A Montana State University alumnus has won the $75K Venture Competition, taking home $25,000 for his business venture. The remaining $50,000 was split between seven other finalists and seven semi-finalists. 

The annual competition was open to students, faculty, staff and alumni of Montana State University and the University of Montana. It is hosted by the MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship?and the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad. The finalists were from a diverse group of disciplines, including business, engineering, computer science, food science and healthcare. 

The winners of the 2023 $75K Venture competition are: 

* First place, $25,000: High Proof Razor Co., presented by David Ellig, which designs and manufactures high-quality and innovative shaving razors in Belgrade.  

* Second place, $15,000: MatchCoach, presented by Chase Bartlett, a coaching platform that uses artificial intelligence and technology to help tennis players access personalized remote coaching on their gameplay for fractions of the cost of traditional coaching. 

* Third place, $10,500: First Nations Foods, presented by James Vallie, which aims to create novel food products using Indigenous cultural food knowledge and modern food science technology 

The five other finalists were each awarded $3,500. They are listed in alphabetical order: 

* Feedplan, presented by Win Feigle, a subscription-based marketplace platform that connects customers with meal plans from their favorite restaurants. 

* Neurofluidic Diagnostics, presented by Zeynep Malkoç and Zach Jewett, an MSU spin-off that offers drug testing environments to detect and monitor the hallmarks of neurodegeneration linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. 

* Scepter Picks, presented by Nicole Matuszynski and Jack Neupert, which is developing high-quality ice climbing picks. 

* Seidr, presented by Jay Getten, a clinical decision support system for mental health conditions that is designed to help clinicians effectively triage, assess and treat patients. 

* Telepathy Bikes, presented by Calvin Servheen and Matt Lessmeier, which creates mountain bike suspensions that absorb more trail roughness and transmit more rider power than traditional bikes. 

The finalists advanced from a semifinal round of 15 competing ventures. The ventures that didn’t make it into the final round received $1,000. 

David Ellig, founder of the winning High Proof Razor Co., graduated from MSU in 2015 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He said he was excited to win the money but also appreciated the feedback. 

“It’s really cool to get more validation from other people that have been out in the industry that think that this product and this idea has potential and can go somewhere,” he said. 

His metal razors are designed to last a lifetime with interchangeable blades. They are made at Ellig’s machine shop in Belgrade. 

He said the winnings will help fund a patent and cover some marketing expenses. So far, the company’s only marketing effort has been to provide samples to YouTube personalities to review the razors. Even so, Ellig said, his company has sold more than 1,000 razors since developing the first prototype in 2019. 

The diversity of the businesses as well as their sound business plans impressed the judges. 

“I was very impressed with the breadth of valid business opportunities as well as the depth of knowledge, preparation, and professionalism of the entrepreneurs at the $75K competition,” Nordhagen said. “The support for the entrepreneurs was also evident through the generosity of the donors who provided the seed money and the coaching that was provided by the LaunchPad team. The prizes are substantial and will really boost these ventures.” 

The MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers four undergraduate options of study – accounting, finance,management and marketing– as well as five minors- accounting, business administration, entrepreneurship and small business management, finance and international business. It also offers a master of professional accountancy degree, master of science in innovation and management, abusiness certificate and entrepreneurship certificate. 

MSU’s Blackstone LaunchPad helps MSU students succeed in entrepreneurship and in their careers. Open to students and recent alumni in all majors, LaunchPad provides mentoring, opportunities for participants .

Together with Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Charlie Brereton, Governor Greg Gianforte  announced Montana has been selected for a grant to support the implementation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC).

“Instead of turning our backs on those struggling with addiction, we’re investing in hope and opportunity as they get clean, sober, and healthy,” Gov. Gianforte said. “CCBHCs are another tool in the toolbox to expand access to quality mental health and substance use services for our neighbors and build safer, stronger, healthier communities.”

Montana is one of 15 states selected for a $1 million federal grant to support a 12-month planning process for the implementation of CCHBCs.

Brereton said DPHHS is proactively working with 10 community behavioral health providers to determine community readiness and behavioral health needs as the state begins the planning process. 

