Maine Forces Cities to Allow at Least 2 ADUs on Residential Lots

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Here’s How the AI Crash Happens. America appears to be, at the moment, in a sort of benevolent hostage situation.

  The U.S. is becoming an Nvidia-state.

• Leadership Montana – The Leading Edge, October 2025

  Leadership Montana is a non-profit collaboration of leaders from all sectors coming together to form a strong partnership for the betterment of Montana. Leadership Montana exists to develop leaders committed to building a better Montana through knowledge, collaboration and civility.

• Philadelphia turns to virtual calls to optimize building inspections

  The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections launched a virtual app for staff to perform remote building inspections with customers including contractors, permit holders, property owners and licensees, city officials announced last week.

Bear Paw Development

• Launch of Havre, Montana’s New Brand – 11/12 – Havre

  The Brand Launch Event will be held on Wednesday, November 12th from 5:30PM to 8:00PM, with the unveiling at 6:00PM and will occur at the new location of Vic’s Place, 336 Second Street in downtown Havre. The event is free, open to the public and will include brand-themed sweets.

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• An A-26 Welcome Party is being held at the Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula on Nov. 8.

  The new addition is an A-26 Invader, which was made for World War II but didn’t go overseas.

• Missoula County forms new committee to review TIF spending – City Club Missoula – Making Sense of TIF Funding: Where It Succeeds, Falls Short, and Impacts to Tax Payers – 11/10

  Missoula County has established a new advisory committee to provide expanded oversight of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) allocations. The committee, formed last week, aims to incorporate more community stakeholders in the review process for how these tax dollars are distributed and utilized. This represents a structural change in how the county manages this economic development tool.

• Missoula Draft Unified Development Code Now Available

  The Unified Development Code, or “UDC”, is the full set of proposed regulations that relate to private development, including zoning, subdivision, public works, and parks-related regulations. The draft UDC includes the previously released Zoning Framework.

• Developer announces new Higgins Waterfront for former Missoulian building – Video

  The development will include 80 residences, a mix of condos, penthouses and two-story townhomes. All will have access to hotel amenities. The project will also include a 155-key hotel, a year-round rooftop bar and restaurant, local shops and dining.

• Missoula Home Energy Upgrade Hub located at the Butterfly House

  Missoula County’s Home Upgrade Hub is Missoula County’s resource for healthy and efficient homes. It offers no-cost and low-cost resources for anyone interested in adopting healthy home measures to benefit their present lives, community, and future. Our programming is designed to guide Missoula County residents with planning home retrofit projects focused on energy efficiency, decarbonization, and climate-resilient landscaping.

Northwestern Energy

• Montana Career Opportunities – Northwester Energy

    I wanted to share these awesome job openings that we have because I think you might be interested! Take a look.   You’ve Got Jobs! Check Them Out Below: Operations and Maintenance Supervisor Northwestern Energy – Aberdeen  – Intern Hydro License Compliance Northwestern Energy – Helena  Intern Fleet Operations Northwestern Energy – Butte – Intern BT Networks Northwestern Energy – Butte –  Energy Supply Engineer or Analyst Northwestern Energy – Montana  –  Building Maintenance Technician Northwestern Energy – Great Falls…

Flathead Valley Community College

• Flathead Valley Community College celebrates opening of new Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

  The brand new center’s goals are to become a hub for anyone building a business or a product, as well as solving community problems throughout the Flathead Valley. “To provide a place for innovators to get together to continue to build on their ideas, to meet needs to solve problems, to provide that place, really, for that to happen,” Caras said.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 11-2-25

  Have you started a business in the Great Falls region? We want to celebrate you! Join us for the second annual Entrepreneur Celebration at the Newberry on November 19th from 5-6 PM and get recognized for your awesome achievement. Starting a business is not easy! This celebration is for anyone who has ever started a business in the entire 13-county Great Falls region. Register in advance here so we have a head count!

Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative

• Welcome to the October Edition of Biowire

  Montana now ranks sixth in the nation for bioscience industry growth over the past five years and fifth in academic R&D growth, with powerhouse contributions from the University of Montana, Montana State University, the McLaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, and the Rocky Mountain Laboratories.

Montana Business

• Why Hiring Managers Say Many Gen-Z Workers Aren’t Prepared for the Workplace

  Are the youngest generation entering the workforce really that different? Maybe.

• Missoula Economic Partnership – Building Missoula Together: Annual Meeting Recap and Community Events

  Missoula Economic Partnership’s Annual Meeting brought together a remarkable cross-section of the region’s business and community leaders, all dedicated to shaping Missoula’s economic future. The morning event sparked thoughtful conversations as attendees exchanged ideas, built connections, and discussed shared challenges and opportunities.

