“If your plan is for 1 year,plant rice;
If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees;
If your plan is for 100 years, educate children.”

Confucius

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Shadow Ridge Analytics – Guiding Innovation from Vision to Value

  Your Partner in Technology Transfer and Beyond
  Whether we’re working with a nationwide leader in technology or the latest startup idea, our mission is the same:
  To seamlessly transform groundbreaking research into market-ready solutions, driving innovation and creating value through exceptional technology commercialization services.

• What is the REAL Co-Lab at the University of Montana?

  The Rural Entrepreneurship and Leadership Co-Lab (REAL Co-Lab), is an initiative of the University of Montana. We are committed to better understanding and supporting the unique challenges faced by rural entrepreneurs, leaders, and their communities nationwide. Our mission is to deliver actionable insights through studies, experiments, and pilot programs to support U.S. rural economies.

• Citing labor shortage, Montana Stockgrowers Association calls for expansion of foreign worker program

  “If you’re at the point of needing to hire foreign labor, you have exhausted every opportunity there is.” “The rule-changing that we wanted to really bring to the forefront is, there are businesses other than just your traditional farms and ranches that really need help from a labor standpoint,” Montana Stockgrowers executive Turk Stovall says.

• The Worst-Case Future for White-Collar Workers

  The well-off have no experience with the job market that might be coming. The labor market for office workers is beginning to shift. Americans with a bachelor’s degree account for a quarter of the unemployed, a record. High-school graduates are finding jobs quicker than college graduates, an unprecedented trend.

Missoula, Montana Chamber of Commerce

• Missoula Community Media Resource Spring Break Media Camp for Kids 8 to 14 yrs old – 4/6-10 –

  MCAT has a fun-filled activity during MCPS Spring Break for media makers aged 8 to 14. Spring Flicks Media Camp runs from starts April 6th Monday thru Friday April 10th.

• Plans to improve Missoula’s Reserve Street now finalized

  The roadway saw over 1,600 crashes from 2019 to 2023, with 63 of those crashes resulting in serious injuries. Three were deadly.

Great Falls Montana Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 2-22-26

  Another solid week working with a wide array of clients and partners to move deals through the pipeline. Please refer colleagues to us who are working on business start-ups, profitability or expansions and commercial real estate and housing developments. We can probably connect them with resources and services that can help. Have a great week!

• Minority business owners highlight community and culture in Great Falls, Montana – Black History is always occuring

  During Black History Month, stories from minority business owners in Great Falls provide a closer look at how culture, resiliency, and entrepreneurship are shaping the city.

Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative

• Montana Bioscience Alliance – Why Prescription Drug Prices Seem So Broken with Antonio Ciaccia

  The episode also highlights a Montana example, Bear Grass Drug, as a model for clear, upfront pharmacy pricing.

• Blood test “clocks” predict when Alzheimer’s symptoms will start

  Estimating the onset of symptoms could speed development of preventive treatments

Montana Business

• Workers Are Afraid AI Will Take Their Jobs. They’re Missing the Bigger Danger.

  This debate misses a crucial dynamic. Right now, workers are potentially training AI how to make them obsolete. And they often don’t realize it.

Visit Montana

• Meet Zazu, part of the avalanche rescue dog patrol at Montana’s Big Sky Resort – Search and rescue (SAR) dog organizations in Montana

  Montana’s rugged landscape and deep snow conditions may make avalanche rescue dogs especially valuable here, as their ability to navigate challenging terrain could provide a crucial advantage when technology fails or time is critical.

• ‘My career is over’: Inside Trump’s latest national parks purge

  NPS quietly guts park storytelling staff nationwide

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• The “Silver Tsunami” – Starting a business after 40 is increasingly seen as an advantage, not a risk.

  Montana businesses may find this trend particularly relevant as midlife entrepreneurs could leverage their seasoned judgment to navigate the state’s unique economic and geographic challenges. The emphasis on durable companies and caregiving realities might resonate in Montana’s communities, where balancing family obligations and business growth is often essential. This demographic shift might encourage more sustainable, locally rooted enterprises across the state.

• Winning in the Attention Economy – 2/26 – Online

  Your Next Move features authentic and insightful conversations with some of today’s most innovative and exciting entrepreneurs and business leaders. In our newest Your Next Move virtual event, serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth will offer insights into how to turn social-first strategies into powerful brand-building engines that drive real results.

City Club Missoula, Montana

• City Club Missoula – Partnership Health Center: Charting New Paths in an Evolving Healthcare Landscape Monday, March 9, 2026

  Partnership Health Center (PHC) presents on the evolving healthcare landscape and what that means for Missoulians. We will also discuss how health centers strengthen the healthcare safety net by expanding access to affordable care for everyone, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

Montana’s American Prairie

• John McIltrot: Revoking American Prairie bison leases won’t save the cowboy

  The impetus of this decision is 100% political. It’s because the leaseholder is American Prairie. But the stated reason is because these bison aren’t sold at market.

Montana Energy and Transportation

• Other Montana cities have robust public transit systems. Why not Helena? – Atlanta to host first fully automated on-demand public transit system

  Some Montana cities use special tax districts to fund buses and a dedicated system for people with disabilities. Helena officials are unsure if voters would get on board with such a measure.

• Silicon Valley is building a shadow power grid for data centers across the U.S.

  One West Virginia project is permitted to generate several times the state’s total residential electricity consumption. A single Texas project, GW Ranch, will consume more power than Chicago—without a single new transmission line.

• Tesla Receives FCC Waiver for Cybercab (no steering wheel or pedals) Wireless Charging System

  “The Tesla positioning system is an impulse UWB radio system that enables peer-to-peer communications between a UWB transceiver installed on an electric vehicle (EV) and a second UWB transceiver installed on a ground-level pad, which could be located outdoors, to achieve optimal positioning for the EV to charge wirelessly.

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

• Kalispell, Montana girls robotics team qualifies for worlds, launches community fundraising effort

  Donations can be made through the team’s GoFundMe account, checks and business sponsorships.

• Code Girls United celebrates App Challenge winners

  Code Girls United announced this week that its students have won the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for both of Montana’s Congressional Districts. Both of the winning teams created apps during Code Girls United’s students after-school program.

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