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This is the seventh annual report on the high tech industry in the state of Montana. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA or the Alliance), formed in 2014, is a member-driven group of high tech businesses and other organizations statewide. The Alliance asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research.

Montana's high-tech companies not only survived, but even benefited from the dynamics of a pandemic economy, generating more than $2.9 billion in revenue.

Farming and Ranching - A Year of Volatile Commodity Prices and Near-Record Stimulus Payments Forest Products - Montana Wood Products in the Time of COVID-19 Energy - The COVID-19 Recession Impacts Prices Manufacturing - Continued Growth Is Interrupted by the Pandemic Travel, Tourism and Recreation - Crowds Flock To Montana During COVID Summer Transportation and Logistics - 2020 Was a Year of Disruption Health Care - COVID-19 Alters Health Care Landscape Technology and Innovation - Remote Work, Zoom Towns and a Spotlight on Biotech Real Estate and Construction - The Seller''s Market Continues

This report presents the findings of research intended to quantify the potential size of the recreational cannabis marketplace in Montana, and the potential tax revenue that could be collected in the event that recreational cannabis achieves legal status as envisioned in initiatives CI-118 and I-190 on the November ballot. This independent effort conducted by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana was commissioned by New Approach Montana, a political campaign aimed at passing the initiatives. The research uses publicly available data and draws on similar research conducted in other states.

Montana?s high-tech companies anticipate moderate growth and a promising future amid COVID-19.

This article looks at nine of Montana''s key industries; Farming and Ranching: Price Declines and Exports Make for a Challenging Year, Forest Products: Positive Signs for Montana, Energy: What to Watch for in 2020, Manufacturing: Montana Outpaces Nation as a Whole, Travel, Tourism and Recreation: Nonresident Visitation Stable, Health Care: The Impact of Medicaid Expansion, Transportation and Logistics: A Shortage of Drivers Continues to Cause Concern, Technology and Innovation: Record Revenue, Jobs and Venture Capital Investment, Real Estate and Construction: Housing Markets Lack Inventory.

This is the fifth annual report on the high tech industry in the state of Montana. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA or the Alliance), formed in 2014, is a member-driven group of high tech businesses and other organizations statewide. The Alliance asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research. The fifth iteration of this study adds a new question focused on skills that are in demand among the industry?s new hires.

Montana has more entrepreneurs per capita than any other state and a business survival rate that ranks in the top 10.

A crisis is brewing in Montana and across the country for retiring business owners in their 60s and 70s ? who will take over their businesses?

Montana?s high-tech companies generated a record $1.7 billion in revenue in 2017 and are growing nine times faster than other sectors of the economy.

There are a variety of products that bear the Made in Montana mark and it seems to be cropping up everywhere. But what does it mean to be Made in Montana?

This is the fourth annual report on the high tech industry in the state of Montana. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), formed in 2014, is a member-driven group of high tech businesses and other organizations statewide. The Alliance asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research. The fourth iteration of this study adds new questions focused on hiring and the high tech labor force.

Bitcoin has been all over the news lately thanks to its meteoric rise last year. So, what is Bitcoin and what are its implications for Montanans?

If you are a man, odds are you made it further through the pre-entrepreneurial process than if you are a woman. Women comprise only 33 percent of Montana''s self-employed workers and only 18 percent of Montana''s firms with employees are majority female owned.

High-tech and manufacturing companies are projected to grow seven times faster than the overall Montana economy and pay average annual salaries of $57,000 ? more than twice the median Montana wage. The sector shows no signs of slowing down in 2017.

Women are less likely to become entrepreneurs. The disparities in entrepreneurial propensity between men and women appear at the earliest stages of the entrepreneurial process. However, most of the existing literature on women entrepreneurs examines individuals who have launched a business or are actively working toward launching a business. To increase women?s participation in entrepreneurial activity, it is important to understand and address women?s lower participation at the earliest stages. This paper describes and begins to explain gender disparities in early stage, or pre-entrepreneurial, activities among university students and alumni. We show that women in a university community are less likely to engage a low-stakes resource for nascent entrepreneurs, the Blackstone BLP. We show that women are less likely to report having an idea for a new venture, less likely to report that they would spend even a few hours pursuing a new idea if they had one, and less likely to believe that they will be an entrepreneur at some point in their life.

Craft breweries are bigger than ever and contributing in large ways to Montana?s economy. This sector?s growth has been remarkably steady and shows no signs of slowing down. Since 2010, craft brewing in the state has grown by 87 percent.

