SITKA Gear, a leader in high-performance hunting and outdoor apparel, announced a series of strategic changes to its sales team aimed at aligning talent with the company’s evolving business priorities. The adjustments include the addition of three new sales representatives and a significant territory expansion for a veteran team member, all designed to strengthen retail Read More…
Glacier Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: GBCI) announced Friday that it has received all necessary regulatory approvals for its planned acquisition of Bank of Idaho Holding Co. (OTCQX: BOID), clearing a major hurdle in the completion of the deal. The acquisition, which includes Bank of Idaho and its subsidiaries, is now scheduled to close on April 30, Read More…
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has taken a preliminary step toward potentially reversing boardroom restrictions imposed on Chevron and Exxon Mobil as part of their recent major acquisitions, signaling a shift from policies enacted under the Biden administration. The restrictions, which were key conditions for approving the oil giants’ multi-billion-dollar mergers, barred specific executives from Read More…
In a dramatic move to get ahead of looming U.S. tariffs, Apple has airlifted approximately 600 tons of iPhones—equivalent to around 1.5 million devices—from India to the United States, according to a report by Reuters. The unprecedented shipment is part of the tech giant’s effort to stabilize supply and avoid potential price hikes that could Read More…
It was a nice run. For the first time in over a decade, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is worth less than its longtime rival, Morgan Stanley, at least in the eyes of equity investors. After reporting a plunge in bond trading, Goldman’s market capitalization fell to $99.4 billion at the close on Wednesday, a fraction Read More…
With Bitcoin crashing, some cryptocurrency HODLers are hurting. That might include the Winklevoss twins. Tyler and Cameron bought 120,000 bitcoins in late 2012 with money from the $65 million payout from their lawsuit against Facebook. That’s more than $1.32 billion worth of bitcoin at Wednesday evening’s value of about $11,000 per bitcoin. That seems like Read More…
Amazon has added a new $10 and Under section to its app and website, featuring, as one could infer, items that are priced $10 or cheaper. All items have free shipping, regardless of whether a user has Prime membership. The feature, first spotted by TechCrunch, looks to compete with budget shopping apps like Wish — Read More…
Google’s Project Fi cell service never played the “unlimited data” game that most carriers in the U.S. like to play (and which is never truly unlimited). Instead, Google simply offered data at $10/GB/month and would give you a refund for any data you paid for but didn’t use. Now, however, it’s taking its own stab Read More…
GILLETTE, Wyo. – Coal from the Powder River Basin will soon be on its way to Japan to fuel two new coal gasification plants in Fukushima Prefecture. Gillette, Wyo.-based Cloud Peak Energy, which operates the Spring Creek Mine near Decker, will begin to ship up to 1 million tons of coal a year to Japan Read More…
This story is the final chapter of a series focusing on how Missoula and its surrounding communities are grappling with challenges of sustainable growth. (If you haven’t yet, check out the first of the series here, the second one here, and the third here.) It was written by the The Missoulian and is published here Read More…
Montana farmers and ranchers are being asked to fill out a very important survey that helps paint an accurate picture of American agriculture – the Census of Agriculture. “By filling it out you let your voice be heard. You let everyone know how Montana’s agriculture economy is; basically, telling us your story” says USDA-NASS MT Read More…
Well one of the leaders now in rentals and vacation nights is Airbnb. How much did we make here in the Big Sky State utilizing this service? According to NBC Montana, In 2017, Airbnb hosts earned over $19.7 million and welcomed nearly 147,000 people to Montana. Wow, that is more then I thought. Having used Read More…
In 2017 the Helena Regional Airport saw a record number of passengers with 209,000 making it one of the most successful years for the organization. Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper says that load factors on the flights were great with most flights being at 50-80% capacity and airlines increasing aircraft size to better accommodate those loads. Read More…
What happened Shares of Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) fell 62% in 2017, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, as firearm sales plunged in the United States. The company is restructuring in an effort to focus on key brands, but if the core firearm business doesn’t recover in 2018, it could be difficult Read More…
The US Supreme Court on Friday said it will consider whether businesses have to collect sales taxes on online transactions — a case that will affect how consumers are charged for their purchases on major e-commerce sites such as Wayfair, Overstock, and Amazon. The case, South Dakota v. Wayfair, will revisit a 1992 decision, Quill Read More…
