Energy markets faced renewed pressure this week as crude prices softened amid mixed signals on global demand and steady U.S. production. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude drifted lower, weighing on shares of major producers and oilfield services companies. Analysts cited cautious demand forecasts from Asia and Europe, along with stable output from U.S. shale basins, Read More…
Steve Daines praised the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 132.83% anti-dumping duty on Russian palladium imports, calling the move a critical step to protect Montana mining jobs and counter what he described as market manipulation by Moscow. The Commerce Department’s duty, enforceable upon publication in the Federal Register, is aimed at offsetting what U.S. Read More…
The War Department announced today that 25 vendors have been selected to compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), a sweeping acquisition reform initiative aimed at rapidly fielding low-cost, unmanned one-way attack drones at scale to strengthen America’s Arsenal of Freedom. The program reflects one of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s core Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4 percent in December, extending the state’s streak of over four consecutive years with unemployment at or below that level, according to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The state’s jobless rate remains well below the national average of 4.4 percent, keeping Montana among the top ten states Read More…
It’s a fascinating time for fintech. What was once a disruptive force in the financial world has become standard practice for many industry leaders. Fintech industry funding has already reached new highs globally in 2018, with overall funding hitting $32.6 billion at the end of Q3. Some new regions, including South America and Africa, are Read More…
Wall Street’s final act of 2019 will hinge on whether investors should believe the messages being sent by corporate credit, crowd consensus and the calendar characteristics. The broad market has been a sloppy stalemate between supportive and antagonistic forces for many months: The S&P 500 is hovering around the 3000 level it first reached in Read More…
PG&E Corp. PCG +2.84% ’s chief executive said Friday that it could take as long as 10 years for the company to improve its electric system enough to significantly diminish the need to pull the plug on customers to reduce the risk of sparking fires. Bill Johnson, who joined the company in May, made the disclosure at a California Read More…
Soon residents in the Mining City will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with representatives from companies like Slack and WeWork as around 200 entrepreneurs and other professionals descend upon Butte next week for the annual Innovate Montana Symposium. The event runs Oct. 14-16 and marks the fourth run of the symposium, which is Read More…
HELENA — Bidding is open for seven alcohol licenses in Montana, including Bozeman and Belgrade. According to a press release from the Montana Department of Revenue, on-premises beer licenses are available in Helena, Bozeman, Hamilton, Belgrade, and Polson. All-beverage floater licenses are available in Bozeman and Missoula. A “floater” license allows the applicant to purchase, Read More…
BUTTE, Mont. — A Montana mine company has laid off dozens of workers, but could hire again as it aims to prevent acid rock drainage. The Montana Standard reported that Golden Sunlight laid off 28 out of its 49 remaining workers Monday following a 2015 layoff after stopping open pit mining. Company officials say Toronto, Canada-based Read More…
Hawaii, Montana and Maine are the three states whose economies depend most on outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, water sports, hunting and skiing. The outdoor recreational industry accounted for 5.4% of Hawaii’s gross domestic product in 2017, the largest share of all U.S. states. The Aloha State was followed by Montana and Maine, where Read More…
Apparently, over the last ten years, telemarketer jobs in Montana have declined by 94%. So why am I still getting so many annoying phone calls? Probably thanks to robocalls, or just less people doing more work. A new study from Commercial Cafe discovered the most quickly declining jobs in every state in the US. For Montana, that Read More…
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris scheduled a hearing for Oct. 9 from environmental organizations suing to stop construction of the $7 billion Keystone XL Pipeline authorized under a new permit from the Trump administration. “Specifically, this permit reinforces, as should have been clear all along, that the Presidential permit is indeed an exercise of Presidential Read More…
Longtime county employee Tim Harmon recently joined the staff of the Majestic Valley Arena as the general manager and facility director. He will start work Oct. 1. For the past 17 years, Harmon served as the maintenance supervisor for the Flathead County Fairgrounds. The addition of Harmon to the staff will allow arena owners, Bob Read More…