This is the second annual report on the high tech industry in the state of Montana. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), formed in 2014, is a member-driven group of high tech businesses and other organizations statewide. The Alliance asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research.

Montana is quietly increasing its footprint in high-tech businesses, with growth projected to vastly exceed the average statewide economic growth. Unbeknownst to many, there are a number of high-tech companies scattered across Montana that are creating high paying jobs and challenging the older stereotypes about our economic base.

Situated in the geographic center of Montana in the midst of rolling hills, farms, and ranches is something a little unexpected: one of the most vibrant manufacturing communities in the state. With a population of about 6,500, Lewistown has a cluster of companies that design, engineer, and manufacture products for airports, oil companies, federal agencies, food distribution centers, sports arenas, hospitals, banks, schools, the military, and the aerospace industry, to name a few. Together, the group supports nearly 500 manufacturing jobs in the Lewistown area.

This report on the high-tech industry in the state of Montana is the first of its kind. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), a newly formed, member-driven group of high-tech businesses and other organizations statewide, asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research.

Montana''s high-tech industry will grow 8-10 times the projected statewide growth rate, with average wages at about $50,000 - twice the median earnings per Montana worker, according to a recent study by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

Running a ranch with vast landscapes and numerous livestock can be complicated, but a UM student has a technology that he thinks will make ranching more sustainable and profitable. And his business venture is promising enough that he was selected as a finalist at Blackstone Launchpad''s recent Demo Day in New York City

The UM Business School has a number of classes and programs in place to help students pursue entrepreneurship as a career path and to take their ideas from the classroom to the boardroom. Some programs are: the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE), Entrepreneurship Seminar Series, Business Plan Competition, Blackstone Launchpad, Montana Technology Enterprise Center (MonTec).

This is a study of the effects on the Montana economy of the operations of the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology (MBRCT), a program established by the Montana Legislature in 2000 to encourage economic development through investment in Montana-based research projects with a clear path to commercialization. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana (BBER), using a state-of-the-art policy analysis model and publicly available data on program spending and associated impacts, produced a detailed assessment of the ultimate impact of the operations of the program on employment, income, output, and population in the Montana economy.

Q&A with Montana''s leading economists and industry experts on economic issues facing Montana.

The 2013 Montana Economic Development Summit in Butte was one of the biggest and the best. Together, with some of the most influential business leaders of our time and ambassadors from some of Montana''s most important trading partners in the world, we helped sow the seeds for unlimited potential.

Q&A with Governor Steve Bullock on statewide economic issues and plans for his first year as governor.

While construction is just beginning to recover in the U.S., it is booming in Asia, and demand for wood products in Asia has been growing rapidly during the past five years. At the same time, Montana has experienced low domestic wood products sales due to reduced demand during the Great Recession. Could diversifying into new international markets provide opportunities to strengthen Montana's forest products industry?

Craft brewing is a healthy and growing sector of Montana's economy. From 2010 to 2011, production increased by 18 percent, employment was up by 39 percent, and sales rose by 20 percent.

SoBA Dean Larry Gianchetta and Office of Technology Transfer Director Joe Fanguy discuss their partnership where business school faculty work with other faculty (often scientists) to create valuable products from university research.

As the economic downturn leads large corporations to freeze hiring and forces many mom-and-pop shops to close their doors, some growing companies are adding employees, expanding facilities, and raking in reveues at an impressive pace.

Bob Gauthier's resume runs the gamut, from beer truck driver to tribal jailer to presidential appointee. While he may have taken an unusual path to success, his heritage, experience, and entrepreneurial spirit make Gauthier uniquely qualified as one of the only independent economic development consultants for Montana's Indian reservations.

Along with the rest of the nation, Montana faces major energy challenges. Paul Deneault, vice president and co-owner of Big Sky Enviroproducts, has a few ideas that might help lessen the negative environmental impact of burning fossil fuels. Deneault will operate a Missoula-based distribution business with three areas of focus: clean burning propane lawn mowers, a fuel-saving gasoline and diesel reformulator and a lubricant that makes engines run more efficiently.

This article explores the rise of locally produced Internet "radio" stations that can broadcast over the Internet to the whole world. By examining the beginnings, operations, and future of Whitefish, MT based www.whitefishradio.com, we see what motivates the entrepreneurs who build these "radio stations".