This week, the Montana Department of Commerce announced the recipients of more than half a million dollars’ worth of Workforce Training Grant funds. “This grant program is a small amount of money compared to the total cost to a business to hire someone and train them, but the hope is to put a little bit Read More…
Growing tomorrow’s leaders today for Montana was the focus of a luncheon held at the Capitol rotunda. It was Leadership Montana’s fourth session with the class of 2018. Individuals involved were business leaders and government leaders that come from all corners of the state. Channel Schieffer, President and CEO of Leadership Montana said she is Read More…
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – America could be crowned the oil world’s new king in 2018. The United States is poised to ramp up crude oil production by 10 percent in 2018 to about 11 million barrels per day, according to research firm Rystad Energy. Surging shale oil output should allow the United States to dethrone Read More…
A Nebraska manufacturer has acquired a Bozeman-based photonics company and will relocate the company’s production facility from Singapore to Bozeman. Elemental Scientific, an Omaha company that specializes in spectroscopy technology — a method of identifying material using light — purchased the newly named Elemental Scientific Lasers, located on North Seventh Avenue across the street from Read More…
Donald Trump campaigned as a jobs creator, with lofty promises of reviving American manufacturing and reclaiming jobs that had gone overseas. On a campaign stop in 2015, he proclaimed he would “be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of about 171,000 jobs were added Read More…
A couple of years ago, LG Display showed off an intensely futuristic 18-inch OLED display that could be bent and rolled up just like a newspaper. Today, that prototype has grown to 65 inches in size, with the company announcing that it’s managed to scale up the tech to the dimensions of a large TV. Read More…
When Amazon chose downtown Seattle for its massive urban campus, John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice president of global real estate, wanted to create a thriving “18-hour” neighborhood. To some extent, Amazon has succeeded. In a decade, nonstop development has transformed Seattle’s South Lake Union and Denny Triangle from a sea of parking lots, car rental agencies, Read More…
While much of the nation’s weather has turned frigid, the U.S. stock market remains red-hot. Notching its latest 1,000-point milestone, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 151 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at a record 25,073 Thursday. Stocks aren’t only scaling new heights — they’re reaching those peaks more quickly: The blue-chip index reached Read More…
BILLINGS – A Billings West End business got a new name on Wednesday. Get Juiced officially reopened as Well Pared. The company has been serving juice and smoothies since it opened on the corner of Broadwater and 24th Street West in 2013. The menu has expanded over the years to include salads and some hot Read More…
By Ernest Scheyder HOUSTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Oasis Petroleum Inc, the last major oil producer operating exclusively in North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation, is heading south to the nation’s largest oilfield, pursuing a pricey expansion as investors worry about maturing shale fields. Oasis shares have tumbled 21 percent following last week’s disclosure, pointing to Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – More than a dozen oil companies failed to meet North Dakota’s natural gas flaring goals three months ago. Operators burned off over 300 million cubic feet (8.5 million cubic meters) of natural gas per day in September, a level the state hasn’t seen since the summer of 2015, reported the Bismarck Tribune Read More…
The fires that charred large swaths of Montana over the summer discouraged hundreds of thousands of tourists from visiting the state, resulting in a $240 million loss in visitor spending, according to a new report. Preliminary data released by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research estimates that tourists in Montana spent Read More…
HELENA – Gov. Steve Bullock reports that Montana’s unemployment rate has remained steady for most of 2017, saying workers and families are heading into the holidays with a strong economy driving growth in local communities across the state. Gov. Bullock’s office says the unemployment rate was 4.0% for the month of November while the U.S. Read More…
MISSOULA,Mont. – Stockman Bank is asking the Missoula City Council to approve a new bank on the corner of Brooks Street and Dore Lane. The request comes from Mike Tuss, a principal at CTA Architects, on behalf of William Coffee, the CEO of Stockman Bank, as the bank looks to construct a nearly 49,000-square-foot building. Read More…
Whitefish Ford VW and Kalispell Ford of Evergreen have united and relocated to a brand new 54,000-square-foot facility in North Kalispell that officially opens today. The Kalispell Ford dealership has a larger capacity than both the old ones combined and features 26 service bays, said Milt Aus, who was the general manager at Kalispell Ford Read More…
