GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Spectrum is expanding its fiber broadband network in Cascade County, bringing service to more than 1,200 additional homes and small businesses in previously unserved or underserved areas, including Ulm and Vaughn. Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Spectrum this week to mark the expansion, which is part of the company’s broader rural broadband Read More…
A new educational resource, Money for Montanans, answers common questions about the state’s registered agent industry and its role in funding public infrastructure. Montana’s vast land mass requires significant annual investment to maintain its roads, but only about 11.5% of that funding currently comes from state-generated sources, with the remainder coming through federal funds. The Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.2% in August, remaining below the national rate and placing the state among the 15 lowest unemployment rates in the country. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in August, according to federal labor data. Total employment in Montana, including payroll, agricultural and self-employed workers, increased by 482 Read More…
Big Sky Broadcasting has filed to acquire two Missoula-area radio stations in a transaction that would expand the company’s media portfolio into broadcast radio. The company is acquiring KMSO (102.5 FM) and KHDV (107.9 FM) from Sheila Callahan & Friends, Inc. Both stations are currently off the air. According to the transaction filing, the deal Read More…
A Missoula company is fed to the “sharks.” TOMIS takes home the winning prize at the Montana made “Shark-Tank” business plan competition. Tourism is one of Montana’s leading industry. In 2016, non-resident visitors spent $3.5 billion. According to one Missoula company, more of that money could go directly into the pockets of local tourism businesses if they Read More…
The U.S. 93 bypass, Glacier Rail Park and the reconstruction of Going-to-the-Sun Road have one thing in common. All three projects were once included on the community wish lists that shaped the Flathead Valley’s comprehensive economic development strategy in years past. Every five years, Montana West Economic Development embarks on a regional improvement plan, but Read More…
Christopher Gregory is one of the principals of Fortis Group, a newly formed business brokerage firm. Fortis Group operates out of Bozeman offices with its parent company Compass Advisors. Both businesses assist in the sale of businesses, with Fortis specializing in the sale of smaller market businesses, of which Montana is largely comprised. How Read More…
Flathead County’s unemployment rate posted at 6.7 percent in January, increasing from 5.9 percent in December, the state Department of Labor and Industry said Monday. The county has a current workforce of 42,248 people. The jobless rate in other Northwest Montana counties also increased over the same month. Lincoln County had a 10.5 percent unemployment Read More…
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce with one of its top honors, recognizing the local organization for its effective structure and positive impact on the Flathead Valley. The Kalispell chamber received a five-star accreditation for its sound policies, effective procedures and positive impact on the community. The chamber advocates Read More…
A pair of local nonprofits plan to buy the 270-acre Bohart Ranch Cross Country Ski Center to create a 500-acre recreational area adjacent to Bridger Bowl, the groups announced Friday. Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, in partnership with the Bridger Biathlon Club, will finalize the sale of the Bridger Canyon ranch by early June, before setting Read More…
High tech companies brought in more than $1 billion dollars in revenue in 2016 and the industry is growing seven times faster than the rest of the Montana economy. A University of Montana Bureau of of Business Economic Research (BBER) study showed $1.09 billion in revenue last year, up from $867 million in 2015. Companies in Read More…
For a state that has the highest ratio of entrepreneurs, Montana does not rank well in how it treats those entrepreneurs, and the impacts of those policies are far reaching for every citizen. Montana ranks 32nd in the 21st annual ranking of all states by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE), regarding policies which Read More…
On a recent Wednesday night, Montana State University channeled its inner Silicon Valley. A group of startup businesses gathered to present their various ventures — from a rideshare app to a bioengineered toothpick — in front of a crowd in the atrium of Jabs Hall. The startups, six in total, represented the first cohort of Read More…
Talen Energy is pushing Montana lawmakers for a tax break worth millions to keep two units of the coal-fired Colstrip power plant open, with one Republican leader saying Tuesday the units could close within the year without some form of assistance. House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said the $10 million coal severance tax reduction proposed Read More…
