MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Western Governor’s Association – Building Resilient and Affordable New Developments in the West

  The 2025 WGA Chair initiative of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Building Resilient and Affordable New Developments in the West (BRAND West), will focus on expanding access to housing in western states.  The initiative will examine strategies to address housing availability and affordability and promote smart and sustainable development in communities throughout the West.

• A New Angle Podcast – Paul Reichert of Prospera on supporting small businesses in southwest Montana

  If Paul had a magic wand, what would he change to make operating and/or owning a small business in Montana easier?

• Petition to Save the Adventure Cycling Association Headquarters in Missoula, Montana
  On June 23, 2025, the Board of Directors of the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) took the unprecedented step of listing the organization’s headquarters at 150 E. Pine Street in Missoula, Montana for sale—without any notice or consultation with Adventure Cycling members and supporters.

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• ReWild Ranch in Alberton, Montana Combines Agriculture and Tourism to Provide a Unique Montana Experience

  This summer, they are opening up an “eco-lodge” to host up to 12 people. Jill Demers is a nutrition therapist and plans to host classes and, eventually, community events.

TechLink

• VA discoveries for treating lethal glioblastomas ready for development partner

  The VA is now looking for commercial partners to advance three recent discoveries into new therapies for veterans and civilians.

Montana Business

• BEWARE – Hertz and Other Agencies Are Using AI to Scan Your Rental Car for Damage, and It Might Cost You

  A report from The Drive said that a reader who experienced the system was asked to pay $190 in processing and administrative fees to repair a roughly one-inch scrape on a wheel.

Regional Economic Development

• Tech billionaires are making a risky bet with humanity’s future – ‘Mountainhead’ could be real

  “The best way to predict the future is to invent it,” the famed computer scientist Alan Kay once said. Uttered more out of exasperation than as inspiration, his remark has nevertheless attained gospel-like status among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, in particular a handful of tech billionaires who fancy themselves the chief architects of humanity’s future. Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and others may have slightly different goals and ambitions in the near term, but their grand visions for the next decade and beyond are remarkably similar.

• 1,000-pound wheels and robots now farming Dyson strawberries

  A new video takes you inside Dyson’s impressive vertical farming operation, which is home to 1,225,000 strawberry plants and shows you how the company is applying its manufacturing knowledge to producing homegrown food for British consumers.

YOUR CAREER

• Here’s What Mark Zuckerberg Is Offering Top AI Talent

  As Mark Zuckerberg staffs up Meta’s new superintelligence lab, he’s offered top tier research talent pay packages of up to $300 million over four years, with more than $100 million in total compensation for the first year, WIRED has learned.

• Simple scan lets you slow down aging and even prevent chronic disease

  Getting the jump on degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease could have a huge impact on health outcomes later in life.

• Losing Passion for Your Job? Why Quitting Might Be the Right Move

  At times, quitting just might be the right move, opening up opportunities for people to pursue new passions, he says.

Energy and Transportation

• Robotaxi 3-Way Match Shaping Up Between Zoox, Waymo, And The MechaHitler GrokMobile

  If You Need A Robotaxi, Who You Gonna Call?

• Waymo Teen Accounts Offer Peace of Mind for Phoenix Families

  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.

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

• ‘Puts Montana on the map’: University of Montana to offer new entertainment management major

  As the entertainment industry grows, UM is “committed to preparing highly skilled, well-trained and workforce-ready graduates to meet the evolving demands of this dynamic sector,” said Suzanne Tilleman, dean of UM’s College of Business, in a statement.

• Federal funding freeze threatens adult education programs in Missoula

  The Lifelong Learning Center has programs that offer education for adults and adolescents alike.

University of Montana & Montana State University Tech Transfer

• Montana State University Technology transfer helps maximize impact of Montana  plant cultivars

  Thanks to two unique licensing agreements, new camelina cultivars developed at Montana State University will have the opportunity to make maximum societal and commercial impact.

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

• Want to see what happens when someone becomes an AI billionaire ? Watch “Mountainhead” on HULU and be very very afraid.

  A wry smackdown of four insanely rich bros hanging out at a gaudy estate in the Utah mountains, the movie generates a decent amount of laughs, but it’s best when Armstrong puts satire aside for rage, seething at the tech kingpins destroying our society to increase their profits. If Succession was a bitingly hilarious drama, Mountainhead is an ostensible comedy in which the laughs get caught in your throat.

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