10 Ladies and Grapefruit 

Missoula, Montana Chamber of Commerce

• Missoula’s Downtown SAM Project Transforms Streets with Citizen Input

  The Downtown Safety, Access, and Mobility project incorporates feedback from 18 citizens to redesign key streets, adding bike lanes and adjusting traffic flow. This collaborative effort aims to enhance urban mobility while preserving the community’s character and trees.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top 10 for 5/17/26

  NeighborWorks Great Falls and Great Falls Public Schools celebrated the completion of their 48th High School House. NWGF and GFPS have partnered since 1997 to bring the High School House program to our community; see KRTV. Students from Great Falls High and C.M. Russell built the home from the ground up and gained real-world construction experience. The finished house will soon be home to a first-time homebuyer. Great work!

• The Upslope Group in Great Falls, Montana Breaks Ground on 163-Lot Housing Project

  Meadowview Village aims to address urgent housing shortages with off-site construction and community amenities. The project promises faster delivery and true homeownership opportunities, moving beyond traditional lot-rent models.

Montana Business

• Slow Bets – Small, Boring, Yours – Don’t Overthink Your First Slow Bet

  Ok, so you’re saying I need to build a business. But I have no idea where to start.

  That’s normal.

• Montana Brewing Industry Boosts State Economy by $574 Million

  Montana’s brewing sector, including 94 breweries statewide, plays a vital role beyond beer production. The upcoming Spring Rendezvous festival highlights the community and economic impact of local breweries.

• Montana Festival – 6/11-12 – Bozeman

  Montana Festival is an annual celebration bringing together the top entrepreneurs, architects, business leaders, startup operators, innovators, artists, investors, culture creators, designers, community builders, movers, shakers and policymakers from across Montana and around the world to forge new friendships and catalyze Made in Montana ideas, projects, companies, and policy solutions to positively shape our shared future.

• BLM to Rescind Conservation Rule on Public Land – Conservation No Longer a Co-equal Goal.

  The BLM’s decision reverses the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, which treated conservation as a co-equal use of public lands alongside mining, grazing, and energy development. This marks a structural shift toward prioritizing energy extraction on federally managed lands.

• Chinese Automakers Are Going To Take Over The World

  Chinese companies like BYD and XPENG are expanding factories worldwide and gaining market share as Western automakers lose ground in China. This shift could reshape vehicle availability and supply chains in Montana, especially in rural areas.

• Serendipity Farms Grows Organic Mushrooms in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley

  Gina Tiernan and Justin Nelson have transformed a Corvallis equestrian center into a farm specializing in gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Their upcoming farm stand will connect locals with these rare, healthy foods and expand Bitterroot’s agricultural diversity.

• The folks over at Land ID came out with a list of called “America’s Next Mountain Boom Towns” this Montana town not only made the list, but it ranked first.

  Its affordability is signaling new opportunities for businesses and investors. Its rise reflects shifting residential and economic trends across Montana’s diverse towns.

• The tech job market is a bloodbath. It’s likely going to get even worse.

  This 2026 surge almost rivals the first significant wave of layoffs of 2023

• Mountain Munchies Cuts Costs and Boosts Efficiency with Expert Help – Montana Manufacturing Extension Center

  Partnering with MMEC and Montana State University, Mountain Munchies refined its processes to reduce expenses and embrace zero-waste principles. This collaboration highlights how targeted advisory and sustainability efforts can transform small manufacturers.

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• The Brands Winning Right Now Aren’t Running More Ads—They’re Building Presence

  The brands that are breaking through right now are not doing it by outspending. They are doing it by engineering a presence at the exact moment loyalty is most likely to form.

Montana’s American Prairie

• How Interior helped pushed bison off Montana’s federal lands

  In an uncommon move, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum intervened in a case that involved the former legal clients of Karen Budd-Falen, one of his top deputies.

YOUR MONTANA CAREER

• 10 Ladies and Grapefruit 

  While traveling in Ireland, I’ve learned a lot about the oppression that the Irish have suffered for hundreds of years. This is a great story about how one group of women felt compelled to do something about it.  I hope we can all learn something from it, especially in these challenging times.

• The Perennial Labor Stat That Proves Millennials and Gen-Z Are Wrong About College

  Most workers 25 and up claim college was a waste of money, but 20 years of data show a clear link between a degree and minuscule unemployment.

• Montana Faces Critical Shortages in Education and Childcare Workforce

  Below-average wages and a lack of qualified candidates threaten Montana’s education and childcare sectors. The Department of Labor plans to launch an apprenticeship program to help address these persistent workforce challenges.

• Montana Launches Paid Teacher Apprenticeships to Fill Staffing Gaps

  The new program combines on-the-job training with college courses to recruit and retain educators. Apprentices earn a paycheck while working toward licensure, targeting high-need areas including special education.

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

• Montana State University named one of top design schools in U.S.

  MSU’s graphic design program gained national recognition for innovation and real-world project integration. Students’ community collaborations and faculty mentorship highlight the program’s role in preparing students for professional success.

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Pete Buttigieg visits Butte to discuss removing corporate money from Montana politics

  “You have a chance to show that there are practical, lawful steps to help us reclaim democratic control and put we, us, the people, back in the center of our politics,” Buttigieg said.

• LoLA Presents a Conversation with Rylee Sommers-Flanagan Executive Director of Upper Seven Law – 6/30 – Missoula Food Bank and Community Center
  Upper Seven Law is a 501(c)(3) Montana-based nonprofit law firm dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. Based on the belief that creativity and innovation in law are essential to advancing social justice and public interest objectives, this firm takes smart risks and invests the time necessary to build foundations for long-term accountability work.

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