Local taco connoisseur Marley McKenna is hoping to feed Four Corners’ growing appetite with a new Taco del Sol shop off Huffine Lane. The restaurant, which will join McKenna’s Main Street location, is set to open in April. From Bozeman Daily Chronicle
About 77,000 visitors to Montana used Airbnb accommodations last year spending more than $10 million. Bozeman led all of Montana cities in 2016 in Airbnb use with 13,000 guests spending $1.9 million for their accommodations, according to an Airbnb press release issued Wednesday. From KTVQ
In December 2007, a man named Robert Thomas bought a $351,800 RV at the Dixie RV Super Store in the city of Hammond in his home state of Louisiana. But it wasn’t technically Thomas who made the purchase — a fact a court would later agree with. Instead, it was bought by a Montana Read More…
For several days in January, students at Park High School learned what it takes to make pet toys. Over the course of the last week, a pair of employees at West Paw Design, a Bozeman-based pet goods company, took over teacher Jamie Isaly’s manufacturing class. From Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Billings-based GTUIT, LLC announced that the firm has been providing Liberty Resources, LLC natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery and flare reduction services since June 2016. GTUIT has provided up to 4,500 MCFD of processing capacity at four well locations. GTUIT’s gas processing helps Liberty Resources reduce air emissions and meet the State of North Dakota Read More…
Adam MacDonald founded Western Spindle in his garage in Townsend more than a decade ago, and it has now grown into a nationwide supplier of fixtures for historic homes. He says some people were skeptical of his business model from the start. From KXLH
A Missoula restaurant will soon be featured on the Food Network. The Notorious P.I.G. barbecue restaurant in downtown Missoula opened just about two years ago. Owner Burke Homes explained, “I’m from St. Louis, Missouri. I knew I wanted to live in Montana and catch fish and shoot ducks and drink good beer and hang out with Read More…
Fans of Cold Smoke beer should soon be able to pick up cans of the Missoula-based Scotch ale in Billings stores and bars. Billings-based Briggs Distributing announced Thursday that it has signed a partnership with Kettlehouse Brewing Co., which makes Cold Smoke and other beers, to distribute in a seven-county region surrounding Yellowstone this spring. Read More…
The Miles City Area Economic Development Council (MCAEDC) learned at its meeting Thursday that the small business development center (SBDC) will be moved from Colstrip to Miles City. The SBDC was created in 1989 to provide free one-on-one advising to business entrepreneurs. It offers financial analysis, business planning, operations assistance, marketing and social media assistance, Read More…
Though it remains on the same foundations upon which it was built more than 30 years ago, the Kalispell Center Mall is a place of constant activity and transition — stores come and go, mall walkers wander the halls, and local groups host community activities there. And while many malls in America are experiencing a Read More…
A business that started in an alley now ships custom metal work around the world. Over the course of seven years, Mick Thompson and his wife Alanna have brought their “back alley” business to the forefront of Red Lodge. From KTVQ
Lissie’s Luv Yums in Great Falls uses Treasure State ingredients to create gourmet dog biscuits for four-legged friends. But as MTN’s Julianne Dellorso reports in this week’s Montana Made, it provides a helping hand for humans, as well. From KBZK
Two of Montana’s neighbors are on the Forbes top ten Best States for Business list – North Dakota and South Dakota. Montana is ranked 23rd. Wyoming is ranked 35th and Idaho, 18th. Released in November, the 11th annual Forbes list puts Utah as the top ranking state, followed by North Carolina, Nebraska and Texas. West Read More…
A Montana company has been granted a license to build a $1 billion, 400-megawatt power storage project in the central part of the state that would supplement electricity from wind turbines and other sources, according to documents released Thursday by federal regulators. The 50-year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission allows Absaroka Energy, Read More…
Billings based First Interstate BancSystem, Inc. has acquired Cascade Bancorp, parent company of Bank of Cascades. The transaction involved stock and cash of approximately $589 million. Cascade is a community bank based in Bend, Oregon with total assets of $3.2 billion, deposits of $2.7 billion, loans of $2.1 billion and 50 banking offices across Oregon, Read More…
The University of Montana School of Journalism will join other top-tier media schools in the launch of a new Google “News Lab University Network” in an effort to better train new and existing journalists in data, search and emerging technologies. The network is the latest effort by the School of Journalism to deploy technologies to Read More…
