The Population Bust Is Coming Sooner Than Anyone Is Prepared For

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 7/12/26

  Day 1! Janicki Industries broke ground on its aerospace manufacturing campus in the Great Falls AgriTech Park. The $800 million investment in 1.6 million square feet of production space will create over 2,000 jobs at full build-out! Hundreds of community members participated in a town hall, the groundbreaking event and a celebration held downtown. Janicki launched a Montana section in their website with information about the project.

• Janicki is expanding to Great Falls, Montana. 2,000+ Jobs

  Janicki is a privately owned engineering and manufacturing company with locations in Washington, Utah and, soon, Montana. Founded in 1993, Janicki designs and builds composite and metallic tooling, parts, prototypes and assemblies for customers across aerospace, defense, space, marine and other industries. Janicki is one of the largest privately owned Tier 1 aerospace suppliers in the United States, with more than 2,000 employees company wide.

Montana’s Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

• 2026 Greater Northwest Rail Summit and BSPRA Annual Conference  August 25-27 Helena, MT 

  Taking place August 25–27, 2026, in Helena, Montana, this three-day event will feature timely discussions on the future of passenger and freight rail throughout Montana and the region. Attendees will explore how strategic rail investments can strengthen commerce, expand mobility, create jobs, support tourism, and better connect communities across the Greater Northwest.

Montana Business

• Colorado Law Shifts EV Battery Recycling Costs to Manufacturers

  Colorado’s new legislation requires EV manufacturers to cover recycling expenses, addressing costly challenges faced by salvage yards. This law could set a precedent for other states as EV adoption grows.

• The Population Bust Is Coming Sooner Than Anyone Is Prepared For

  What evidence supports these predictions? Birthrates have fallen almost continuously for nearly 20 years, an entire generation. They have fallen through good economies and bad, through Republican administrations and Democratic ones, through every tax credit and child-care subsidy.

• Richard Carl “Dick” King August 3, 1947 ~ June 26, 2026 (age 78)

  He was President and CEO of Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation until his retirement in 2011. Recruiting companies and supporting existing businesses played a large role in creating economic development in Missoula and the surrounding area. Projects were done as a team with MAEDC staff and city/county staff. Dick was extremely proud of the effort that went into obtaining funds to clean up the legacy pollution at the Old Saw Mill District. Its 45 acres now provide housing, a place to work, and recreational opportunities.

• WHAT’S NEXT?! Montana — June 2026 – Frontier Angels

  It was a quite month for the Montana tech scene. I guess everyone is on the river or deep in the backcountry camping. Below please find the latest Montana technology developments from June, 2026.

• Could Data Center Jobs Stop Young Adults From Leaving Wyoming? 70% of its young adults leave by age 30

  Microsoft’s Cheyenne data center offers diverse roles beyond IT, employing former oil workers and veterans. This shift provides local career options that may slow the loss of young adults seeking work elsewhere.

• The recovering tech leader who is empowering women in Lake Tahoe – Do we have similar companies in Montana we can promote?

  She left tech culture. Now she’s leading women’s excursions into the wild.

• Trump Administration Kills Key Habitat Protections for Endangered Species

  The new rule removes the definition of harm that protected critical habitats from logging, mining, and drilling. This regulatory rollback could reshape land use and increase risks for industries relying on natural resource stewardship.

• Data centers are reshaping communities across America. Here’s what you need to know – Missoula County adopts temporary moratorium on data centers

  There are an estimated 4,000+ data centers operating or under development in the United States.

• US Accounted for Nearly 50% of World’s CO2 Emissions Growth in 2025 — Thanks, AI Data Center Explosion

  US electricity demand grew 3 percent in 2025 with coal power surging 13 percent and data centers consuming 40 percent of global data center electricity. Despite a 28 percent increase in renewables, total energy supply growth outpaced clean energy gains, driving emissions higher.

• Headwaters Tech Hub – July 2026 Newsletter – People, Place, Technology

  We are just two months away from the Headwaters Tech Hub Summit. Join us as we dig into real challenges, surface opportunities, and build the relationships that help Montana compete and lead on a national and global stage. Sign up today, early bird pricing expires July 31st.

