Featured Articles in Business

Gianforte, Montana Chamber to Host Energy Summit in Bozeman

Governor Greg Gianforte and the Montana Chamber of Commerce will host the 2nd Annual Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit on Thursday, October 16, in Bozeman, bringing together business leaders, policymakers, and energy experts to focus on the theme of unleashing American-made energy in Montana. “With rising demand on our energy grid, Montana must continue Read More…

Department of Energy returning $13B climate agenda funding to taxpayers

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Energy will be returning to American taxpayers $13 billion in “unobligated wasteful spending” that was originally intended for former President Joe Biden’s climate agenda. In response, Larry Behrens from Power the Future told The Center Square that “by returning $13 billion, the Department of Energy under President Read More…

All in: Business

Target drops popular perk for shoppers after more than a decade

Target is dropping its price-matching policy with rivals Walmart and Amazon after more than a decade as the company aims to reposition itself amid slowing sales and competitive pressure. Under its new Price Match Guarantee policy, taking effect July 28, customers of the Minneapolis-based retail giant will be able to price match other Target products in the Read More…

Trump makes gains on economy, policy with small business owners, even among Democrats

Join us for Small Business Playbook Virtual Event on August 6th! Register now! Small Business Playbook Events Small Business Playbook Event 2025 Concerns about inflation and tariffs are still relatively high on Main Street, but small business owners are more confident in the economy and business outlook than earlier in 2025. President Trump’s approval ratings Read More…

Simplot to Acquire Clarebout Potatoes

The J.R. Simplot Company and Clarebout Potatoes announced this week Simplot’s intention to acquire the operating business of Clarebout, in a move that unites two family-owned leaders in the frozen potato industry. The transaction, expected to close in 2025 pending regulatory approvals, will significantly expand Simplot’s footprint in Europe and enhance its global processing and Read More…

KRAMBU Unveils Plans for World’s Most Sustainable AI Factory in Montana

KRAMBU, Inc., a sustainable high-performance computing infrastructure company, announced this week the development of a next-generation AI data center campus in Montana—what the company is calling the world’s most sustainable “AI Factory.” The project is designed to redefine the future of artificial intelligence infrastructure by integrating direct liquid cooling (DLC) technology, renewable energy sources, and Read More…

Bozeman Tops List as Most Expensive U.S. Airport for Summer Car Rentals, Survey Finds

Travelers heading to Montana this summer may face sticker shock at the rental car counter. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) has been named the most expensive airport in the country for car rentals, according to a new survey from travel website Cheapcarrental.com. The survey, which analyzed rental rates across 100 U.S. airports for the peak Read More…

Irrigation in Montana: Sustaining agriculture, landscapes and communities

Montana’s wide-open spaces and fluctuating climate make water a precious resource. Across the state, irrigation is central not only to agriculture but also to the health of residential landscapes and community green spaces. From century-old canal systems feeding hay fields to backyard sprinklers keeping lawns green in dry summers, water use in Montana requires careful Read More…

Bridger Aerospace Welcomes Executive Order to Reshape Wildland Firefighting

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BAER), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, today praised the recent Executive Order aimed at restructuring the U.S. wildland firefighting system and emphasized the impact of a significant increase in the Department of the Interior’s fiscal 2026 budget request. Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, said, “Bridger Read More…

Gianforte Appoints Marta Bertoglio as Department of Commerce Director

Governor Greg Gianforte announced the appointment of State Representative Marta Bertoglio as the new Director of the Montana Department of Commerce, signaling a continued focus on economic growth and job creation in the state. “Marta has been a strong partner in the Legislature and is a driven leader, dedicated to making Montana the best place Read More…

Performance Engineering Earns National Honors

Performance Engineering continues to gain national attention for combining rapid growth with a people-first workplace culture, earning two prestigious 2025 awards from the Zweig Group: Best Firms to Work For and Hot Firm. The Montana-based civil engineering firm was recognized as one of the 100 fastest-growing Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms in the U.S. Read More…

Clearwater Properties Honors Top-Producing Agents of 2024 Across the Mountain West

Clearwater Properties, a leading real estate brokerage in the Mountain West, has announced the recipients of its prestigious Top Producer Awards for 2024, recognizing the firm’s ten highest-performing agents and brokers across the region in total sales volume. The annual awards, presented each April, celebrate not only exceptional production but also the agents’ deep commitment Read More…

Trump’s tax bill could end popular ‘SALT’ deduction workaround for certain business owners