• Missoula, Montana (Remote O.K.) Career Opportunity – Jr. Client Support Specialist – Geniuslink

  Welcome to Geniuslink! Geniuslink is smart linking platform built to help creators and marketers like you get the most out of every click. Since 2009, we’ve been making it easier to route your audience to the right product page, whether they’re on a different device, in another country, or shopping in a different storefront, while also helping you earn more with affiliate links. The service automatically optimizes Amazon links for geotargeting, device routing, and affiliate tracking, ensuring that every click is directed to the most relevant Amazon storefront for maximum commission-earning potential. Trusted by YouTubers, influencers, and global brands.  …

• Missoula, Montana’s Ledger Collective exists to to build durable, tech-enabled companies that provide back-office services to entrepreneurs.

  Each business combines people, process, and technology to deliver holistic solutions that actually make running a business easier. And because these companies share systems, data, and lessons learned, they all get stronger over time.

• University of Montana College of Business School Fall Entrepreneurship Symposium with Connor Folley and GrizPitch – 11/6 – UofM

  This two-hour event celebrates innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship at the University of Montana—and showcases how our students and alumni are shaping the future of business in Montana and beyond. Our featured speaker, Connor Folley, College of Business alumnus and serial entrepreneur, will share insights on entrepreneurship and his work with artificial intelligence in a talk titled “Scaling Smarter: Lessons from Building in the Age of AI.”

• Wild Fermentation Workshop – Nov 2, 2025 – Missoula

  Join us for an educational and nourishing adventure in fermentation. Together, we will learn about the science and nutrition of the ancient practice of fermentation. Using local vegetables and health-boosting ingredients, Jill Demers will lead students through the process step-by-step and send them home with their very own fermented goodness and the confidence to replicate the process.

• The future workforce can’t wait: Why states must redefine student success now

  Business leaders aren’t waiting — companies like Bank of America, Google and Walmart are adopting skills-based hiring, opening doors to talent long shut out by degree requirements.

• Massachusetts heat-pump owners are about to get cheaper electricity – How about your state?

  The state’s innovative winter heat-pump rates go into effect this weekend and should make the tech more accessible. Deeper discounts could come next year.

Housing

• Maine Forces Cities to Allow at Least 2 ADUs on Residential Lots

  A new state law bars local jurisdictions from restricting ADUs in residential areas.

• For Sale – Mackay Bar Outfitters & Guest Ranch – Riggins, Idaho

  Mackay Bar Outfitters and Guest Ranch (or simply Mackay Bar Ranch) is a 21± acre backcountry sanctuary nestled deep within the Payette National Forest at the heart of the Frank Church-River of No Return and Gospel Hump Wilderness Areas. The ranch boasts approximately 3,000 feet of frontage on the main stem of the Salmon River, a National Wild and Scenic River and one of America’s longest undammed, free-flowing waterways.

Regional Economic Development

• Wyoming Ready To Be First State To Have Human Vs. Robot Combat Sports… What’s Next Wyoming???

  When — not if — humans start competing against robots in combat sports, Wyoming is ready. The Wyoming Combat Sports Commission has already outlined the nation’s first rules for “synthetic combat.” It’s coming, they say. China just hosted the first World Humanoid Robot Games in August.

Regional Business News

• Wyoming Investment Earnings Blow Past Projections By Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars

  The Consensus Revenue Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) report given to legislators Thursday shows that the state’s investments outpaced projections by hundreds of millions of dollars. Record-high investment earnings of $1.86 billion “dominated” the 2025 fiscal year.

YOUR CAREER

• Preserve Our Missoula, Montana Headquarters— Please Help Protect Adventure Cycling’s Future

  We therefore urge every eligible member to vote NO on the proposed sale. Keep Adventure Cycling rooted in Missoula, where it began and where its mission still thrives.

• Mentalist Oz Pearlman is amazing. Here’s a video to prove it.

  Oz Pearlman ‘The Mentalist’ joins Morning Joe to discuss his new book ‘Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World’s Greatest Mentalist,’ and he reads Mika, Willie and Jonathan Lemire’s minds.

Energy and Transportation

• Anxiety over climate change is leading some young Americans to say they don’t want children

  “I just don’t think I need to bring more people into (the world) when there’s so much here currently that we need to fix.”

• Illinois Passes Clean Energy & Storage Bill Expected to Save Residents $13 Billion

  The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act is expected to save Illinois families and businesses $13 billion on their electricity bills over the next 20 years.

2025 Legislature and Politics

• Amid federal upheaval, Montana may have ‘dodged a bullet’ in quiet fire season

  But fire suppression costs from the season are currently estimated as high as $85 million, Frampton said, nearly three times the average. The bulk of that owes to the extensive suppression efforts on the Windy Rock fire north of Drummond, which carried an estimated $56 million price tag.

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