Month: December 2023
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It’s Really So — Shopping Small Supports Main Street
By Aikta Marcoulier, SBA Regional Administrator The pandemic confirmed the essential role that small businesses play in our daily lives. It sounds cliché, but locally owned small businesses truly are the heart and soul of our cities and towns. The holiday shopping season is a crucial time for small retailers and restaurants that depend upon…
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IRS Delays Reporting Rule
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced a delay to the reporting requirement threshold for transactions on payment platforms including Venmo, PayPal, and Airbnb. The delay will keep a $20,000 transaction threshold for 2023 and introduce a new significantly lower threshold phased-in starting in 2024. Despite the delay, this new rule will add to the…
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High Interest Rates Slow Residential, Commercial Construction
By Tu-Uyen Tran, Senior Writer, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Trends in the Ninth District’s construction industry are splitting along clear lines: For industrial and infrastructure projects, business is up. But the same can’t be said for residential and commercial construction, according to a recent Minneapolis Fed survey. “There has been a real drop off…
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Government Seeks Power to Invalidate Patents
Will the federal government open the gateway to confiscating the property of inventors and innovators in the US by giving itself the power to invalidate federally-funded patents upon a whim? Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) president & CEO Karen Kerrigan, commented, “President Biden’s proposed framework for march-in use under the Bayh-Dole Act amounts…
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German Company Plans $90 million Manufacturing Plant in Lewistown
VACOM, a German manufacturing company, is planning to establish its United States headquarters in Lewistown, Montana! VACOM is a producer of vacuum mechanics, electrical feedthroughs, vacuum measurement technology, vacuum optics, and cleaning technology. The company provides customers from throughout the world with precise vacuum technology for applications in research and industry – components that are…
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Federal Program Aims to Expand Montana Ag in Food Production
In order to increase production and add new agriculture products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $3 million to the State of Montana. The funds are to support technology that will “place products in consumer markets” throughout the state. A press release claims the state’s investments through Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program will…
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Dylan Meccage Returns to Stockman Bank
Dylan Meccage recently returned to Stockman Bank as a Commercial Loan Officer at the Billings Downtown location. His responsibilities include developing and servicing commercial and construction loans and assisting clients with their lending and credit needs. Meccage brings over four years of banking experience to the position, which includes commercial lending, credit analysis and business…
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Billings Gains More Air Service
United Airlines has added two additional daily flights with direct service to Denver, Colorado. The announcement joins other recent announcements of additional air service for Billings. United Airlines’ announcement brings Billings to five daily flights with direct service to Denver, according to The City of Billings, in partnership with the Visit Billings, the Billings Chamber…
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Billings Building Permits December 15, 2023
Commercial Cogburn Holdings LLC/ Dick Anderson Construction, 6767 Tun Tavern Rd, Com Remodel, $4,000,000 Billings Logistics Center One LLC/ Bauer Construction, 3218 S Frontage Rd, Com Remodel, $320,000 Billing Real Estate Holdings LLC /Intermountain Wind and Solar LLC, 600 S 27th St, Com Remodel, $384,087 Homefront/ Safetech, Inc, 511 N 26th St, Demolition Permit Commercial,…