Blue Dog RV has opened on US Hwy 2 in Kalispell. The Kalispell store is the 16th Blue Dog dealership in the Western U.S. and the first in Montana. The new Blue Dog RV store will offer travel trailers, fifth-wheels, toy haulers and motor homes, along with parts and accessories. The store will carry several brands, including Forest River, Keystone and Thor.

There has been a 29% increase in the number of property-related documents processed by the Missoula County Clerk and Recorder’s Office this year. This increase means 803 more documents processed per employee in the Clerk and Recorders office.  The Clerk and Recorder’s office has updated  their website and processes to accelerate their work.

Brandy Kincheloe has joined the Montana Primary Care Association as workforce development coordinator. The workforce development coordinator provides training to Montana’s Community Health Centers and Urban Indian Centers.

Montana will be represented in the inaugural Small Business Majority’s Holiday Gift Guide by Sarah Calhoun’s business Red Ants Pants of White Sulphur Springs. Small Business Majority is a national organization that seeks to empower entrepreneurs. It’s holiday gift guide highlights small businesses from across the country in an effort to encourage shoppers to support local entrepreneurs.

Parkland Corporation has agreed to purchase Story Distributing Company of Bozeman which operates Casey’s Corner gas stations and convenience stores. The company now operates in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and North Dakota, with 12 convenience stores and about 175 employees. Parkland Corporation is the largest independent supplier of fuel and petroleum products in Canada and the Caribbean.

Candace Carr Strauss, Big Sky Chamber of Commerce and Visit Big Sky CEO has announced her resignation from the organizations. She has accepted the position of president and CEO of the Sedona, Arizona, Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. The Big Sky Chamber of Commerce and Visit Big Sky organizations will conduct a national search for CEO candidates.

Walton Homestead Medical Clinic has received approval from the city’s of Bozemans planning department. The new building will be on a lot at the corner of West Oak Street and North 15th Avenue.  The two-story, 9,300-square-foot clinic will have 16 exam rooms.

Miles Community College has been gifted with $25,000 from Northwest Farm Credit Services  to help fund the newly established meat processing program. The gift is part of the stewardship commitment to improve the lives of their customers and communities. The meat processing program is a one-year certificate degree offered at the college. It is comprised of both general and industry specific courses, available both online and on-campus, and includes several paid internships at local processing plants.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources has released oil and gas production figures for September 2020. The state hit a record for gas capture percentage at 93%, but gas production was far below the record levels it hit in November 2019. Here are the numbers: 36,649,997 barrels or 1,221,667 barrels/day — September 2020 oil production; $31.59 — Average price of a barrel of North Dakota oil in September 2020; 84,409,981 MCF or 2,813,666 MCF/day — September 2020 gas production; 78,479,791 MCF or 2,615,993 MCF/day — September 2020 gas captured; 93% — gas capture percentage; 88% — state mandated gas capture goal for September. The goal went up to 91% Nov. 1); 15,377 — Number of producing wells in September 2020; 51 — Number of drilling permits issued in September 2020; 43 — Number of completed wells in September 2020, up from 19 in August; 11 — Average drilling rig count in September 2020; 80% — Decrease in drilling rig activity between January and September 2020.

White Raven Winery has opened their tasting room in Columbia Heights, near the junction of Hwy 2 and 206. The winery is owned by Columbia Falls natives Dan and Rebecca Murphy. White Raven turns out 12 different wines, four of which are Montana made.  The grapes used in White Raven’s Montana wines Marquette, Frontenac and L’Acadie Blanc are all cold-hardy varietals originally grown in cold mid-western states.

The Gallatin County Resource Advisory Council approved fee hikes at 14 rental cabins, three campgrounds and the Rendezvous Ski Trails. 23 other increases have been proposed across for 15 other campgrounds, 14 cabins and lookouts. The rental rates for popular cabins close to Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park would jump from $30 a night to $65. Rendezvous Ski Trails would see a family pass rise from $75 for a family to $190. One cabin in the Taylor Fork area, which has yet to be added to the rental program, is set to cost $75 a night.

Mike Sartwell, president and CEO of Preferred Restaurant Group, Inc., has opened the first Slim Chickens, a southern inspired chicken franchise, in Montana. With 43 years of restaurant and franchising experience and a Slim Chickens location in North Dakota, Sartwell opened at 1450 Prospect Avenue in Helena.