“Under this model, clinics in other states are closing treatment gaps by offering a comprehensive range of behavioral health services through enhanced reimbursements,” Brereton said. “There is growing demand for services in our state, but capacity of the current system is limited. This is another way that we are transforming Montana’s behavioral health system for future generations.”

The year-long planning phase assists states in developing certification criteria for CCBHCs, crafting technical assistance and training models to complete the certification, establishing a prospective payment system for Medicaid reimbursable services, and preparing an application to participate in a four-year demonstration program.

In 2024, 10 of the 15 states that received planning grants will be selected to join the demonstration project, which provides enhanced federal Medicaid reimbursement for the full cost of covered services provided by CCBHCs.

The certification requirements establish a basic level of service at which a CCBHC should operate and must follow six key program areas that include staffing, availability and accessibility of services, care coordination, scope of services, quality measurements, and consumer representation.

DPHHS will also develop a collaborative workgroup to design Montana’s certification process and related supportive training.

“We look forward to engaging clients, providers, communities, and stakeholders on the state’s grant efforts and activities,” Brereton concluded.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) has submitted its proposal for a southern passenger rail in Montana to the Corridor ID Program of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). 

BSPRA hopes the North Coast Hiawatha (NCH) corridor from Chicago to Seattle/ Portland through southern Montana will be one of routes chosen by the FRA for funding, according to Dave Strohmaier, Chairman, Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. For each corridor selected, the FRA will award an initial grant of $500,000 for preliminary planning.

According to the FRA, “The Corridor ID Program is intended to become the primary means for directing Federal financial support and technical assistance toward the development of proposals for new or improved intercity passenger rail services throughout the United States.”

Its proponents claim that the North Coast Hiawatha will transform the economy of the “Greater Northwest” region, revitalizing rural communities and tribal nations and provide access for underserved citizens to health care, education, other services, and civic resources often unreachable in winter when highways become unreliable or hazardous. BSPRA states that the proposed route will serve as a key catalyst for creating or renewing other passenger rail routes in the American West and Canada and will help awaken a 21st century rail renaissance in western North America.

Strohmaier credited Quandel Consultants and KLJ Engineering with assisting in making application to the federal government.

The North Coast Hiawatha route is already under analysis as part of the FRA’s Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study. The Corridor ID Program will work with that study to complete a service development plan and preliminary engineering—precursors to resuming passenger rail service through southern Montana and beyond.

 Strohmaier said that the project has received letters of support from BNSF Railway, Amtrak, five state DOTs, U.S. senators from North Dakota and Montana, and municipalities.

Some counties in Montana, including Yellowstone County, have not endorsed the proposal due to concerns of costs that might be imposed on the counties and because of concerns about how a passenger line could disrupt rail freight.

The concept of a southern passenger rail line is not a new idea. A similar rail service, Amtrak, already passes through the norther tier of Montana, which is significantly subsidized by the federal government.  Amtrak traverses the entire country and reported $1.6 billion in capital spending in 2017 with operating expenses totaling $4.2 billion. Montana’s Amtrak route, called the Empire Builder, passes through Havre and the Flathead between Seattle and Chicago.

Yellowstone County was first requested to support the concept of a Montana route 13 years ago, according to County Commissioner John Ostlund. At that time, he said the estimated cost was $1 billion, an estimate that is probably double that now.  “Passenger rail service doesn’t make money,” said Ostlund.

 The Montana Department of Transportation website reports that in 2008 Amtrak estimated the capital and up-front costs “…to exceed $1 billion, annual operating cost would exceed $74 million, resulting in a $31 million annual operating loss.”

Property taxes levied on single-family homes in the United States increased 3.6% to $339.8 billion in 2022, according to a new report from a real estate data firm.

That’s up from $328 billion in 2021. The 2022 increase was more than double the 1.6% growth in 2021, but smaller than the 5.4% increase in 2020, according to the report from ATTOM, a property data provider.

The report also shows that the average tax on single-family homes in the U.S. increased 3% in 2022, to $3,901, after rising 1.8% in 2021. The latest average tax resulted in an effective tax rate nationwide of 0.83%. That was down slightly from 0.86% in 2021 to the lowest point since at least 2016. The “effective rates continued to decline even as total taxes rose because home values went up faster than taxes,” according to the report.