MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• New Analysis Debunks the Assumption That Air Passenger Growth Drives Economic Growth

  “Allowing uncontrolled aviation growth isn’t just terrible climate policy, it is bad economic policy,” Denise Auclair, Head of T&E’s Travel Smart Campaign

• 80 Percent of Montana Homeowners Get Property Tax Cut With New Reforms

  90 percent see no property tax increase

• Utah Gov. Tells Wyoming Audience Go, Go, Go On Data Centers

  Speaking at the governor’s annual business conference on Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah and Wyoming should embrace the need for data centers. “What’s happening in energy is unlike anything that’s happened in my lifetime,” Cox said.

• Data Center Impacts in the West: Policy Solutions for Water and Energy Use

  AI-driven data centers are straining the West’s energy and water resources. This report outlines how strategic policies can ensure this growth supports—rather than derails—the region’s clean energy and sustainability goals.

• The 12 part Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series Starts 11/17 in Kalispell

  The Business Lifecycle Masterclass Series — a first-of-its-kind, 12-part program designed to equip Montana businesses with practical tools from startup to succession. From foundational planning to advanced growth strategies, the series is a must-attend for anyone serious about building a resilient and successful enterprise in Northwest Montana.

• Episode 1 – A Diagnosis and a Deadline

  And I said, “so how long?” And she said, “I don’t think you’ll live for over two years. And you need to realize that pretty soon your eyes and your ears and your mind will always be the same, but you won’t be able to move your hands, your arms, or your legs. And you won’t be able to talk and communicate. You’ll have to make a choice whether you’re gonna go on a ventilator and how you’re gonna communicate your wishes. So it’s very important that you decide now what you’re gonna do.”

• If the US Has to Build Data Centers, Here’s Where They Should Go… You get one guess

  A new analysis tries to calculate the coming environmental footprint of AI in the US and finds that the ideal sites for data centers aren’t where they’re being built.

• The List: November 2025 – Butte Local Development Corporation

  Team Butte hosted a company visiting from Europe for a Red Carpet Tour of the city, including several potential locations where they might locate an expansion of their business.  The visitors were wowed by the outpouring of hospitality and concrete information supplied that will assist them in making a decision.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

• Climatewire highlights Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s bipartisan momentum

  POLITICO’s Climatewire spotlights the bipartisan durability of intercity passenger rail and names BSPRA’s Big Sky North Coast Corridor as a leading Corridor ID project.
  Passenger rail is having a moment—and Montana is squarely in the frame.

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• University of Montana, Missoula County Public Schools Launch New Inclusive Early Learning Partnership at LAB School

  The addition of an early childhood special education teacher in the LAB setting will better prepare teacher candidates at UM for their future careers, Wilson said. Most teachers, at some point in their careers, will be part of an Individualized Education Plan team or work in conjunction with a specialty service provider, like a speech pathologist. However, getting a window into that type of collaborative work can be challenging.

• Montana Business – Architectural Wood Products And Environmental Fire Science

  AWPMontana.com is the official website for Architectural Wood Products and Environmental Fire Science. From local, exceptional custom cabinetry to worldwide Fuel Moisture Stick fire science solutions, we work with individuals and companies to provide custom solutions that fit your needs.

Northwestern Energy

• NorthWestern Energy adopts plan to shut off power in wildfire situations

  The program started in 2024. NorthWestern Energy staff are now making a point to inform local emergency planning committees across the state about how the program would work.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• This week, in honor of Veterans Day, the Great Falls Development Alliance is proud to highlight local veteran-owned businesses!

  Throughout the week, we’ll be spotlighting these inspiring entrepreneurs, sharing their stories, and celebrating their contributions to our local economy.

