana Association of Counties does

Montana Association of Counties (MACo) is a Helena, Montana-based non-profit association founded in 1909 that serves as the collective voice and shared-services provider for all 56 Montana county governments. Its core operations are organized around three wholly-owned self-insured risk-sharing trusts — the Health Care Trust (HCT, est. 2005), the Property & Casualty Trust (PCT, est. 1986), and the Workers' Compensation Trust (WCT, est. 1985) — administered through annual service agreements and supported by dedicated claims, underwriting, and account management staff. The association also operates a General Counsel practice providing legal resources and a County Litigation Group for member defense, a Member Cybersecurity & Technologies (MCT) division offering IT and cybersecurity support, and ancillary products including the annual Directory of Montana County Officials, county ID cards, and name badges. Governance is by an elected Board of Directors drawn from county commissioners across 12 regional districts.

Revenue is generated from four streams: recurring member dues (each member county has one vote), third-party administration fees from the three trusts, risk-pooling economics on the self-insured programs, and small-margin sales of directories, ID cards, and badges. The go-to-market is membership-driven and event-driven, anchored by the MACo Annual Conference (September), Midwinter Conference (February), 12 regional district meetings, and a growing library of virtual programs (MACo Money Talks, MACo Tech Talks, County Coffee & Catch-up). With 24 employees and a 116-year operating history, MACo functions as a closed-loop mutual organization: members are simultaneously the customers, the governance shareholders, and the source of pooled premium.

MACo's underlying technology stack is modest and not proprietary — it relies on third-party SaaS platforms including an online enrollment system (benefitsconnect.net) for HCT and the Origami Risk portal for PCT — and its competitive position rests on its chartered advocacy role, its saturated 56-county membership, and the cost advantages of pooling risk across the full Montana county base rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Montana Association of Counties

Legal name

Montana Association of Counties

Website

https://mtcounties.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Montana Association of Counties (MACo) is a 1909-founded non-profit association serving all 56 Montana county governments through legislative advocacy, three self-insured risk-sharing trusts (health, property/casualty, workers' compensation), general counsel services, and member IT/cybersecurity support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: Counties pay annual dues in accordance with a schedule adopted by the Board of Directors and ratified by the membership. Each member county has one vote at membership meetings.
2. Directory Sales: Sale of the Directory of Montana County Officials, a comprehensive directory containing contact information for all county elected officials. Price: $25 per copy.
3. ID Cards and Name Badges: Sale of county identification cards and name badges to member counties and personnel.
4. Trust Administration Services: Third-party administration services to the Health Care Trust (HCT), Property & Casualty Trust (PCT), and Workers' Compensation Trust (WCT) through annual service agreements. These self-insured risk sharing pools provide health insurance, property/casualty coverage, and workers' compensation for member counties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MACo is a nonprofit county government association that serves Montana's 56 counties through legislative advocacy at the state level, three self-insured pooled risk-sharing trusts (Health Care Trust, Property & Casualty Trust, and Workers' Compensation Trust), in-house General Counsel and County Litigation Group legal services, and the Member Cybersecurity & Technologies (MCT) division providing affordable IT support and cybersecurity training. It also publishes the Directory of Montana County Officials and produces county ID cards and name badges.

Product overview

The Montana Association of Counties (MACo) is a non-profit association serving Montana's 56 county governments through a portfolio of pooled-risk insurance trusts and administrative services. The core offerings include three self-insured risk sharing pools: the Health Care Trust (HCT) for health benefits, the Property & Casualty Trust (PCT) for liability and property coverage, and the Workers' Compensation Trust (WCT). Supporting services include General Counsel providing legal resources and the Member Cybersecurity & Technologies (MCT) division offering IT support and cybersecurity training. Additionally, MACo provides reference publications including the Directory of County Officials, County ID Cards, and Name Badges. These services are delivered through online platforms including an enrollment system for health benefits and the Origami Risk Portal for trust members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Care Trust (HCT) Self-insured risk sharing pool providing a cost-effective alternative for health insurance benefits for member counties, county-related boards, and districts. Includes online enrollment, reference-based pricing, ClearCost pricing tool, employee assistance program, life insurance, health savings accounts, pharmacy plan, and wellness programs.
• Property & Casualty Trust (PCT) Self-insured risk sharing pool combining multiple lines of coverage through a manuscripted policy designed for Montana counties. Provides liability and general insurance coverage and includes a member trust portal with model personnel policies, job descriptions, and an operational manual.
• Workers' Compensation Trust (WCT) Workers' compensation safety group formed through partnership with Seitz Insurance and Montana State Fund. Offers retrospective return of premium benefits for MACo Safety Group members and self-insured workers' compensation coverage for county employees.
• General Counsel Services In-house legal services for MACo and member counties. Includes sample documents for employee conduct and corrective discipline, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) information, FMLA guidance, and employee recruitment and selection guidelines. The County Litigation Group provides legal defense services to counties.
• Member Cybersecurity & Technologies (MCT) Affordable IT support for Montana counties focusing on cybersecurity and infrastructure management. Services include managed network services, telecom cost reduction analysis, grant-funded cybersecurity training, and MACo Tech Talks webinar series.
• Directory of County Officials Annual directory providing email addresses and phone numbers for every county elected official in Montana, including Disaster & Emergency Services Coordinators, Safety Coordinators, and road personnel. Also contains county seats, license plate numbers, and road miles information. Sold at $25 per copy.
• County Identification Cards County ID cards ordered through MACo, requiring submission of an authorization form and photo (in JPEG format) by mail or email.
• MACo-branded Name Badges MACo-branded name badges available for order through a downloadable order form.

