Joe Billion of J. C. Billion in Bozeman has been named Small Business Person of the Year by The Montana District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). He and the other Small Business Week award winners for Montana will be recognized at an awards ceremony on June 13,…

During the first half of fiscal year 2013 (October 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013), the Montana SBA District Office approved 144 loans totaling $41,932,400, an eleven percent increase in dollar amount compared to last fiscal year at this same time. Of the 144 loans, 126 totaling $29.3 million were approved…

The Earl and Bessie Whedon Cancer Detection Foundation has awarded RiverStone Health Foundation $100,000 to increase colorectal screening for patients whose symptoms or risk-factors warrant screening. The private Foundation, which is based in Sheridan, Wyoming, funds cancer detection efforts throughout the region. In awarding the grant, Terry Henn, project coordinator…

The Montana State University College of Business is seeking nominations for this year's Family Business Awards. The College of Business and State Farm Insurance sponsor the awards which are made each fall on Family Business Day, which recognizes the contribution of family businesses to the state's economy.

Bringing oil and gas tax revenues back to the communities which generated it was a top priority for the Montana Legislature by members of Billings Community Leadership, spearheaded by Bruce MacIntyre, Director of Business Advocacy & Government Affairs of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce. The results were somewhat disappointing…

Billings Public Schools has opened its own employee healthcare clinic with miCare, a subsidiary company of Billings-headquartered EBMS, which runs miCare clinics for both private- and public-sector organizations. The new BPS miCare Clinic has been taking appointments since April 3. As a self-funded insurance plan, the idea of implementing its…

The Montana Department of Commerce is awarding a total of nearly $36,000 to five Montana Main Street (MMS) communities, one of which is a brand new member to the program. The previously enrolled communities of Glendive/Dawson County, Shelby, Terry and Whitehall will receive grants, along with the newest Affiliate Community…

With increasing frequency, over the past decade or so, there have been outcries about violations to the US Constitution, by the federal government, in how laws are created, implemented and enforced. Whether it is concern about violations of privacy under Homeland Security, hundreds of new Presidential edicts that seem to…

Business growth and economic development depends entirely "upon human development." "Having a good workforce is the number one incentive of most companies in relocating," said Dr. P. Anthony Zeiss, President of Central Piedmont Community College, NC, who was the keynote speaker at the Work Force 2023 conference, at City College…

The world is watching – or at least Washington is – to see if the states can regulate fracking themselves. With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), so far, sitting on the sidelines while an oil and gas boom unfolds in the US, the states are being given what Winston Porter calls "a…

Several oil producers turned out at the State Senate Taxation Committee hearing March 5 in Helena, to oppose controversial legislation that would eliminate the tax holiday that now allows operators to defer paying production taxes for 18 months. SB 295 authored by Sen. Christine Kaufman (D-Helena) proposes to eliminate the…

North Dakota is the freest state in the U.S., followed closely by South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma, according to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University's third annual "Freedom in the 50 States." Idaho was ranked sixth. The scores are based upon the estimated costs that government restrictions…

The percentage of U.S. households holding some form of debt declined from 74 percent to 69 percent between 2000 and 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At the same time, the median amount of household debt increased over this period from $50,971 to $70,000. Between 2000 and 2011, the…

The Northern Yellowstone Cooperative Wildlife Working Group conducted its annual winter survey of the northern Yellowstone elk population on February 18. The survey, using three airplanes, was conducted by staff from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the National Park Service. Staff counted 3,915 elk, including 915…

Borrowers and lenders of loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration will have greater access to capital and less paperwork as a result of a proposed regulation aimed at streamlining the SBA application process, while also strengthening oversight and the integrity of the agency's loan programs. Among the proposed…

Montana now has an official transparency portal where citizens can track their tax dollars, including who got paid what and why. The portal is at www.transparency.mt.gov. "The state website came as a complete surprise, albeit a nice one," said Carl Graham, whose organization, Montana Policy Institute, (MPI) fought long and…

A recent Gallup survey concluded that Alabama is the most conservative state (50.6 percent of people surveyed identified themselves as such). Massachusetts was the most liberal (at 30.5 percent), excluding Washington DC, which far exceeded all states as most liberal (40.8 percent).

With proposed gun control laws threatening the viability of gun and ammunition manufacturers in many states around the country, a group of local leaders are targeting some of those companies in the hope of enticing them to move to Montana. The details of the effort were reported upon by Jeremy…

RiverStone Health, Billings, has received a $125,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to research how the agency can share resources with similar agencies for greater efficiencies. The funding will support a two-year study. The "cross-jurisdictional sharing" (CJS) will help RiverStone fulfill its mission of improving life, health and…

The MSU Family Business Program "On the Road" will be in Billings on May 11, at MSU Billings, 3-5 p.m. "Understanding the Future Customer" will be presented by James Oakley, associate professor of marketing in the College of Business at MSU. The event is free and is presented in 11…