Coming off a big win for the Bobcats this past weekend and gearing up for a long holiday weekend hopefully full of delicious food and gratitude, get caught up with this week's skim of Montana business news below.
This Livingston-based, veteran-owned company Svalinn trains some of the best protection dogs in the world
Sometimes, the best answer to a threat to your well-being isn’t a gun, a knife or even your fists. Sometimes, the best answer has fur, barks ferociously, and gets along well with children and your loved ones, but knows how to turn up the heat when it’s go time. Montana-based Svalinn was one of the first companies in the civilian market to recognize this. The company, founded and operated by veterans of the US military, is named for the Norse mythological shield of ancient lore which is said to protect the Earth and its numerous inhabitants from the heat and fires of the Sun. And, that’s exactly what Svalinn dogs are — a shield. Svalinn offers civilian customers some of the most highly-trained canines in the world for personal protection and companionship. These dogs hail from a similar concept as the pooches various armed forces units use today, known military working dogs. These dogs, themselves the progeny of Svalinn-trained dogs, are put through an intensive build-up regime at the company’s 170-acre facility near Livingston, Montana. Using positive reinforcement, as well as a plethora of other techniques, these dogs are conditioned to live alongside humans, protect and defend their principals should the need arise, but also serve as loving and family-friendly companions wherever they are homed. One of the key ingredients in Svalinn’s success in producing and fielding over 200 dogs as of 2017 to scores of clients is the company’s trainers, all of whom are developed in-house (and they are hiring ). The company’s recruiting requirements for its trainers and handlers are seemingly very simple — candidates should not have any prior experience with other training houses, they need to love animals, and possess a strong work ethic. Once they’re qualified as trainers with the company, these matured handlers are easily counted among some of the most proficient and capable in their industry, empowered with a diverse skill set. [ Military Times ]
Film + Innovation Festival to elevate female voices in film and leadership in the Big Sky State in Missoula December 5-8
The small city of Missoula has been recognized as a hub of outdoor recreation, cultural charm and technological innovation in the Rocky Mountain West. Companies, like global video platform Audience Awards , have sprung up from the minds of several of its most creative and industrious residents. Yet, Audience Awards founder Paige Williams sees room for growth, especially among female entrepreneurship — prompting Williams to bring her company’s annual live festival, AudFest: Film + Innovation Festival, home to Missoula, December 5 – 8, 2019. Previously held in Los Angeles, AudFest will screen the 100 best short films of the year from Audience Awards’ online video platform that receives more than 20,000 annual short film submissions from filmmakers around the world. AudFest’s Innovation track is the first of its kind in Montana, gathering female leaders and changemakers from the Big Sky State and beyond, like Alexandra Viglione, Cinedigm product marketing director; Sherri Davidoff, LMG Security CEO; and Lisa Stone, a managing director of WestRiver Group’s Opportunity Fund and co-founder of BlogHer. “A lot is changing right now,” Williams said, “We want to show female creators, leaders and everyone who strives to make a difference the amazing potential for growth within themselves, within their fields, and within their communities and beyond.” [ Audience Awards ]
Bozeman-based Bridger Brewing announces second location with amphitheater, distribution facility in Three Forks
Bridger Brewing recently announced plans for a second location in Three Forks that will include, along with an additional brewery, a live-music amphitheater, grill, taproom, and distribution facility. The Bozeman-based brewery said in a press release groundbreaking is planned for Spring 2020, and the new location will be near the Copper City Trails on Highway 287 in Broadwater County. Brewmaster and Director of Operations Daniel Pollard said the new facility will help Bridger Brewing streamline its keg and can distribution while offering a "destination brewery experience." The business is in informal talks with area entertainment promoters for the new location's state-of-the-art amphitheater. [ KBZK ]
The everything town in the middle of nowhere
On any given day, thousands of packages from Walmarts, Targets, and stores around the country travel north along a two-lane road out of Billings, Montana to the town of Roundup, where they will be unboxed, re-boxed, and sent off to Amazon . At first glance, Roundup does not appear to be a hub for much of anything. But the geography of Amazon is strange: more than 150 million square feet of warehouses, distribution centers, and sortation depots located mostly in exurban sprawls and industrial zones, out of sight of the millions of customers who receive its goods on their doorstep. Even by Amazon’s standards, Roundup is an oddity. There’s no fulfillment center, Amazon’s term for the enormous warehouses where it stores and dispatches goods. In fact, there’s no official Amazon presence of any kind. Instead, Roundup is home to a growing industry of prep centers, businesses that specialize in packing goods to meet the demanding requirements of Amazon’s highly automated warehouses. Read more here . [ The Verge ]
Grand opening: Mercantile adds 200 jobs in downtown Missoula
The $30 million Mercantile building in the heart of downtown Missoula employs about 215 people among its nine new retail shops and Marriott Hotel, the Residence Inn . It held its grand opening last week, celebrating the new downtown additions. “At the hotel itself, we have almost 60 full-time jobs,” said Andy Holloran of HomeBased Partners , Mercantile owner and developer, at the building’s grand opening celebration Tuesday night. “Within the nine businesses, combined with four restaurants, a couple of retailers and stores, they have about 200 full-time employees.” Linda McCarthy, Downtown Missoula Partnership director, said the creation of Missoula jobs in the new building and the attraction of shoppers and diners is merely part of the equation. “It’s a lot of new customers for downtown,” said McCarthy. “I think occupancy of the new hotel has been really good since it opened in early March. But it’s also taxes going to the city, county and school districts.”She noted that HomeBased Partners will pay $500,000 a year in taxes. The price of lunches and dinners are comparable to other restaurants in Missoula, she added. [ Missoula Current ]
