Montana Business

"The service coordinators funded through these programs open doors that help HUD-assisted families find jobs, access services and assist the elderly and disabled to continue living as independently as possible in their homes."

The company’s next push is to expand further into the RV market.

Blackhawk Products, a subsidiary of the defense contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., has broken ground on an 80,000-square-foot factory in Manhattan. The company could bring 175 jobs to Manhattan in the next few years.

Mr. Spika says his business could rebound by expanding into overseas markets. He sees opportunity in South America and Asia but moving into those regions has been a challenge due to import and export restrictions and tariffs from the U.S. and foreign governments.

"It was just a great opportunity for two companies that are nearly identical in culture and business makeup to get together," said Roscoe president and chief operating officer Bill Lundberg. "The sum of the new company is greater than the sum of the individual parts."

"The recovery is gaining momentum in Montana and across the U.S.," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "Montana’s abundant natural resources has helped it maintain jobs that are difficult to outsource."

"We are thrilled with the reward of grant dollars for this large project," states Greg Drapes, CEO of Monida Healthcare Network, "these funds will enable us to rapidly bring technical assistance and centralized planning and coordination for six Critical Access Hospitals in our region."

An Illinois investment company that bought an old container manufacturer west of Missoula hopes to turn the 3,200-acre site along the Clark Fork River into a magnet for green jobs.

"Oil is crude, your products shouldn’t be," is one of Blue Marble’s slogan.

"You always have a certain amount of the workforce that comes and goes, but for the most part, we have a lot of longevity, which makes a difference," Wahlert said. "And your employees are vested in making the company succeed. Everyone is accountable."