Despite the fact that Billings and Yellowstone County seem poised for growth unique to the state and most areas of the nation, projections for 2012 from economists at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana are "restrained."

Montana will always be high on the list of places to visit for most people, which makes the state's prospects for tourism growth always good. Since so many variables impact the rate of visitation to Montana, there will always be dips, but the overall trend will be upward, so long as the worldwide population continues and there are more people wanting to visit the state, according to Norma P. Nickerson, Director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana. Nickerson...

Manufacturing in Montana will experience modest improvement in 2012, benefiting from improving exports and declining imports. In a survey conducted by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, in 2011, almost half of Montana manufacturers said that they expected improved conditions for 2012. However, 90 percent indicated that they plan to keep their workforce at the current level or hire more. Seven percent said they would reduce the number of employees.

The Billings commercial real estate market suddenly gained momentum last fall after enduring an otherwise flat year in 2011, “even though the economy was pretty darn good,” reported Commercial Realtor Al Koelzer of NAI Business Properties, a panel speaker at the Montana Economic Outlook Seminar. The impetus to the turnaround seemed to have been the sale of a property to Sanjel, an oil company engaged in the Bakken seeking space for training employees and maintaining equipment in Billings. Since...

First Choice Health has acquired Billings-based Health InfoNet and its network of health providers and members in Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Colorado. The announcement from First Choice Health President / CEO Ken Hamm is an expansion of the Seattle-based PPO (preferred provider organization) network throughout the northwestern region.

The Montana Chamber of Commerce continues its offering of exotic trips at reasonable prices with its group travel to Brazil March 21-30, 2012.  This exciting vacation is open to anyone, not just members of the state chamber, and is for the pure tourist, as well as offering business networking options.  Participants will visit Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on the trip.

Exceptions are being included in the rules being written for the enforcement of a new Montana law that mandates that bartenders must be certified. During the public hearing in Helena, Jon Bennion of the Montana Chamber of Commerce voiced concerns about how the new restrictions will impact one-time events such as wine tastings, microbrew festivals or charitable events where alcohol is served.

  David Baker...
David Baker has joined Stockman Bank as vice president, commercial loan officer for the King Avenue office. His responsibilities include providing financial advice and determining the best financial solutions for business and professional clients in the areas of Business and Private Banking Lending, Commercial Real Estate Lending and Cash Management Services.
Baker brings more than 33 years of banking experience to this position which includes commercial, commercial...

Construction employment declined in 146 out of 337 metropolitan areas between November 2010 and November 2011, increased in 131 and stayed level in 60, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that construction employment is likely to continue declining in many areas because of a planned 6.2 percent cut in federal investments in construction and infrastructure for the 2012 fiscal year. "There is...

"Because construction is a lagging indicator, construction activity needs to increase before we see the industry's unemployment rate begin to decrease."           —ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. The nation's construction industry lost jobs for a second straight month, shedding 12,000 jobs in November, according to the Dec. 2 jobs report by the Department of Labor. During the past twelve months, the construction industry has added 18,000 jobs, or...

The cost of Thanksgiving Dinner is going to cost more this year – 13 percent more, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The average cost of a traditional dinner for 10 is averaged at $49.20 — $5.73 more than last year. Impacting the cost the most is the cost of the turkey itself – up 25 cents a pound over a year ago. A 16-pound turkey—is $21.57 this year, or about $1.35 per pound. Even with the increase, the meal "remains a bargain, at just under $5 per person," said the AFBF...

Café International, LLC, an Idaho-based company, announced that it has acquired coffee franchise Mountain Mudd Espresso. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Café International, LLC, is owned by its CFO Betty Hawkins of Boise, Idaho and industry veteran John Adams, CEO. Adams is also the co-owner of regional premium coffee roaster White Cloud Coffee. The pair acquired Mountain Mudd from CHS, Inc., a Minnesota-based company that had owned the franchise for five years. Adams stated, "Acquiring...