Montana college in Havre works to meet the demand for diesel technicians
Enrollment in trade degree programs has been on a decline, but one Montana school is hoping to change that fact. Montana State University-Northern in Havre is working to produce enough graduates of its diesel programs to meet the nationwide demand. “In this industry it's especially bad, the number of people that are coming to Northern every year is increasing, all of them looking for skilled technicians, of course that is what our specialty is,” MSU-Northern chancellor Greg Kegel said. The trade is called diesel technician, and right now companies are in high need of them – including Modern Machinery of Missoula ( hiring ). Learn more about the diesel program at MSU-Northern here . [ KPAX ]
Montana State University in Bozeman bucks national trends on growth, spending
In a decade when many American universities are struggling with falling enrollment, Montana State University’s student population has grown, along with its graduation numbers and spending on instruction. The fall report card was presented recently to campus leaders at the University Council. It gave an overview of how many students and employees the Bozeman campus has, how many students earned degrees and where the campus spends its general fund budget. “Things are going very well at Montana State University,” President Waded Cruzado said afterward. “What I really like is the campus is really unified behind the goals of our strategic plan. I’m excited about the future.” In the last ten years, MSU has increased the number of students graduating within six years, the federal standard, from 48.3% to 56.1%. The four-year graduation rate has also increased from 20.8% to 29.7%. And this year’s fall enrollment of 16,766 is the second highest in MSU’s history, up 31% from 12,764 in 2009. The report for 2009 to 2019 also showed tenured and tenure-track faculty and scientists increased 10.4% over the decade, from 537 to 593 full-time jobs. And nontenured faculty, such as adjunct instructors, increased 43% from 309 to 442 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. [ Bozeman Daily Chronicle ]
Study looks at Hutterite impact on state economy, Montana jobs
Montana's Hutterite communities contribute more than $365 million in annual spending for the state and 2,200 year-round Montana jobs, according to what is being touted as a first-of-its-kind study by the University of Montana and Montana State University . Our basic finding is that the presence of the 81 farming operations owned and operated by the 38 Lehrerleut communities examined in this study support production, employment and income in the Montana economy that is significant in size and scope,” the authors wrote. The 35-page report said its basic finding that the farming operations by the Lehrerleut communities, of which there are 4,318 members, “support production, employment and income in the Montana economy that is significant in size and scope.” More than 1,600 of the 2,200 Montana jobs which owe their existence to Hutterite communities are in a 10-county part of Montana north and east of Great Falls, the study said. Most of the jobs are in farming and farm support, construction, retail trade, health care and social assistance and food services. [ Great Falls Tribune ]
Permanent film studio being built in Paradise Valley
Many movies are set in Montana, few are filmed here. Often Utah and Canada are used as backdrops for the treasure state, but that is about to change. The Yellowstone Film Ranch is being built in Paradise Valley. Investors are planning on this permanent film studio to give Hollywood a run for its money. Producer and movie director Richard Gray is one of three investors creating the ranch, a group of 28 buildings under construction near Chico Hot Springs. Gray has filmed two movies in Montana and sees this permanent studio as a big boom for the state’s economy. “We employed almost 100 people in Livingston. We kept hotels open during the winter. We kept the bars running during the winter and we’re seeing the same thing again. And, these are lasting structures that will create jobs forever," says Gray. Livingston-based Soundcolor Studios has over 20 full-time workers helping build the film ranch. Project coordinator Abram Boice sees this as a great opportunity not only for businesses, but individuals. Boice mentors Park County high school students interested in the industry. “There are good, technical, high paying jobs that will be available for projects like this for decades to come.” [ NBC Montana ]
Missoula sets record for job-creation grants; airline passengers see $14M in savings
In fiscal year 2019, $1.4 million worth of state-funded job creation grants created 192 new jobs at eight different companies in Missoula, a new record. That’s according to Grant Kier, the executive director of the Missoula Economic Partnership , who was speaking at the organization’s annual update last week. On top of that, Kier added, Missoula County created more Montana jobs than any other county in the state last year with 1,720 new positions. The Big Sky funds go to Missoula County through the Montana Department of Commerce Office of Tourism and Business Development. Businesses must pay at least $19.65 per hour to be eligible for the maximum BSTF Job Creation grant award, which is up to $7,500 per full-time job created. Local tech companies were the biggest beneficiaries last year. ClassPass ( hiring ), a fitness tech company with offices in Missoula that’s growing in popularity worldwide, scored $300,000 in grant funds to create 40 Missoula-based jobs. Submittable ( hiring ) received $262,500 for 35 jobs, ATG-Cognizant ( hiring ) got $255,000 for 34 jobs and LumenAd ( hiring ) got $195,000 for 26 jobs. Consumer Direct Care Network ( hiring ), a home-health company, got $255,300 for 37 jobs, and smaller companies PatientOne , ALPS ( hiring ) and Reflex Protect split other awards. [ Missoulian ]