To be in business is noble and virtuous. To implement a plan for a good environment in Montana for business will cost Montana Chamber members a million dollars. Business people were called upon by Greg Gianforte to be proud of what they do in the private sector, and to do their part in planting “a Read More…
Frank Gazella Jr.—the founder of Creek to Peak Wear, a new Bozeman-based outdoor apparel brand—exudes an enthusiasm that is nothing short of infectious. A natural entrepreneur, Gazella’s passion and drive has served him, but is not self-serving. Rather, his energy is buoyed by a genuine desire to help other small startups make their vision a Read More…
Made in Montana; it’s a slogan you see on everything from huckleberry jams, to jewelry, to films, and of course beer. For breweries, finding that authentic Made in Montana path is as challenging as it is rewarding. Mike and Greg Howard opened Missoula’s Great Burn brewery two and a half years ago. “We’ve been craft Read More…
The election of Donald Trump may mean a new bridge over the Clark Fork River for Missoula. After all, the real estate mogul likes to build stuff, and Trump talked about the need for infrastructure during his raucous campaign. That infrastructure is vital to Montana’s economy and those nurturing growth in the business sector, said Read More…
At Archie Cochrane Ford, a safe culture for its 115 employees led to a big payday Monday. At the Billings auto dealership, officials from the Montana State Fund distributed about $43,000 in dividends from Archie Cochrane workers’ compensation premiums. Archie Cochrane was among the largest recipients in Yellowstone County, which received $4.6 million Read More…
Governor Bullock announced $1.3 million funding for Montana businesses to expand apprenticeship programs on Thursday morning. Collision Pro Owner Barry Reddick told MTN News that his company has been using the apprenticeship program since 1997. “The program’s helped out business bringing up people from an apprenticeship to a journey level position. It’s helped us, and it’s helped them,” said Reddick. Read More…
The Montana Chamber of Commerce recently released its 10-year strategic plan, which includes goals to increase wages, encourage business growth and improve the state’s infrastructure. The plan, titled Envision 2026, outlines five central objectives that it hopes to tackle over the coming years, as well as specific strategies to achieve the goals and metrics to Read More…
Stockman Asset Management (SAM), an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and provider of integrated wealth management solutions based in Billings has acquired Peak Investment Management, Ltd. Peak is also an RIA firm based in Missoula. The two firms now offer their services on a larger scale with locations in Helena, Missoula, Conrad and Billings. Peak Read More…
An entrepreneurship support center for Montana State University students, alumni and faculty has won a $50,000 award from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help enhance its business accelerator program, 406 Labs. The Blackstone LaunchPad at MSU was one of 68 programs selected nationwide as winners of the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition on Aug. 31. Read More…
For the first time since March of 2014, oil production in the state of North Dakota has slipped below the one million barrel a day mark. The latest production figures out this week show that in August, North Dakota production slipped to 981 thousand, 39 barrels per day. That represents a drop of some 49 thousand barrels per day, compared to July’s Read More…
Last month, several individuals and businesses in the Gallatin Valley won the lottery. Out of more than 600 applicants in Bozeman and Belgrade, four names were chosen by the Montana Department of Revenue as the winners of the state’s annual liquor lottery. The lottery is part of Montana’s population-based alcohol license quota system, which permits Read More…
A man as unique as the Highland cattle herd he manages, Wally Congdon, is an accomplished Montana attorney and the owner and operator of Big Sky Natural Beef. From raising to finishing, Congdon does it all on his western Montana ranch, and has created a market for his grass-fed, all natural Highland beef around Read More…
One of downtown Helena’s largest employers is ready to make a move to the east side of town. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana will start operations Monday at its new headquarters in the Mountain View Meadows subdivision. Leaders say the move will be in several stages and should be finished in about two weeks. Read More…
The three newest members of Montana State University Billings’ Business Hall of Fame will accept individual honors this week, but all of them say they haven’t succeeded without surrounding themselves with a team. “This honor is focused on me, but it shouldn’t. I had the fortunate opportunity to work with tremendous… people,” said Karen Fagg Read More…