Montana Talent Available

• Employers aren’t giving up on computer science grads. Here’s what they want instead

  The market for CS students isn’t collapsing. It’s evolving.

• Missoula Talent Available – Successful technical leader with over twenty years of experience in innovative research, development, design, manufacturing, testing, and management

  Technical leader and PhD mechanical engineer with 20+ years of product development, process development and optimization, designing products, executing verification and validation (V&V) programs, and independently assessing technology and manufacturing readiness across highly regulated, multi-domain environments — medical devices, in-line pipeline inspection, X-ray imaging systems, diagnostic instrumentation, and biomass processing.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 9/20/26

  Thinking about finally starting that business, or expanding the one you have? You’ll need a plan and financial projections. Clients of our Small Business Development Center get free access to LivePlan, a best-in-class business planning tool, plus an advisor who builds the plan with them. Contact business advisor Rich Gannon to get started at 1-406-836-2078 or [email protected]

Montana Business

• Lincoln, Montana-based Hi-Country Snack Foods Halts Operations Owing Thousands to Suppliers

  The Lincoln-based company has paused production and left suppliers and former employees unpaid, raising concerns about financial stability and accountability in Montana’s local food manufacturing sector.

• Missoula AI Company ‘CubCloud’ trying to bring Tesla Cybercabs to Montana

  “I’m pretty comfortable with it now. It’s a way better driver than any human. It’s a better driver than me. It makes better decisions than me,” he said.

• White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants

  Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the directive aims to create a new external committee with the power to veto awards in the nation’s vast biomedical research portfolio that do not conform to Mr. Trump’s political agenda, according to people with knowledge of the effort.

• Sip ’N Dip Lounge “No. 1 bar in the world worth flying for.” Thrives with Mermaids and Nostalgia in Great Falls, Montana

  For 35 years, Sip ’N Dip Lounge has captivated visitors with live mermaids and a unique tiki bar experience. Its long-term staff loyalty and retro themes create a cultural landmark that draws tourists from beyond Montana.

• Positively Montana – The Best of Montana Making a Difference In Your Community

  Do you know somebody who is doing good or making a difference in their community? Our Positively Montana team would like to hear about them. Please fill out the form to let us know about positive things happening in Montana.

• Montana Career Opportunities – Downtown Billings

  DBA Members Currently Hiring

• Bobcat Ventures – Investment Fund

  Bobcat Ventures is a Montana State University student-led venture fund that leverages its unique position within the Montana entrepreneurial ecosystem to source and support early-stage startups across the 406.

• Montana’s ‘Check This Out’ – Text your guests. Keep your seats full.

  New restaurants are closing at record rates, and waiting for walk-ins is waiting to fail. We make filling seats quick, easy, and profitable. Check This Out lets you send texts to your guests in seconds, offer smart incentives, and grow your guest list—without constantly managing it.

• Butte, Montana will be special focus of statewide historic preservation economic study

  “Butte is kind of a perfect test case for all that this study will examine,” Brown said, adding many communities around Montana may have one of those characteristics, but few have all of them.

• Montana’s Bridger Photonics – Industry-Leading Emissions Data You Can Act On

  Bridger delivers the most accurate, audit-ready data in the industry—trusted by top energy producers worldwide.

• Film explores cross-border impacts of Canadian mine waste on Indigenous communities

  Pollution from mining activity in British Columbia is ending up downstream in Montana and Idaho, threatening the health of these shared waterways. A new film by the Idaho Conservation League highlights Indigenous communities impacted by it and solutions in the works. MTPR’s Caroline Weiss caught up with the director, Jennifer Ekstrom.

• Microsoft Expands Nature-Inspired Designs to Over 20 Datacenters

  Microsoft is scaling its biomimicry approach to datacenter design across the U.S. and Germany, integrating ecological research and community input to create sustainable habitats. This shift redefines how technology infrastructure can coexist with and support the environment.

• Montana Career Opportunities – Senior Strategic Finance Analyst, Senior Legal Counsel, Senior PR Manager and More… – onXmaps

  At onX, we believe unique perspectives make us stronger. Different experiences, ideas, and ways of thinking help us build better products and move our mission forward. We’re working to awaken the adventurer in everyone, and that starts with building a team where people feel they belong. We’re committed to equal opportunity in how we hire, develop, and support our team. That includes fair and equitable practices across compensation, growth, and advancement. We’re building an environment where you can show up as yourself, take ownership of your work, and contribute to something bigger than any one person. Because when we come…

• Montana Career Opportunity – Vice President, Legal – Submittable

  At Submittable, we are transforming how organizations create social impact. Our platform empowers thousands of mission-driven organizations, from nonprofits to government entities, to make a difference in their communities and beyond. In 2024, our innovative software helped organizations worldwide run 30,000 programs, welcomed 1.2 million applicants, and facilitated the distribution of more than $10 billion in funding through our products on behalf of our clients. We are on a mission to help organizations accelerate their impact, so we are proud to partner with organizations focused on Equity & Social Justice, Children & Education, Creative & Arts, Health & Wellness, Economic…

• Farm Electrification Needs Tailored Energy Solutions Beyond Tractors

  Effective farm electrification depends on addressing diverse equipment and operational demands rather than just replacing diesel tractors. Montana’s agricultural sector could benefit from a staged, needs-based approach aligned with local infrastructure and energy use.