The Montana BioScience Alliance has chosen Marshall Bloom, M.D., as its 2020 Hall of Fame honoree. Dr. Bloom is the Associate Director for Science Management at Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton. He also is Chief of the Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section. Rocky Mountain Laboratories is part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Among other accomplishments, Dr. Bloom oversaw the development of NIH’s first biosafety level-four research facility, which was constructed on the RML campus. Since the facility opened in 2008, the program’s scientists have helped develop an Ebola virus vaccine and are making crucial contributions to COVID-19 treatment and vaccine developments.

The KLJ Solutions Holding Co. Board of Directors announced the appointment of interim Chief Executive Officer  Barry Schuchard, effective January 1 The appointment follows the resignation of KLJ Engineering LLC CEO, Dean Anagnost. Schuchard has been with the company since 1983 and served in multiple project-related and leadership roles over the years, including Chief Production Officer for a number of years and most recently as the company’s Chief Value Officer. Anagnost began his career with KLJ in 1991 where he was responsible for the formation of the company’s Telecommunications practice, which remains a key component of KLJ’s business portfolio.

The Montana Department of Transportation recently issued new load postings for the Spring Creek Bridge, two miles northwest of Greycliff in Sweet Grass County. The postings are part of a multi-year effort to update load ratings and postings on Montana bridges as mandated by the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA mandate is in response to changes in the trucking industry over the last decade. Truck manufacturers are building specialized hauling vehicles, which are capable of legally carrying heavier loads than typical vehicles have in the past. SHVs are single-unit, short-wheelbase, multiple-axle trucks commonly used in the construction, waste management, bulk cargo and commodities hauling industries. Often times one or more axles can be raised or lowered as needed to comply with statutory weight limitations.  To comply with the mandate, MDT is currently updating load ratings for 4,500 public bridges across the state, including approximately 2,500 owned and maintained by MDT. This effort is expected to take about four years to complete.  

The first and only Cat Café has been opened in Bozeman at The Market at Ferguson Farm. The Cat Show Cat Café is a lounge where people can work and adopt cats. Cat Show owner Josh Marks partnered with Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter to create a place where visitors can work, meet, and relax. People who want to visit the Cat Show can pay a single day fee or going a monthly subscription.

The Gallatin Gateway School board passed a bond issue of $7 million to build a new school building or to remodel the existing structure. Gallatin Gateway is expecting to have at least 50 news students from the new subdivision development that is being built in the neighborhood. The new renovations will start in May 2021.

Blue Dog RV has opened on US Hwy 2 in Kalispell. The Kalispell store is the 16th Blue Dog dealership in the Western U.S. and the first in Montana. The new Blue Dog RV store will offer travel trailers, fifth-wheels, toy haulers and motor homes, along with parts and accessories. The store will carry several brands, including Forest River, Keystone and Thor.

There has been a 29% increase in the number of property-related documents processed by the Missoula County Clerk and Recorder’s Office this year. This increase means 803 more documents processed per employee in the Clerk and Recorders office.  The Clerk and Recorder’s office has updated  their website and processes to accelerate their work.

Brandy Kincheloe has joined the Montana Primary Care Association as workforce development coordinator. The workforce development coordinator provides training to Montana’s Community Health Centers and Urban Indian Centers.

Montana will be represented in the inaugural Small Business Majority’s Holiday Gift Guide by Sarah Calhoun’s business Red Ants Pants of White Sulphur Springs. Small Business Majority is a national organization that seeks to empower entrepreneurs. It’s holiday gift guide highlights small businesses from across the country in an effort to encourage shoppers to support local entrepreneurs.

Parkland Corporation has agreed to purchase Story Distributing Company of Bozeman which operates Casey’s Corner gas stations and convenience stores. The company now operates in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and North Dakota, with 12 convenience stores and about 175 employees. Parkland Corporation is the largest independent supplier of fuel and petroleum products in Canada and the Caribbean.

Candace Carr Strauss, Big Sky Chamber of Commerce and Visit Big Sky CEO has announced her resignation from the organizations. She has accepted the position of president and CEO of the Sedona, Arizona, Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. The Big Sky Chamber of Commerce and Visit Big Sky organizations will conduct a national search for CEO candidates.

Walton Homestead Medical Clinic has received approval from the city’s of Bozemans planning department. The new building will be on a lot at the corner of West Oak Street and North 15th Avenue.  The two-story, 9,300-square-foot clinic will have 16 exam rooms.

