The Creative and Cultural Economy

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A ‘soft landing’ or a recession? How the economy is performing in Billings and Montana

The solid hiring revealed in Friday’s jobs report for November, along with a raft of other recent economic data, is boosting hopes that the U.S. economy will achieve a “soft landing” next year rather than a widely feared recession.

All night queue for opening of Krispy Kreme US doughnut shop in Paris. – This must truly mean the end of civilization is nigh…

When the store finally opened at 08:00 on Wednesday (December 6), 300 people were waiting outside, many of whom had been there for hours, with some camping on the street all night.

Why Business Needs “Ignition Schools”

Ignition Schools stoke innovation and mint founders.

City of Missoula to host growth policy workshops – 12/4, 12/6 and 12/13 – Various locations

These workshops will help the City confirm how well the current Growth Policy captures our community values and if we need to update our vision accordingly. The City wants to learn what its residents think and what questions they have and want to get them involved in the update.

GFDA Top Ten for 12/4

3) We hosted an exciting prospect site visit in Great Falls. Thank you to all of our partners for making time to meet and presenting the enthusiasm and opportunity for development in Great Falls. We have another company in town next week! If your company is ready to catch the wave of opportunity in Great Falls please reach out to Jake Clark 1-406-403-4937 or [email protected]  

New Irish restaurant coming to Uptown Butte – Shawn O’Donnell’s Pub

Once open, O’Donnell’s American Grill and Irish Pub will be a place where everyone can have classic Irish dishes like bangers and mash, and fish and chips 365 days a year while being surrounded by an array of memorabilia of Butte, Ireland, and first responders.

Meta AI unveils free ‘Seamless’ translator for real-time communication across languages

SeamlessStreaming enables near real-time translation with only about two seconds of latency. The researchers say it is the “first massively multilingual model” to deliver such fast translation speeds across nearly 100 spoken and written languages.

EDA Headwaters Tech Hub is now open and we need your input

This is an amazing opportunity!  Please read the latest updates from Joseph Thiel, complete with instructions, hyperlinks, and additional documents at the bottom.

State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act Town Hall Set for December 5 Online in Montana

This town hall, hosted by the Montana Department of Commerce (Commerce) and Montana League of Cities and Towns, is an opportunity for representatives from cities and towns to learn about Commerce’s administration of the grant opportunity authorized by the 2023 passage of House Bill 355, the State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act of 2023 (SLIPA). 

Registration Now Open: 2024 NADO & DDAA Washington Conference – 3/11-13 – Washington, D.C.

Join the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) for sessions focused on regional development, the federal landscape, and the programs and policies that matter most to Regional Development Organizations and their stakeholders. 

MATR Sponsor (view all)


Bear Paw Development Corporation is a private non-profit organization created for the purpose of administering programs to help improve regional economic conditions in Hill, Blaine, Liberty, Chouteau and Phillips Counties and the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy's Indian Reservations.

MATR Supporters (view all)


Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative - Collaborative program design and execution and integrated programs fostering innovation, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and sustainable small businesses

Montana Technology Innovation Partnership (MTIP)- Promoting Technology Commercialization in the State of Montana.

Great Falls trade area. Competitive for food, ag, bioprocessing, energy, and support. Closest U.S. metro area to Calgary. Untame Your Entrepreneurial Spirit!