Montana is #1 – America’s Friendliest States — 2026 Study

“I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.” ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

High Plains Financial Montana

• GFDA Top Top for 4-26-26

  GFDA has two great career opportunities — Downtown Great Falls Business Development Officer and Small Business Advisor. Please forward to great candidates!

Montana Business

• Why ‘It’s Not Personal, It’s Business’ Is One of Leadership’s Biggest Lies

  How you handle resignations, retirements, layoffs, and career changes determines whether someone becomes a critic or a lifelong advocate. Former employees become future clients, referrals, and boomerang hires.

• The National Science Board Purge Is A Warning About American Decline

  The sudden removal of National Science Board members replaced scientific authority with political loyalty, threatening the foundation of American science. This shift endangers NSF-funded research across many fields and calls for vigilance from universities and industry to protect research independence.

• Butte Economic Board Faces Key Challenges in Business Park Plans

  The Butte economic board recently acknowledged significant issues affecting their business park development. These unresolved challenges could impact the region’s economic future and offer insights for other Montana communities.

• “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money,” The ugly truths of cryptocurrency. The Daily Show

  Why crypto is not real money, how celebrity advertisements and lack of transparency mislead people on the risk level of their investments, and how criminals permeate the crypto industry, starting with Jeffrey Epstein.

• Missoula, Montana’s Rattlesnake Cable Company Featured at the 2026 Google Business Summit in Washington, D.C.

  The whole experience was incredibly inspiring and motivating to engage with a variety of small businesses – to hear their struggles, their wins, and to develop some great connections with these individuals. As a small business owner, it’s easy to feel isolated, siloed, and somewhat stagnant in the day-to-day. Having energetic conversations with an outside perspective and gaining that confidence from that was a massive win for me.

• Economic turmoil is keeping Canadians away from Montana’s rural businesses

  It’s not just the Canadians. Many attendees say Americans are also tightening their belts.

• Montana Career Opportunity – Engineering Manager, Gibson Guitars – Bozeman

  The job of the Manufacturing Engineering Manager involves planning and executing best practices and advanced methods born from manufacturing engineering knowledge that will dramatically reduce injuries, improve quality, and increase efficiency and throughput within Gibson’s operating footprint. This position is commissioned to transform Gibson’s manufacturing capability through a broad lens of engineered solutions while maintaining the hand-crafted value that customers revere.

• Northwest Montana Joins the Rural Innovation Network

  Northwest Montana has joined the Rural Innovation Network, a national initiative led by the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) that connects rural communities working to build stronger innovation economies through entrepreneurship, tech-based economic development, and local ecosystem building.

• Job Site Ready construction trainings – June 9 – August 2 – Various Communities

  The program combines approximately 30 hours of self-paced online learning with 15 hours of hands-on training, giving participants real exposure to the tools, safety practices, and basic construction skills used on job sites.

• Montana Career Opportunity – Sales & Events Manager – The Depot Billings, Montana

  The Sales & Events Manager is the driving force behind The Depot’s event business. You’re not just filling a calendar — you’re building relationships, making memories, delivering flawless events, and constantly raising the bar.

• MGTeamPlus – Remote Professionals. Real People. Do you need reliable skilled team members?

  We help small and medium sized businesses with their workforce needs by providing them with motivated, experienced, and dependable team members.

• Hellgate Venture Network – Paul Gladen and MGTeam Plus – 5/21 – Missoula

  We are seeking additional sponsors for 2026. Please email our Program Coordinator, Nikki Robb, at [email protected] to learn more.

• Montana is #1 – America’s Friendliest States — 2026 Study

  Montana residents spend an average of 95 minutes daily socializing, volunteering, and helping others.

• You’re Invited! Business Funding Trends in Montana with Rep. Paul Tuss – 4/27 – Online

  In this call, we will discuss funding unpredictability and how Montana businesses are responding with Montana legislator and Bear Paw Development Corporation’s executive director, Paul Tuss.

Visit Montana

• Winnett, Montana wants more tourists; grant funding will help

  The town of Winnett could be the next big Central Montana tourist destination, at least if the members of the Winnett ACES have anything to say about it.

City Club Missoula, Montana

• City Club Missoula Presents: Big Sky Generosity: Statewide Trends, Local Impact, Rural Innovation Day: Monday, May 11th 2026

  **Please note that registration tends to fill up early, and we may not accept walk-ins due to the high demand.

Montana’s 21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• Carroll College to Provide MacBook Neo to Every Incoming First-Year Undergraduate Student

  This gift is made possible by Shelly Goldberg and Ryan McCauley.

• Trump Budget Proposes Ending Federal Library and Museum Funding

  This could have a devastating impact on Montana’s essential libraries and museums

• Why It’s Important to Take A.I. Out of Schools.

  The tech world assumes that A.I.-aided education is necessary and inevitable. A growing number of parents, educators, and cognitive scientists say the opposite.

University of Montana & Montana State University Tech Transfer

• The Stanford Freshmen Who Think They Rule the World – $320 million in rent from tech companies on its campus in 2025.

  Stanford’s deep ties with Silicon Valley venture capital create an exclusive startup culture where connections often outweigh merit. “100 percent of entrepreneurs think they’re visionaries. The data say 99 percent aren’t.” “We’ve lost the moral compass for what we invest into,” Blank told me, sitting in a courtyard in the shadow of the business school. “We’ve lost the sense of shame and the sense of purpose.”

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• National League of Cities Launches Forum for Local Governments to Help City Leaders Leverage AI Effectively

  The National League of Cities has created a forum with 20 members to help municipal leaders responsibly explore AI use. This initiative coincides with Florida’s push for an AI Bill of Rights amid growing concerns over AI’s role in public safety.

VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence, The Internet of Things and Montana

• AI is replacing creativity with ‘average’

  If originality is going to survive—and more importantly, matter—we need to become more intentional about how we think.

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