BILLINGS — Outdoor retailer REI is building a new store at the corner of Shiloh Road and King Avenue West Billings West End, city building officials said Tuesday. The company plans to build a 23,457 square-foot retail building on the northwest corner of the intersection, according to a permit filed with the city. Kent, Wash-based Read More…
Banks are getting back into the business of building mortgage bonds, laying the groundwork for a market that stands to grow as the Trump administration tries to reduce the government’s role in housing finance. Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. over the past year have restarted Read More…
Ari Emanuel’s company Endeavor detailed its plans Monday to go public, listing 19.4 million Class A shares, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The global entertainment, sports and content company expects to price its initial public offering at $30 to $32 a share, hoping to raise more than $600 million. Endeavor is planning Read More…
Montage International, the hotel and resort management company behind the brand, Montage Hotels & Resorts, will open a resort with a hotel and residences in Big Sky, Montana. Currently under construction, Montage Big Sky will be the first ultra-luxury five-star resort in the entire state. Located at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, a private ski and golf course community set on more Read More…
BUTTE – Montana often ranks high for workplace injuries. “Montana for years has been an inherently unsafe place to work. We injure more employees in Montana than almost any other state year after year after year,” said Mark Rosenleaf with Montana State Fund. For the past three years Montana State Fund has been giving away Read More…
The edge of downtown Bozeman will get another new hotel. The Bozeman City Commission unanimously approved plans Monday for Bozeman Residence Inn, a four-story, 104-room hotel just off East Main Street. The building will go on roughly 1.74 acres at 815 E. Main St., just behind Jackpot Casino and with Town Pump to the west. Read More…
Facebook is considering a test to hide likes on News Feed posts. The company already tested a similar move on Instagram in August as a way to help break users’ fixation with getting likes on their pictures. Data miner Jane Manchun Wong discovered that Facebook is experimenting with the change in its Android app Monday. The company said Monday Read More…
In the days before Uber, Travis Kalanick wasn’t much different than other San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneurs, except that he was fresh off a $20 million exit and had a penchant for Pulp Fiction. In a sparsely furnished apartment in the city’s Castro district, Kalanick sought to become a “fixer,” reports Mike Isaac in “Super Pumped: Read More…
Target CEO Brian Cornell still thinks the U.S. consumer is strong and spending, despite fears that some shoppers may be pulling back with the threat of another economic recession looming. He told members of the media Wednesday morning after reporting quarterly earnings that blew past estimates: Target CFO “Cathy [Smith] and I —we meet with our banking partners, Read More…
Under the Big Sky, the Emmy Award-Winning storytelling series from the Montana Television Network, has received a $40,000 grant from the Greater Montana Foundation to continue to bring stories about life in Montana to audiences. The series premiered in February 2017 and recently finished production on its seventh episode. The quarterly program combines cinematic visuals Read More…
(Missoula, Mont.)—Moore Information Group, formerly Moore Information, has not only launched a new name and logo, but a new web presence as well. The national public opinion research and strategic analysis firm — with offices in Portland, OR, Missoula, MT, Denver CO and Washington, DC — is known for its strong track record of accurate Read More…
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. stock plummeted 12.1% in Friday trading after the department store retailer announced that it received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange on August 6 alerting it that it is no longer in compliance with listing criteria. The criteria requires listed companies to maintain an average closing share price of Read More…
As the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 Max enters its sixth month, airlines are turning to older jets to help meet growing demand, prompting a surge in rental rates. “Used 800s are like a gold dust at the moment,” said Phil Seymour, CEO of London-based aerospace consulting firm IBA, referring to Boeing 737-800s, an older model Read More…
A sizable group of community banks are in various stages of consolidation, highlighting how the industry-wide merger and acquisition (M&A) trend is extending down market, as community and regional banks pursue greater scale and cost efficiencies. M&A fever has already gripped the nation’s super-regionals and top banks. BB&T announced in February that it was acquiring SunTrust for Read More…
The Montana Renewable Energy Association hosted the 9th Annual Montana Clean Energy Fair at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds on Saturday. The event brought hundreds from around the region to participate in workshops and demonstrations on topics including renewable energy policy, solar electricity and solar heating, batteries and energy storage, and more. “This is our big Read More…