Montana Apprenticeship Program signs first caregiver agency
The first caregiver organization signed up for the Montana Apprenticeship Program last week. The program will provide 14 caregivers with dementia training at First Choice Home Health in Bozeman, where they say most of their patients are suffering from some form of dementia. With 50,000 caregivers in the state, staff at First Choice Home Health say they can suffer from "caregiver burnout." "The average retention rate for caregivers is one year, meaning after a year they want to move on," said Dreyer. It's why the business received a $4,600 grant to help their caregivers receive specialized training to give them a competitive edge, provide better service and be able to charge more. "We're going to need more health care workers, and so companies like this are going to be able to develop their own workforce and address the needs that they have," said Montana Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney. He says any business in Montana, no matter what industry, can benefit from the apprenticeship program through the state's Department of Labor. [ NBC Montana ]
CBD manufacturing company opens in Ronan, Montana
The first hemp-processing license in the State of Montana was issued to a Ronan business in November from the Montana Department of Agriculture . Green Ridge Biosolutions moved into a 15,000 square-foot building near Ronan in September. Sam Belanger, chief operations officer, said he looks forward to becoming part of the community. Belanger hopes to have a positive impact on the community by creating jobs and getting involved. “As a socially conscious business, we want to be members of the community,” he said. “We want to be involved with the food bank and other programs that work to help people, not just things that make you look good on paper. We want to do something that really helps.” He said the business could also have a multiplier effect on the community. He imagines the business growing to provide 30 local jobs and those employees will need haircuts and groceries and will spend their paychecks in local businesses. He said people will also travel to Green Ridge for business meetings and frequent restaurants and other services. [ Valley Journal ]
Child care in Gallatin Valley: Bozeman Health Deaconess partners with MyVillage
Co-founder and CEO of MyVillage ( hiring ), Erica Mackey, stopped by for a recent visit and interview. MyVillage was created out of Erica's own frustrations as a parent trying to find child care in the Gallatin Valley. Now, they have created a program where you can run a child care or preschool program for up to 6-12 kids out of your own home, with MyVillage providing resources and support services to ensure a high-quality program for children and thriving business for educators. A fast-growing network of exceptional child care programs currently operating in Montana and Colorado, MyVillage recently paired up with Bozeman's largest employer, Bozeman Health ( hiring ). MyVillage's business partnership is offering Bozeman Health employees preferred placement (bypassing waitlists) in MyVillage child care programs across Gallatin County. [ KBZK ]
Whitefish-based xD Bio Inc. receives STTR grant for genomic work
xD Bio Inc. , a privately held, Whitefish-based company announced today that the National Human Genome Research Institute , part of the National Institutes of Health , has awarded the company $149,959 over 6 months for the first phase of a Small Business Technology Transfer grant. The award supports researchers at xD Bio and collaborators at the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Data Coordinating Center at Stanford University to demonstrate the ability to run advanced computational analyses directly through a web interface on xD Bio's web based platform, Truwl.com. Truwl is xD Bio's flagship product that enables researchers to find, understand, use, and share computational methods for DNA sequencing data on a publicly available web-based platform. [ PR Newswire ]
Helena-based nonprofit Mountain-Pacific Quality Healthy receives $15M federal contract for health care quality improvement
The Helena-based nonprofit Mountain-Pacific Quality Health has received a $15 million federal contract to help improve the quality of health care in Montana and beyond. U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines announced this week that the nonprofit had received the five-year contract from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services . “It’s money we are going to be able to use to continue the work that we’ve done for many years, in partnership with the federal government,” said Sara Medley, Mountain-Pacific’s CEO. Mountain-Pacific currently has about 100 employees working around its region and is hiring . [ KXLH ]
Helena business among 3 in state to receive inaugural awards for apprenticeships
Tri-County Mechanical and Electrical in Helena was among the businesses across the state that received awards from the Montana Department of Labor for their apprenticeship last week. The Helena-based business was founded in 1972 and has offered apprenticeships for over 30 years. The business currently has 24 apprentices in Helena, Butte, Havre, Bozeman, Great Falls and Wyoming. Tri-County offers five-year apprenticeships in electrical engineering and plumbing. Additionally, they offer a four-year apprenticeship in sheet metal engineering. It is the first business to be honored by the labor department for its commitment to apprenticeship programs. "Investing in a skilled workforce is also an investment in our state's economy," Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney said. "Ninety percent of apprentices work in Montana after graduating." In addition to honoring Tri-County, the labor department also honored the Montana Health Network with the Emerging Apprenticeship Industry Excellence award for being the largest and most rapidly growing new apprenticeship industry in Montana, as well as Montana Sheet Metal Workers Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee for being one of the largest sponsors of apprenticeships in the state working with businesses like Tri-County. [ Helena Air ]
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