Maddie Malmstrom joined Visit Billings, managed by the Billings Chamber of Commerce, as the new Content Coordinator in March. In her new role, Malmstrom will spearhead content creation and curation for Visit Billings’ annual marketing plan.

Leveraging her graphic design and writing skills, Malmstrom will craft and disseminate engaging content across various social media platforms. Her focus will be on producing high-quality written and visual materials that elevate Billings’ profile as a premier travel destination.

Malmstrom brings a wealth of experience in digital marketing and social media management. At City Vineyard, she scaled Instagram followers by 46 percent, profile visits by 907 percent, and online orders by 62 percent in the first year. Her expertise in establishing routine social media data analytics and content calendars, as well as initiating cohesive brand standards, will be invaluable to Visit Billings.

“Maddie’s proven track record in digital marketing and her creative mindset make her a perfect fit for our team,” says Marya Pennington, marketing director of Visit Billings. Malmstrom holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing from Boise State University, with a minor in Entrepreneurship Management. She has extensive experience in content development, project management, and client relationship management. Her skills in copywriting, graphic design, and social media management will help elevate Billings’ presence as a top travel destination.

Malmstrom officially joined Visit Billings on March 24, 2025. She has called Billings’s home for 23 years since moving here with her family at a young age. Outside of work, she enjoys travel, outdoor adventures, fashion, music, reading, and finding new creative outlets.

Casey Conlon joined Visit Billings, managed by the Billings Chamber of Commerce, as the new Sports Tourism Director in March.

In his new role, Conlon will lead Visit Billings Sports. He will spearhead efforts to attract and execute high-impact sporting events, collaborating with key stakeholders to enhance Billings’ reputation as a premier sports tourism destination.

Conlon brings a wealth of experience in sports journalism and event management, having overseen day-to-day newsroom operations at KTVQ, managed all sports coverage, and co-hosted Big Sky Football telecasts. He is highly regarded in the Billings community for his dedication and contributions to local journalism.

Conlon holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California. He spent many of his 18 years at KTVQ as a sports anchor and reporter before moving over to news management. He won multiple awards, including an Edward R. Murrow Regional honor as well as five Montana Broadcasters E.B. Craney awards. He’s excited to bring his wealth of knowledge of the local sports community into tourism and event management.

Conlon officially joined Visit Billings on March 17, 2025. He has called Billings home for 18 years, marrying his wife Kassidy in 2022. The couple are expecting their first child in 2025. Outside of work, Casey is an avid golfer, but you can usually talk him into anything involving a field or court. He and Kassidy also love hiking and camping in Montana’s beautiful wilderness. He can be reached via email at Casey@VisitBillings.com or by calling 406-839-1284

2024 was an eventful year, with many business and political ups and down that impacted the state’s economy, pointed out Patrick Barkey of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research during the  Economic Outlook Seminar. Following are the top ten:

State personal income tax rate reductions take effect. The top rate for the Montana personal income tax rate fell from 6.5% to 5.9% on January 1, 2024. An earlier change had reduced the top rate from 6.9% and also folded the state’s seven earnings brackets into two.

The galloping prices for residential property caused another jump in market assessments performed by the Montana Department of Revenue and used by local

governments to calculate tax bills. Increases in taxable value of residential and commercial property averaging 31.5% brought intense scrutiny and new proposals for reform for the new Legislature to consider.

Last year saw to painful closures of wood products facilities in Missoula County. The Roseburg particle board plant closed  in May 2024, citing competitive pressures from other, newer facilities. Pyramid Mountain Lumber closed its doors in October after 75 years of operation due to depressed lumber demand and labor availability issues.

Sibanye – Stillwater laid off 700 people from its Stillwater and East Boulder mines due to losses caused by the continued depressed level of palladium the primary product of the facility.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration announced that Montana’s Headwaters Tech Hub would receive a $41 million grant from the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program. The Hub will pursue opportunities and investments in smart photonic sensing systems and their deployment into industry sectors critical to U.S. national and economic security.

NorthWesten Energy announced that effective January 1, 2026, it would acquire, at no cost, two shares of the generating capacity of the Colstrip coal-fired electric generating plant in Rosebud County from Puget Sound Energy (370 megawatts) and Avista (222 megawatts) This will bring the company’s total share of the facility to 55%.

The failure of the St. Mary siphon over the St. Mary River near Babb, Montana, in the summer of 2024 presented significant challenges to Hi-Line irrigators and recreators, affecting ground water levels and Milk River flows.

Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings unveiled its plans to build a new, 14-story, 737,000 square-foot facility located adjacent to its current hospital facility. This would be one of the largest construction projects in health care the state has ever seen. It is anticipated to be completed in 2029.

The North Plains Connector project, slated to build a 420-mile, high –voltage DC electric transmission line linking Colstrip to North Dakota got a boost from the announcement from the US Department of Energy that it would grant $47.5 million to Rosebud, Custer, and Fallon counties, in addition to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, to fund infrastructure projects associated with the build-out.

The final rules for the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, gave access to a 10% tax credit for Sibanye -Stillwater mining of platinum and palladium in south central Montana. The original rule only included refiners, not miners, of critical minerals to qualify for the credit. The decision is expected to help support production at their facilities, currently struggling with profitability in the depressed palladium marketplace.

Polly Mulvaney joined Visit Billings, managed by the Billings Chamber of Commerce, as the new Group Sales Manager. In her new role, Mulvaney will manage meeting and convention recruitment as well as group tour sales for the destination.

 She has spent her career in outdoor hospitality, travel and tourism industry, working in Montana and the western region while serving the U.S. and Canada. Her marketing, sales, franchise division and relationship building skills equate well to member services and support that are central to the Group Sales Manager position.

“Polly is no stranger to tourism or chamber work, as she has worked for KOA, the Bozeman and Billings Chambers of Commerce, and Colorado Tourism Board,” says Alex Tyson, executive director of Visit Billings. ”We are excited to have Polly back home with the Visit Billings team and look forward to the vast expertise and industry knowledge she brings to this role, as she elevates Montana’s City nationwide.”

Mulvaney is a proud alumna of Montana State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. She is pursuing certifications as a Certified Autism Travel Professional (CATP) and a Professional in Destination Management. 

She has called Billings home for over two decades with her husband, has three grown children and two Golden Retrievers. Outside of work and family life, Mulvaney enjoys fly fishing and is a new fan of pickleball.