Quantifiable outcome

• Self-insured risk pools provide cost-effective alternatives to commercial insurance by pooling risk over a larger population

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, gold partner and silver partner.

• Seitz Insurance and Montana State FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020Effective July 1, 2020, MACo Workers' Compensation Safety Group was formed through partnership with Seitz Insurance and Montana State Fund. All MACo members have option to join this closed group for additional cost savings through retrospective return of premium.
• Allegiance Benefit Plan Management, Inc.gold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Partner since 1981. Provides first-in-class, versatile employee benefits backed by the Cigna provider network. Delivers proactive cost management strategies, trend management, technological efficiencies, and strong provider relationships for MACo Health Care Trust.
• Amwinsgold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty insurance provider with deep bench of niche industry experts. Comprised of five core divisions, 130+ underwriting programs and worldwide reach. Dedicated practice groups, brokers and underwriters provide expertise for MACo's risk sharing pools.
• Arthur Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc.gold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal insurance broker and risk management firm. Provides insurance, risk management and consulting services. One of only insurance brokers on Ethisphere Institute's list of World's Most Ethical Companies.
• Great West Engineering, Inc.gold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides broad range of professional engineering and consulting services to counties, cities, towns, water and sewer districts, state agencies, and private developers. Over 100 staff members with offices in Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
• L3Harris Technologiesgold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic safety and critical communications provider with over 90 years of experience. Offers rugged radios, resilient networks, secure Push-to-Talk and broadband connectivity solutions for county public safety needs.
• Montana State Fundgold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerState's largest workers' compensation insurance company, protecting approximately 25,000 businesses and workers. Partnered with MACo for the Workers' Compensation Safety Group offering additional cost savings through retrospective return of premium.
• NorthWestern Energygold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions for over 100 years. Committed to Montana energy needs for county operations and constituents.
• The Washington Companiesgold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides innovative solutions for over 50 years in transportation, mining, construction, and shipbuilding industries. Leading expertise, world-class assets, and entrepreneurial spirit for Montana county needs.
• Wealth Enhancement Group/QCI Teamgold partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides team-based financial planning with over 25 years of experience. Dedicated to building trusted partnerships and delivering personal financial planning rooted in trust and teamwork.
• Black Mountain Softwaresilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Partner providing software solutions for county government operations.
• Montana Department of Commercesilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency Silver Partner supporting economic development and commerce initiatives for Montana counties.
• Seitz Insurance Agencysilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance agency partner providing coverage options and support for MACo's Workers' Compensation Safety Group through partnership with Montana State Fund.
• Stahly Engineering & Associates, Inc.silver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Partner engineering firm providing professional services to Montana counties.
• National Association of Counties (NACo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization representing county governments. MACo participates in NACo committees, receives updates on federal issues, and collaborates on national advocacy efforts including comments on OMB Uniform Guidance and other federal regulations affecting counties.
• Montana League of Cities and TownscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for joint trainings and townhalls on land use, budgeting, and property tax issues. Collaborate on Montana Land Use Series regional trainings and Property Taxes & Budgeting Town Hall events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Washington State Association of Counties: State-level association serving Washington's 39 counties with advocacy, pooled services, and member education. Direct peer in structure and service model, operating in a comparable Pacific Northwest state context.
• Colorado Counties, Inc. Colorado's state association of counties providing advocacy and services to 64 county members. Functionally analogous to MACo in scope, structure, and member relationship, operating in an adjacent Mountain West state.
• National Association of Counties: National-level trade association representing all U.S. counties; MACo is an active NACo member and partner. NACo provides the federal-level counterpart to MACo's state-level advocacy function and is the most directly comparable organization in structure and purpose.
• Oregon Association of Counties: State association representing Oregon's 36 counties through legislative advocacy and shared services. Direct structural peer to MACo with similar scope and member-driven governance model.

Broad incumbents

• California State Association of Counties: California's much larger state association of counties serving 58 counties. Functions as the same type of state-level county association as MACo but at substantially greater scale and with a broader service portfolio.
• New York State Association of Counties: State association representing New York's 62 counties. Direct functional peer to MACo with the same membership/advocacy/service-delivery model, though operating at a much larger scale.

Others

• Public Risk Management Association: National association for public entity risk managers. While not a direct competitor to MACo, PRIMA is an adjacent ecosystem participant that overlaps with MACo's trust administration function and serves similar public-sector risk management professionals.
• Montana League of Cities and Towns: Adjacent Montana municipal association with which MACo partners on joint trainings and townhalls covering land use, budgeting, and property tax issues. Closely related in function but focused on cities/towns rather than counties.

Regional players

• Idaho Association of Counties: Montana's neighboring state association of counties serving Idaho's 44 counties. Operates with a similar membership model, advocacy role, and pooled-service approach for county government members in an adjacent geography.
• Wyoming County Commissioners Association: Wyoming's state-level association of county commissioners, serving 23 counties. Closely comparable in structure and rural-state focus, addressing similar county government needs in an adjacent Mountain West geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mtcounties
• Facebookfacebook.com/MTCounties
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-association-of-counties

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montana Association of Counties