MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Montana’s Coming Business Transition and Why Owners Must Always Be Building for a Sale

  Across Montana, a quiet but profound economic shift is approaching as Baby Boomer business owners near retirement age without clear plans to pass their companies on. This matters deeply to the state because locally owned businesses anchor Montana’s communities, from Main Street service firms to manufacturers and growing tech companies.

• Can Tourists Carry the Tax Load or Will Residents? What a Sales Tax Debate Means for Montana

  The state’s Legislative Fiscal Division estimates that 88% of a state sales tax would fall on the shoulders of state residents. Proportionally, more tax is collected from out-of-state residents through property taxes than a sales tax capped at 4%, Michael said.

• Save the Date! April 16 – Butte Local Development Corporation Annual 2026 Dinner and Awards Ceremony

  Sponsorship Packages Available

Bear Paw Development Montana

• “Ski Knee-Deep, Cheap” – Bear Paw Ski Bowl Shows How Tribal Stewardship Keeps Skiing Affordable and Community Centered in Eastern Montana

  As lift ticket prices soar elsewhere, Bear Paw’s low cost model, with tickets starting at ten dollars and free skiing for young children and elders, helps keep winter tourism within reach for Montanans and visitors alike.

Missoula, Montana Chamber of Commerce

• Forest Conversations by the Missoula Chamber Forest Resources Committee – 2/11

  The Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce’s Forest Resources Committee invites the public to attend the second 2026 Forest Conversations event on Wednesday, February 11, from 6:00–7:30 p.m., featuring an in-depth discussion on ponderosa pine forests and the unique challenges of managing local ponderosa pine ecosystems.

• The Green brothers are turning Crash Course production company into a nonprofit

  Hank and John Green, YouTube icons and creators of online education shows Crash Course and SciShow, are handing over their famed production company Complexly to the public, transitioning to a nonprofit model as it combats online slop farms.

Montana Business

• Dale and Janet Veseth donate 38,000 acres in southern Phillips County, Montana, the largest working ranch donation in state history to preserve local voices, stewardship legacy

  “I think agriculture’s at a crossroads,” Veseth says. “We can either go on and hope that our production keeps improving, or we can learn how to live in our environment with all the other factors out there.”

• Is Your Doctor Real or Is It Memorex? – AI Primary Care Is Expanding Nationwide and Montana’s Health System Is Likely Next

  For Montana physicians and hospitals, the growth of AI supported primary care presents both opportunity and pressure. Hospitals could use these tools to reduce overcrowding in emergency departments, extend services into remote areas, and ease administrative burdens that contribute to burnout. At the same time, physicians may worry that heavy investment in AI could divert funding away from recruiting and retaining in state doctors, particularly in family medicine and internal medicine.

• Snow Is Way Behind in the West This Season. Here’s What the Numbers Say.

  Wyoming and Montana resorts were sitting between 73 to 80 percent open as of Dec. 31.

Visit Montana

• An iconic species is declining in Glacier National Park

  Researchers found Glacier National Park’s mountain goats have declined by 45%

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• Y Combinator Just Released Its Latest Startup Wishlist. Here’s Every Idea It Has for Founders

  The accelerator’s new ‘Requests for Startups’ covers everything from AI hedge funds to advanced metal mills.

Montana’s American Prairie

• Randy Gray: American Prairie — here are the facts on the ground

  This decision is one of capricious overreach, violating equal protection and establishing a dangerous and destabilizing precedent. BLM lands are owned by ALL Americans, not just adjacent cattle ranchers.

Hellgate Venture Network

• Hellgate Venture Network – February Guest Speaker: Lisa Simon Owner of Radius Gallery – 2/19 – Missoula

  Radius’s intention is to be a place of interest for everyone, an advocate for inclusion and open-mindedness in our community, and an entity that bolsters other art initiatives in Missoula and throughout Montana.

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

• Montana Tech to open new iron and steelmaking laboratory in Butte

  University officials say the new laboratory will support undergraduate and graduate instruction, applied research, workforce development and industry collaboration in metallurgical and materials engineering.

• Montana High Schools, Colleges are Preparing Montana’s Future Leaders for an AI Driven World

  Across Montana, students from elementary school through college are gaining early exposure to artificial intelligence through after school programs, peer to peer learning, and higher education coursework, an effort that is shaping the state’s future workforce and civic leadership.

University of Montana & Montana State University Tech Transfer

• Why Montana Needs a Statewide Innovation Exchange to Turn University Research Into Economic Growth

  Across Montana, universities generate valuable research in engineering, health sciences, energy, agriculture, and emerging technologies, yet much of that work remains difficult for businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors to find and use. A program modeled on Tennessee’s Innovation Exchange shows why creating a single, statewide platform to connect academic research with industry matters so much for Montana.

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