HELENA — Montana State Fund presented the Montana Building Industry Association (MBIA) with a $539,902 check Thursday morning for their efforts to improve workplace safety. MBIA instituted a Group Retention Insurance Program, or GRIP, which help foster safe workplaces for construction sites. “Montana State Fund applauds the efforts and determination of the Montana Building Industry Read More…
The country’s two largest newspaper chains agreed to combine their businesses in a roughly $1.4 billion deal, further consolidating an industry reeling from strong economic headwinds. New Media Investment Group Inc., the parent of GateHouse Media, is buying Gannett Co. in a cash-and-stock transaction, the companies said Monday. New Media will pay $6.25 in cash Read More…
As many Montanans know, cowboy boots can tell a unique story about your life, your family and where you come from. One Treasure State woman has created a successful business giving old boots new lives. Nikki Edmundson lives in Harrison, (approximately) pop.165, with her husband, a rancher, and four kids. “You’ll miss us if you’re Read More…
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The owner of a surface coal mine in Montana is seeking to set aside a federal decision regarding a mining plan modification. Western Energy Co. filed a complaint on July 17 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and U.S. Office of Surface Mining Read More…
Wednesday wasn’t a good day for Melissa Peterson-Worden. Like nearly 600 of her Blackjewel LLC coworkers locked out of the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Campbell County since July 1, she’s spent the last three weeks hoping she’ll be called back to work while applying for new jobs. Down to the last $432 Read More…
Sidney Health Center announced the recruit of James Hickey, D.O. Dr. Hickey joins the medical staff as a family medicine physician. Hickey provides a wide range of primary care services to people of all ages. His scope of practice includes diagnosing and treating illnesses, managing chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — An organization that advocates for the interests of cable operators at the Montana Capitol is disbanding. The Billings Gazette reported Wednesday that the Montana Cable Telecommunications Association has announced it will cease operations after 60 years of representing the industry. READ FULL STORY
Often lauded as one of the state’s major business success stories, owners of a prominent Montana farm have sold their land. Wheat Montana, based in Three Forks, sold its mills and bakeries to a private equity firm in 2015 and sold its farm to a new family in January 2019, co-owner Dean Folkvord said. Though Read More…
Though the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale officially opened to the public on Friday, July 19, the bargain hunting had already been well underway for an exclusive group of people — Nordstrom card holders. For several years, the department store has granted its most loyal shoppers special access to the annual sale, an effort to generate buzz and clout Read More…
New York State has awarded two offshore wind contracts with a combined capacity of almost 1,700 megawatts (MW) in waters off Long Island. The contracts were awarded to Norwegian firm Equinor and a joint venture between Danish company Orsted and U.S. business Eversource. The Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind developments were announced as the winners of New York’s Read More…
Alec Manfre co-founded the tech start-up Bractlet as a student in Atlanta where he went to college, then ran it from an incubator in Santiago, Chile. But it was Texas where he and his two co-founders ultimately put down roots. They got hooked on doing business in the state after moving the start-up to Houston Read More…
Walmart is making further organizational changes as it continues to integrate its store and digital operations and leadership, according to a memo obtained by CNBC that was sent by CEO Doug McMillon to the retailer’s employees. “Our customers want one, seamless Walmart experience,” McMillon wrote to employees. “Earning more of our customers’ business in food and Read More…
BOZEMAN – Twenty current and emerging leaders from Montana’s natural resource industries have been selected to take part in Class IV of REAL Montana (Resource Education and Agriculture Leadership). Class IV will begin their leadership journey on September 12, 2019 at their first seminar in Bozeman. “REAL Montana continues to strengthen its mission of building Read More…
HARLOWTON, Mont. — Bridger Brewing, Montana Space Grant Consortium at Montana State University and Bozeman-based Crooked Yard Hops have partnered on a project that sent beer ingredients into space. The retrieved ingredients were then used to brew a commemorative beer celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. While other breweries are Read More…
WASHINGTON— Amazon.com Inc. AMZN +1.38% Chief Executive Jeff Bezos tries never to schedule a meeting before 10 a.m. “I go to bed early, I get up early, I like to putter in the morning” reading the newspaper, drinking a cup of coffee and eating breakfast with his children, he said. Mr. Bezos schedules “high IQ” meetings before lunch, and tries Read More…