CVS is confirming that it’s buying Aetna for $69 billion in a deal that will help the drugstore chain reach deeper into customer health care and protect a key client. CVS Health Corp. released a statement Sunday saying it will pay cash and stock for Aetna Inc. The mammoth acquisition pairs a company that runs Read More…
Pulse crops such as peas, dry beans, lentils, and chick peas play a huge role in healthy diets around the world. Pulse crops are also a powerful and versatile crop for Montana farmers who can use them to improve soil health and generate income from local and global markets. According to Circle’s Jerry Schillinger, president Read More…
BILLINGS – A Billings business with deep downtown roots will be celebrating its 80th anniversary Friday night, during the Holiday ArtWalk and the annual Christmas Stroll. The celebration will run from 5 to 9 p.m. at Montague’s Jewelers, 2810 Second Ave. N., presided over by Chris Montague, who returned the third-generation store to downtown Billings after Read More…
When you’re running a small business, you fight for every customer, client and sale. That’s why it’s frustrating whenever something unexpected throws a wrench in the works. One of those unexpected wrenches for many small businesses is online reviews. Positive reviews can springboard your business toward success, while negative reviews can seriously poison the well. Read More…
Montana has an estimated 37,400 women-owned businesses, employing 35,000 and attributing to roughly $4,771,100,000 according to the seventh annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN. The report analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners and factoring in relative changes in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Montana is ranked Read More…
GTUIT, a Billings-based manufacturer of mobile gas treatment systems, will participate in the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference taking place in Abu Dhabi Nation Exhibition Center, November 13-16. The company will be showcased by Caterpillar in its exhibit as technology “that keeps our customers connected to their assets, contributing to their overall success.” Read More…
BUTTE, Mont. – Black Friday may be the busiest shopping day of the year, but small businesses have their eye on another big day. Butte shops are busy preparing for their own rush on Small Business Saturday. This year they’ve come up with some new ways to lure customers in. The Butte mall was packed Read More…
The Montana Scene opened its fifth location on Nov. 3 at 219 S. Main St. in downtown Kalispell. The Montana Scene’s other locations are in Bigfork, Whitefish, Missoula and Bozeman. Only open for three years, the family-owned business has seen tremendous growth. The mission of the The Montana Scene is to share their passion and Read More…
(HELENA) Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Montana announced Monday that Dr. Monica Berner will be its next president. “I am humbled and excited to build on our past successes and celebrate innovation as we continue to navigate the ever-changing health care environment,” Berner said in a press release. “We are dedicated to making the health care system Read More…
Inter-Mountain Bancorp, Inc., the Bozeman-based holding company for First Security Bank, has entered into an agreement to join the Glacier Bancorp family of banks. Pending Board and regulatory approval, First Security will officially be under the Glacier Bancorp umbrella in early 2018. The new relationship will eventually lead to First Security Bank’s Golden Triangle locations Read More…
COLUMBIA FALLS — The prominent hotel and convention center. The lineup of renovated and emerging storefronts and apartment buildings populating almost half of Nucleus Avenue. Even the aerial photo of the “Gateway to Glacier” placed front and center on the city government’s website. All courtesy of Mick Ruis. It’s impossible to walk through Columbia Falls Read More…
Sears Holdings Corp. drew down the remaining $60 million on a $200 million loan, signaling that the struggling department-store chain is quickly running through cash. The retailer set up a revised loan on Oct. 4 and borrowed an initial $100 million, according to a filing on Monday. It tapped an additional $40 million on Oct. Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. – In a four to one decision, the Bozeman City Commission voted Wednesday night to approve a controversial apartment complex project slated for downtown. It was the second vote on the Black Olive project. Dozens of people crowded into City Hall to have their voice heard. Many were disappointed when the vote came Read More…
Kathy Boelter, Billings, founder and President of Arrow Solutions Group, was recently accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, a very coveted award for small business owners who demonstrate dynamic leadership in business. The program, a co-investment between Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg Philanthropies, focuses on job creation and economic development. It offers participants Read More…