Miles Community College has been gifted with $25,000 from Northwest Farm Credit Services  to help fund the newly established meat processing program. The gift is part of the stewardship commitment to improve the lives of their customers and communities. The meat processing program is a one-year certificate degree offered at the college. It is comprised of both general and industry specific courses, available both online and on-campus, and includes several paid internships at local processing plants.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources has released oil and gas production figures for September 2020. The state hit a record for gas capture percentage at 93%, but gas production was far below the record levels it hit in November 2019. Here are the numbers: 36,649,997 barrels or 1,221,667 barrels/day — September 2020 oil production; $31.59 — Average price of a barrel of North Dakota oil in September 2020; 84,409,981 MCF or 2,813,666 MCF/day — September 2020 gas production; 78,479,791 MCF or 2,615,993 MCF/day — September 2020 gas captured; 93% — gas capture percentage; 88% — state mandated gas capture goal for September. The goal went up to 91% Nov. 1); 15,377 — Number of producing wells in September 2020; 51 — Number of drilling permits issued in September 2020; 43 — Number of completed wells in September 2020, up from 19 in August; 11 — Average drilling rig count in September 2020; 80% — Decrease in drilling rig activity between January and September 2020.

White Raven Winery has opened their tasting room in Columbia Heights, near the junction of Hwy 2 and 206. The winery is owned by Columbia Falls natives Dan and Rebecca Murphy. White Raven turns out 12 different wines, four of which are Montana made.  The grapes used in White Raven’s Montana wines Marquette, Frontenac and L’Acadie Blanc are all cold-hardy varietals originally grown in cold mid-western states.

The Gallatin County Resource Advisory Council approved fee hikes at 14 rental cabins, three campgrounds and the Rendezvous Ski Trails. 23 other increases have been proposed across for 15 other campgrounds, 14 cabins and lookouts. The rental rates for popular cabins close to Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park would jump from $30 a night to $65. Rendezvous Ski Trails would see a family pass rise from $75 for a family to $190. One cabin in the Taylor Fork area, which has yet to be added to the rental program, is set to cost $75 a night.

Mike Sartwell, president and CEO of Preferred Restaurant Group, Inc., has opened the first Slim Chickens, a southern inspired chicken franchise, in Montana. With 43 years of restaurant and franchising experience and a Slim Chickens location in North Dakota, Sartwell opened at 1450 Prospect Avenue in Helena.

The Montana BioScience Alliance has chosen Marshall Bloom, M.D., as its 2020 Hall of Fame honoree. Dr. Bloom is the Associate Director for Science Management at Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton. He also is Chief of the Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section. Rocky Mountain Laboratories is part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Among other accomplishments, Dr. Bloom oversaw the development of NIH’s first biosafety level-four research facility, which was constructed on the RML campus. Since the facility opened in 2008, the program’s scientists have helped develop an Ebola virus vaccine and are making crucial contributions to COVID-19 treatment and vaccine developments.

The KLJ Solutions Holding Co. Board of Directors announced the appointment of interim Chief Executive Officer  Barry Schuchard, effective January 1 The appointment follows the resignation of KLJ Engineering LLC CEO, Dean Anagnost. Schuchard has been with the company since 1983 and served in multiple project-related and leadership roles over the years, including Chief Production Officer for a number of years and most recently as the company’s Chief Value Officer. Anagnost began his career with KLJ in 1991 where he was responsible for the formation of the company’s Telecommunications practice, which remains a key component of KLJ’s business portfolio.

The Montana Department of Transportation recently issued new load postings for the Spring Creek Bridge, two miles northwest of Greycliff in Sweet Grass County. The postings are part of a multi-year effort to update load ratings and postings on Montana bridges as mandated by the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA mandate is in response to changes in the trucking industry over the last decade. Truck manufacturers are building specialized hauling vehicles, which are capable of legally carrying heavier loads than typical vehicles have in the past. SHVs are single-unit, short-wheelbase, multiple-axle trucks commonly used in the construction, waste management, bulk cargo and commodities hauling industries. Often times one or more axles can be raised or lowered as needed to comply with statutory weight limitations.  To comply with the mandate, MDT is currently updating load ratings for 4,500 public bridges across the state, including approximately 2,500 owned and maintained by MDT. This effort is expected to take about four years to complete.  

The first and only Cat Café has been opened in Bozeman at The Market at Ferguson Farm. The Cat Show Cat Café is a lounge where people can work and adopt cats. Cat Show owner Josh Marks partnered with Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter to create a place where visitors can work, meet, and relax. People who want to visit the Cat Show can pay a single day fee or going a monthly subscription.

The Gallatin Gateway School board passed a bond issue of $7 million to build a new school building or to remodel the existing structure. Gallatin Gateway is expecting to have at least 50 news students from the new subdivision development that is being built in the neighborhood. The new renovations will start in May 2021.