• Over 150 Tribal Leaders Unite at the Flathead Reservation to Tackle Cross-Border Mining Pollution

  Over 150 Indigenous and government representatives gathered to address mining contamination threatening waterways along the U.S.-Canada border. The conference highlighted the urgent need for accountability and restoration efforts to protect shared river ecosystems.

• NIH Funding Lawsuit Halts Over 4,000 Research Projects Nationwide

  “This isn’t just illegal, it hurts every person served by this research and unravels years of work by the scientific community,” Shalini Goel Agarwal, special counsel at Protect Democracy, said. A class action lawsuit claims NIH blocked grants opposing certain political views, canceling thousands of projects. Montana researchers may face similar challenges if such screening practices spread.

• Cost of liquor licenses in Missoula may be affecting local businesses

  Going out to eat and enjoying a cold beer or cocktail is a classic tradition. However, serving and selling that beverage in Missoula takes more work than consumers realize.

• J. Vader Consulting – Helping nonprofits, small businesses, and startups untangle operational challenges and build practical systems

  You started this for a reason. Somewhere along the line, the day-to-day got in the way.

Come Home Montana

• Want to Entice New Residents to Rural Communities? Offer Cash, for a Start.
  “Why put all our focus on businesses when we can just recruit people, go after families?” Ms. Gourley said. “They’ll bring their jobs with them, which means income that is coming in from everywhere else into our county.”

Visit Montana

• Gold Statues and Staff Cuts: How Trump Has Disrupted America’s Parks

  Maintenance projects have been put off around the country and resources diverted to the president’s favored projects in Washington.

• New Tyrannosaurus Rex Fossil Challenges Century-Old Dinosaur Anatomy Views

  The discovery of Rex Junior, a nearly complete sub-adult T. rex skeleton, offers unprecedented insights into the dinosaur’s structure. This find could reshape how paleontologists interpret Late Cretaceous fossils, including those in Montana.

Regional Economic Development

• $45,000 grant helps Eastern Plains Economic Development begin work on next five-year economic development strategy

  According to Terra Burman, executive director for EPEDC, the funding will aid the organization’s effort to create its 2027-32 comprehensive economic development strategy document — or CEDS — by allowing it to hire a consulting firm to handle the compiling of data. Although Prairie County is named as the recipient of the $45,000, Dawson, Wibaux, Carter and Fallon counties will also benefit from the award.

Rural Montana Communities

• Decentralized Economic Development Nonprofit Network Earns $116 Million in 2024

  A network of regional nonprofits has nearly doubled its footprint by independently managing rural infrastructure and ecological projects without direct federal funding. Since the 2011 phase-out of federal administrative funding, the top 50 councils have generated 93% of the network’s $116 million revenue by managing rural infrastructure, public health, and ecological projects. This model offers a new path for sustaining critical public services in rural areas like Montana.

YOUR MONTANA CAREER

• Why Humanities Majors Are Winning the AI-Era Job Market

  The winning move for humanities graduates and career changers is not to abandon their degree but to pair it with practical AI literacy, then reframe their reasoning and writing skills as the human layer that makes AI tools actually useful.

• Can Reading Make You Happier?

  “Come, and take choice of all my library/And so beguile thy sorrow.”

• What should I ask my candidate? Register for our September 28 Webinar!

  When a candidate comes to your door asking for your vote, what will you ask them? Join us to get ideas on what you can ask candidates about healthcare, school funding, taxes, and more.

Montana Energy and Transportation

• Flathead Electric Cooperative completed a $700-per-panel solar project with a utility-scale battery backup.

  The new 200-kilowatt solar project includes a utility-scale battery to reduce peak demand costs and reserves panels for low-income households. Early results show the array meets output goals and saves thousands during high-demand periods.

• Stellantis Unveils Driverless Electric Delivery Vehicle Concept

  The idea is aimed at the last mile, but Stellantis is also looking at places where the autonomous vehicle can operate in a more controlled environment. Factories, hospitals and airports are among the possible applications.

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

• $5M STEM Grant to Boost Graduate Student Education at University of Montana

  UM graduate programs are poised to address this need for workforce growth by helping low-income students – who make up a quarter of Montana’s university population – succeed in their pursuit of advanced degrees by providing financial support, as well as structured mentoring to address barriers faced by students in rural areas.

• Cryogenics boot camp at Montana State’s QCORE provides students with intensive training

  The camp was developed in response to a growing need for professionals experienced in operating, maintaining and troubleshooting the ultra-low temperature, low-noise environments in which quantum technologies operate.

University of Montana & Montana State University Tech Transfer

• Montana State to present research at Red Lodge community event Oct. 6

  “This is an inaugural event to bring research happening on campus and in our research facilities around the state to communities throughout Montana,” Veselik said. “We look forward to engaging with cities, towns and communities around the state to have conversations about MSU research and how we are impacting the lives of Montanans.”

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Montana Voters to Decide on Revoking Corporate Charters in 2026 – A Form Of Soft Secession

  Montana plans a ballot initiative challenging the Citizens United ruling by stripping charters from noncompliant corporations. This move reflects growing state resistance to federal policies and has broad voter support.

• Initiative banning corporate money in elections gets a spotlight in Billings

  Montana Chamber of Commerce backs out of debate, gets roasted.

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

• Nvidia’s Jensen Huang on artificial intelligence

  In this web exclusive, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang talks with CBS News’ Jo Ling Kent about the exponential growth of AI, industry warnings about its power, and why he disagrees with recent calls to slow down development.

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