• Montana Career Opportunities – Global Human Resources Manager, Associate Counsel, Product Developer, Early Childhood Lead Teacher – $1,000 Signing Bonus and more… – Zoot Solutions

  No Suits, Montana Roots Discover fulfilling careers at Zoot, where our dedicated employees focus on delivering the best decisioning engines for some of the largest organizations worldwide. As part of the Zoot team, you’ll join a group of passionate individuals who value work-life balance, including commitments to family, friends, outdoor activities, and environmental causes. We foster a dynamic work environment where our team members are not only dedicated to delivering exceptional results for our clients but also encouraged to pursue their personal passions. Our commitment to careers and a healthy work-life balance, combined with support for our employees’ well-being, promotes…

• Announcing FUND Montana Launch – Where Montana’s builders meet the people who back them.

  It’s a free directory, where Montana’s builders can create a profile, share what they’re working on, and signal what kind of capital or support they’re looking for. This is where investors can start finding the deals they’ve been missing.

• Montana is #45 on Top States for Business 2026 – CNBC

  CNBC’s annual study once again puts all 50 states to the test, measuring them on 138 metrics, the most ever, across ten categories of competitiveness.

Visit Montana

• Bison Throws Man Eight Feet in Yellowstone – Don’t Pet the Fluffy Cows – Video

  A bull bison charged a man and his grandson at Bridge Bay Campground, causing serious injuries. The incident underscores the dangers of people getting too close to bison.

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• Best uninvited pitch response I’ve ever seen… The Angel says no.

  Video

• The Brutal Truth About Customer Loyalty That Most Business Owners Realize Too Late

  Don’t just develop great products or services. Develop the ability to notice when your assumptions stop being true (the market doesn’t send memos) and learn to adapt at the speed of change.

Regional Economic Development

• Barcelona, Spain is aggressively cracking down on overtourism through strict local policies, highlighted by plans to eliminate all short-term tourist apartment rentals by 2028

  As discussed by travelers on the Rick Steves Travel Forum, while physical hostility toward individual visitors is rare, the political and social climate heavily favors curbing mass tourism to make the city livable for locals again.

Rural Montana Communities

• Hey! Quick update on the REAL CO-Lab

  First, can I just say that our Rural Business Roundtable series was one of the most meaningful events of the year?! The business owners and experts who hopped into our calls were honest, authentic, and helped to highlight opportunities where policymakers and stakeholders can make a difference for communities to thrive- or survive, in some cases. I’m really grateful for all the Montana business owners and the experts who joined our calls who are community-minded. THANK YOU!

City Club Missoula, Montana

• July News for Montana Nonprofits

  MNA seeks Indigenous Fundraising Coach – We are looking for proposals from qualified individuals or organizations to provide fundraising coaching tailored to Indigenous fundraisers. Fundraisers will be taking part in MNA’s Fundraising Cohort during this time, receiving additional instruction and resources focused on engaging individual donors alongside a cohort of 20 Montana nonprofit organizations.

Montana’s American Prairie

• 3,000 bison in Yellowstone’s a ‘bs number,’ superintendent tells Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

  “So pardon my frankness about the advice you’re getting on this issue,” Sholly said. “I look at the letter you sent the Interior secretary and wonder who the hell wrote that for you?”

YOUR MONTANA CAREER

• American Loneliness – It’s not an epidemic—it’s an immune system. By Yair Lapid

  The instability you are feeling is not cracking the process—it is the process.

• Is LinkedIn Becoming a Dating App?

  20% of users say they’re using it to find a date.

• The cover letter is officially dead: AI has created a new job-hunting paradox

  Fast Company spoke with Paffenholz to learn more about how AI is reshaping how candidates craft job applications and how job applicants are responding. The cover letter is definitely dead, he says. And if you haven’t started playing around with ChatGPT—and you’re still looking for a job—now might be a good time to start.

Montana Energy and Transportation

• Bozeman Launches Interactive Map Highlighting Accessible Parking- could Missoula be next?

  The new digital map identifies 39 accessible parking spaces and other key features downtown. This tool helps people with disabilities navigate the city more easily and could inspire similar projects statewide.

• Trump Administration Names Climate Skeptic to Head Flagship Federal Climate Research Program

  Climate skeptic Matthew Wielicki’s appointment as USGCRP director has drawn criticism over his qualifications. The future of the Sixth National Climate Assessment remains unclear, raising concerns for businesses relying on federal climate data.

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

• This is why we need state-wide Pre-K education in Montana

  Zero to Five Missoula recently released 2025 Kindergarten Entry Assessment data.

• University of Montana Researchers Launch Free Nationwide Individual Tree and Shrub Height and Structure Dataset

  The University of Montana team created the NAIP-CHM, a detailed vegetation height map at 0.6-meter resolution. This new resource replaces costly surveys and aids land managers in prioritizing treatments and estimating costs.

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