Prospera Business Network

• Prospera Upcoming Events and Business Trainings

  Welcome Emily Thompson to Team Prospera! “Fun Fact! I can list every state and capital on demand…. in song form :)”

Montana Business

• Why Most Pitches Fail (and How to Nail Yours) Guy Kawasaki – Smartups: Lessons from Rob Ryan’s Entrepreneur America Boot Camp for Start-Ups

  Let’s face it—most pitches suck. They’re too long, too vague, or too boring. But here’s the good news: crafting a pitch that resonates and leaves a lasting impression isn’t rocket science. It’s about avoiding common mistakes and focusing on what really matters. How can you be that “Red spotted zebra”?

• Reinventing data centres for the AI era with Snowcap

  A new superconducting compute platform could help data centres slash energy use and emissions

• ‘A dying art’: With butchers disappearing, Montana high schools look to step in

  Fergus High School program looks to connect kids with their food

• Montana Career Opportunity – AI Enabled Accountant/Operator – Ledger Collective

  I’m hiring for a new role and need help finding just the right person. I dont yet have a title for it. Here’s the context… Lately I’ve been spending too much time in the weeds of back-office systems (The irony of this isn’t missed on me, considering this is the problem Ledger Collective is trying to solve). Things like setting up payroll and benefits platforms, rolling out new expense management tools, configuring accounting software, and connecting all the pieces so things actually talk to each other. It’s all important work, but not the best use of my time. I’m looking…

Funding and Building your Business

• Reese Witherspoon Told Harvard Business School There’s One Social Platform Companies Need to Win On

  The Hello Sunshine founder shares where her team is investing its efforts online.

YOUR CAREER

• Inside Stanford Business School’s Quest to Define Entrepreneurship in the AI Age

  At Stanford’s GSB, the No. 1 business school in America, faculty and students blend financial fundamentals, AI literacy, and ‘touchy feely’ leadership training in a counterintuitive bet that a ‘generalist degree’ is the best hedge against AI destroying your career. Using only public information, his team’s bot beat 93 percent of human mutual fund managers by an average of 600 percent.

• Every Time She Went to a Restaurant, Diane Keaton Taught a Lesson in How to Be Memorable

  People will remember your acts of kindness even if you’re not a movie star.

• Red Ants Pants – The ANTecdote | Music Festival Ticketing Now Open!

  As we pause this Veterans Day to honor those who have served, we’re feeling especially grateful for the strength, service, and community that inspire all we do at Red Ants Pants Foundation & Music Festival.
  There’s lots to dig into — let’s get to it!

Energy and Transportation

• These nuclear reactors fit on a flatbed truck. How safe are they?

  The nuclear industry aims to miniaturize, looking to place hundreds of small power plants across the nation.

• Waymo’s Robotaxis Can Now Use the Highway, Speeding Up Longer Trips

  The Alphabet company’s self-driving cars are opening up shop in more and more cities. Now—finally—they’re taking to the freeway.

• Giant Blocks Of Steaming Hot Carbon Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

  “[The new battery] will seek to double panel efficiency through new materials and smart system design, potentially enabling a cost effective grid storage solution,” the Energy Department noted.

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

• Tech companies start to comply with Australia’s teen social media ban

  Online platforms will ping Australian teenagers through over a million accounts in coming days offering a choice: download data, freeze profiles or lose the lot when a world-first ban on kids using social media starts on December 10.
  TikTok, Snapchat,Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads are poised to deactivate accounts registered by users under 16, five people with knowledge of the plans said. “The rest of the world is looking at Australia for this new weapon to deal with the apparent problems that some digital platforms are presenting us with,”

• School Cell Phone Bans? The stricter the policy, the better. Bozeman, Montana high schools to go cell phone-free starting fall 2026

  The key finding so far is that school-wide bans that keep phones out of the classroom are linked with fewer distractions.

• Bozeman, Montana high schools to go cell phone-free starting fall 2026

  New policy takes effect fall 2026, focuses on student mental health and reducing social media addiction

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

• IBM Just Announced a Massive Jump In Quantum Computing. These Industries Will Benefit Most

  “This is a new computational tool that people are going to use to be able to solve problems that you just can’t do with classical algorithms,” he says. “This is the first time that information science or computing has really branched. This is not like a GPU. This is not just a faster CPU. This is a completely different way to do computation.”

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