Business

MONTANA — As director for the U.S. Small Business Administration Montana District, I have the unique opportunity to work with entrepreneurs and small business owners across Montana to help provide capital and connections that support growth for our state’s businesses. This year has kept my team busy as we’ve worked with local lenders to secure forgivable loans for 24,000 small business owners through the Paycheck Protection Program and other SBA lending programs designed to help keep businesses afloat during the extreme challenges we’ve faced. Earlier this month, I approached my team and told them that I wanted to end the year on a positive note – doing some...

While 2020 may not seem like an auspicious year to launch a new business, five intrepid women have opened retail shops in downtown Polson since June 15.  River Rock Mercantile at 7 3rd Ave. E. opened June 15, just two days after the Hallmark store closed at the same location. The new owner, Megan Com...

POLSON — Remember what if feels like to settle into a comfy theater seat, minus all the distractions of home (dogs, kids, the drone of a dryer) and – popcorn in hand – sink into a story on the big screen?  Even now, amid a pandemic, audiences can indulge in that experience at the ne...

News from the Polson Chamber of Commerce  POLSON — The Chamber of Commerce and Polson Business Community have joined forces to launch the Find Frosty’s Hat Scavenger Hunt, a community event designed to encourage people to shop locally this holiday season and help Frosty find his missing...

Small Business Saturday is a relatively new American tradition. While Black Friday has been an informal holiday for more than 60 years, it wasn’t until 2010 that the Saturday after Thanksgiving earned its official title, designating it as a day to shop local and support hometown retailers. In a year...

LAKE COUNTY — On Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, many local businesses will have their doors open for Small Business Saturday with special sales and giveaways.   Business owner Carol Lynn Lapotka of handMade Montana in Polson said shopping at small businesses is vital to the local eco...

POLSON — Mission Valley residents rallied together to get some holiday shopping done while supporting local retailers and their employees on Saturday. For the past decade, the Saturday after Thanksgiving has become officially known as Small Business Saturday. The annual event encourages shoppers to ...

News from the Montana Farmers Union MONTANA — The problem of food security is nothing new. “I found it to be very stressful when going to the store,” said Sheena Annala who is a mother of three from Great Falls. Just like many consumers Annala experienced a threat to food security duri...

News from St. Luke Community Healthcare St. Luke Community Healthcare was recognized with the Cardiac Recognition Award at the Montana Hospital Association’s annual virtual meeting in early October. The Cardiac Recognition Award is sponsored by the Cardiovascular Health Program within the state he...

News from UM Bureau of Business, Economic Research MONTANA ­— The Montana economy could receive a significant boost in revenue, if it were to tax the sale of legalized recreational cannabis, according to a new study released by researchers at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the...