Currently, many pass-through businesses use a workaround — the pass-through entity, or PTE, tax — to bypass the $10,000 limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT. The House-approved bill could block certain pass-through businesses from using the popular state-level tax break. However, this provision could still face changes amid Read More…

House Republican budget bill calls for bigger ‘pass-through’ business tax break. Who could benefit

For 2025, the Section 199A deduction for qualified business income, or QBI, is worth up to 20% of eligible revenue, with some limitations. This applies to so-called pass-through businesses, including sole proprietors, partnerships and S-corporations, along with some trusts and estates. The House Republican bill would make the deduction permanent, raise the maximum tax break Read More…

Daktronics to Participate in Craig-Hallum’s 22nd Annual Institutional Investor Conference

Daktronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DAKT), a dynamic video communication displays and control systems company, announced today that Interim Chief Executive Officer Brad Wiemann and Acting Chief Financial Officer Howard Atkins will represent the company at the Craig-Hallum Capital Group’s 22nd Annual Institutional Investor Conference. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Minneapolis, Read More…

Bridger Aerospace Lands Record-Breaking Wildfire Contracts for Super Scooper Aircraft

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BAER, BAERW), one of the nation’s leading aerial firefighting companies, announced today it has secured two unprecedented 120-day task orders from the U.S. Forest Service for its fleet of CL-415EAF “Super Scooper” aircraft. The contracts, each covering two aircraft, mark the longest task orders ever awarded to Bridger for Read More…

Montana Ranks Third Nationally for Lowest Unemployment

Montana continues to outperform much of the nation in employment, ranking third among U.S. states for the lowest unemployment rate, Governor Greg Gianforte announced. The state’s jobless rate held steady at 2.7% in April, trailing only South Dakota and North Dakota. The figure marks an ongoing trend of low unemployment in Montana, maintaining 46 consecutive Read More…

Buckskin Mine Honored with 2025 DEQ Excellence in Mining Reclamation Award

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has awarded the 2025 Excellence in Mining Reclamation Award in the coal category to the Buckskin Mine for its outstanding work restoring native sagebrush habitat in Campbell County. The award, which recognizes exceptional achievements in mine reclamation, will be officially presented during the 69th Annual Wyoming Mining Association Read More…

Berkshire Hathaway Surpasses Federal Reserve in T-Bill Holdings

Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate helmed by legendary investor Warren Buffett, has become the largest private holder of short-term U.S. government debt — and now holds more Treasury bills than even the U.S. Federal Reserve. In its latest earnings report released Saturday, Berkshire revealed it now holds $314.1 billion in short-term Treasuries as of March 31, Read More…

Microsoft Marks 50th Anniversary

Microsoft the technology titan that reshaped personal computing, celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 4, 2025, reflecting on a storied legacy while charting an ambitious path forward in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company has evolved from a scrappy software startup to a $3 trillion Read More…

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Invests $900 Million in Howard Hughes Holdings

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, through his hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, has made a significant move by investing $900 million in Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HHH), increasing his stake to 46.9% and positioning the real estate developer as a platform for a diversified holding company modeled after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. The announcement, Read More…

China tariff ‘stacking’ pushes true cost of import taxes well above 30% on many consumer products

The Trump administration trade deal with China which paused the steepest tariffs on Chinese goods is not offering much relief to importers that face “stacking” of multiple import taxes sending the true cost well above 30%. From apparel to footwear, swimsuits to backpacks, tariff bills range from 40%-70%. Walmart said this week that prices will Read More…

Women small business owners are more worried than men about Trump’s tariffs and the economy

Small Business Playbook Events Women business owners express more concern about inflation, the economy, and a potential recession than male counterparts, according to the latest CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey for Q2 2025. Approval ratings of President Trump and his tariffs policy are both much lower among women who own businesses than among male small business Read More…

America’s small businesses preparing for recession with Trump tariffs: CNBC|SurveyMonkey survey

Founding Members CNBC CFO Council Just 30% of small business owners said they would rate the current state of the economy as excellent or good, according to the latest quarterly CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey. While inflation and consumer demand continue to roil small business owners, it’s the threat of the potential Trump tariffs that is Read More…

In 3 months, federal oil, gas lease sales total $39 million in 5 western states

(The Center Square) – The Trump administration is continuing to reverse Biden administration energy policies, including its moratorium on new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal land and offshore waters. In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Unleashing American Energy,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order to reduce regulatory burdens and Read More…