June 11, 1977 – Apple Computer officially began shipping its first Apple II computers, revolutionizing the personal computing industry and changing our lives forever.   For all of us old folks, remembering our lives before then is hard to do.  What was your life like then? 

Missoula, Montana Chamber of Commerce

• Montana Sees More Business Openings Than Closures in 2026

  Despite some challenges, Montana’s business environment remains resilient with more startups launching than shutting down. This positive trend highlights the state’s capacity to support entrepreneurial activity amid economic pressures.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Top for 6/8/26 – Janicki Industries is expanding to Great Falls, Montana and they’re recruiting talent!

  Our neighbors, friends, and family will make up the next generation of this incredible family and employed owned aerospace company. Janicki Industries builds one of a kind parts for aerospace and will hire all levels of employees. Because they are so specialized, most of their team will be trained on site, providing incredibly rewarding positions for many years to come. We are working with the team to create a project page with frequently asked questions. In the mean time, reach out to me with questions [email protected].

• Montana Rural Impact Forum – 9/9-10 – Great Falls

  Connect with federal partners and programs to support thriving communities.

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.

University of Montana College of Business

• The 2 Questions I Ask Before Investing in Any Startup (and Which Most Founders Get Wrong)

  That’s it. Two minutes, four ingredients, and I’m leaning in.

Montana Business

• What’s Up Missoula grocery deals · Week of June 8 – This week’s best deals, in one place.

  Hey Missoula friends, I’m working on a website to help track things around our city. I’m starting with food prices/deals at our local grocery stores. Not all stores are working yet (Albersons…..) but most are! I would love to hear some feedback on this site. If you have the time, check it out

• Montana Tech Launches Broadband Job Training Programs by 2026 – TDS Telecom to offer scholarships

  Highlands College of Montana Tech is introducing three micro-credential programs to prepare workers for broadband infrastructure roles. A mobile training van will bring fiber splicing instruction directly to rural communities, enhancing hands-on learning opportunities.

• RIP John Simms — skier, angler, entrepreneur (Simms Fishing) and artist — pioneered a dizzying ski run at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and took its secret to the grave. Who was first down S&S Couloir?

  In the rarified world of ski history, being the first carries significance. So the story of S&S remains incomplete.

• The Western Montana Food and Farm Trail connects folks, farms, and flavor – June 1–October 31

  The Western Montana Food & Farm Trail is an interactive, self-guided adventure connecting you with the farms, flavors, and folks that shape our region’s vibrant local food community. With more than 100 stops across the Missoula, Bitterroot, and Flathead Valleys, the Trail invites you to meet the growers, taste what’s in season, and experience the culture and care behind the farms, markets, restaurants, and food businesses committed to local food.

• Airbnb Launches Grocery Delivery for Guests Before Arrival

  Airbnb now allows guests in 25 U.S. cities to order groceries up to three weeks before check-in through a new Instacart-powered feature. This service aims to simplify arrivals and improve the rental experience with convenient food provisioning.

• Montana Cities Face High Costs to Meet New Land Use Rules

  Montana cities are spending millions to comply with the Land Use Planning Act, updating zoning and public input processes. While federal grants help, smaller cities struggle with accelerated timelines and increased staffing demands.

• Montana Career Opportunity – Digital Demand Marketer – Bridger Photonics

  We’re at a really exciting stage of growth right now at Bridger Photonics. Across the energy industry, operators are increasingly turning to Bridger because our technology and data are delivering real operational results. That momentum is fueling everything from new product launches and global expansion to industry awards and growing partnerships across the market. As part of that growth, I’m hiring a Digital Demand Marketer to help scale and shape our digital marketing engine. This is an exciting opportunity for someone to join as a founding marketer and help build modern B2B demand generation strategies from the ground up, spanning…

• Slowbets – Compounding

  The most boring force in the universe. Also the most powerful.

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• Weekly Resets Boost Entrepreneurial Focus and Execution

  Entrepreneurs are encouraged to adopt a 30- to 60-minute weekly pause to review key metrics and realign priorities. This practice helps prevent small issues from compounding and keeps teams aligned despite busy schedules.

City Club Missoula, Montana

• Calling All Nonprofit Organizations: Take Action: Submit comments opposing huge changes to OMB guidelines

  If implemented, these changes would create significant financial risk and instability for grantees, making it far more difficult to deliver vital services to communities

Montana’s American Prairie

• Conservationists Go To Bat For Bison, Montana’s American Prairie And The Law

  What’s happening now in the heart of the wide-open West in Montana is something of national importance. Its outcome has huge implications for hundreds of millions of acres from the Pacific to the Mississippi

• American Prairie sues Montana DNRC for Six-Year Delay of bison grazing permits

  American Prairie has sued Montana’s DNRC for refusing to complete an environmental review or renew a lease that expired in 2019. The dispute reveals tensions between state regulatory timelines and political opposition to bison grazing on state trust lands.

YOUR MONTANA CAREER

• Launch Your Career in Biotech Quality Systems –  July 27–31, 2026 – University of Montana

  This modular Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Graduate Certificate Program—offered through a strategic partnership between the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Extended Studies, the University of Montana (UM), and the Montana Biotechnology Center (BIOTECH)—is designed to provide unmatched flexibility and industry alignment.

• How Long Do You Want to Live? Age-Reversing Injection

  The gene therapy involves returning cells to their younger states so they can become resilient to disease, but not all the way to their newborn stem cell state.

Montana Energy and Transportation

• Amazon Expands Less-Than-Truckload Shipping Nationwide – Sparks Freight Stock Sell-Off

  Amazon’s new service offers less-than-truckload shipping to all businesses, challenging established freight carriers. This move caused major freight stocks to drop and signals ongoing disruption in the logistics industry.

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

• Will there come a time when we don’t need to sleep?

  The finding suggests the brain may not need to be fully asleep to perform some of its overnight maintenance.

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