Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/ Big Sky Business Journal en-us http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/images/logo.gif http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/ thomas@bigskybusiness.com http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=384 New Jersey taxpayers bear the heaviest state-local tax burden in 2008, and Alaskans have the lightest tax burden. Montana has the 11th lightest (40th heaviest) state-local tax burden according to a new report from the Tax Foundation. The nation as a whole paid 9.7 percent of its income in state-local taxes, down from 9.9 percent in 2007, primarily because income grew faster than tax collections between 2007 and 2008, according to the report complied by senior economist Gerald Prante. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=383 The Quality of Life Run will be held on Saturday, August 23, beginning with the 2 mile run/walk at 8:15 a.m. and the 5-mile at 8 a.m. The Quality of Life run was created by the Billings Association of Realtors in 2004 to help raise awareness for non-profits in the community that are working to improve the quality of life for our residents. The event grows each year in number of participants and dollars raised. To date, more than $88,000 has been raised for non-profits including the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Tumbleweed Runaway Program and Senior Helping Hands. The beneficiary this year is Yellowstone CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) — a program of volunteers who speak up for abused and neglected children. A 2-mile and 5-mile event for which donations are being accepted. Register on line at www.qualityoliferun.com Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=382 By Evelyn Pyburn All the admonitions, about how we should live our lives, which are being liberally handed out, from presidential candidates to local planners, have a common theme – a total disregard for you. A lack of respect for your time, your money, your desires and needs. You can, and should, be sacrificed for the welfare of the group – according to these molders of a perfect society. Whether it’s attempts to make SUV’s less attainable through higher taxes and insurance premiums, laws as to what light bulbs or toilets people can use, restricting people to walk, bike or ride the bus, building a home in a government approved manner, or waiting for permissions and permits, the one thing being totally discounted, in all this meddling of our affairs, is the liberation and empowerment that abundant energy, modern conveniences and broad choices give to the common man. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=381 The Montana Petroleum Association will hold its Annual Meeting in Billings Aug. 26-27. The public is especially invited to attend The Petroleum Industry Appreciation Day Luncheon on the 27th in the Crowne Plaza Ballroom. It will feature Dr. Michael Economides, Chairman of the Board of XGAS and Paleon Oil and Professor at the Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston. He will talk about “Energy Geopolitics.” Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=380 Montana farm real estate values increased 14.6 percent, averaging $1100 per acre as of January 2008. The rate of increase was among the highest in the nation. The data was reported this month by the US Department of Agriculture. Nationally, farm real estate values, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $2,350 per acre on January 1, 2008, up 8.8 percent from 2007. The $2,350 per acre is a record high and $190 more than a year earlier. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=378 The high cost of oil and the lack of its availability for chip sealing has prompted a decision from the Yellowstone County Public Works Department not to do any chip sealing of county roads this summer. “The price has more than doubled,” said Bob Moats, Director of Public Works. Moats explained that they plan to attempt to purchase the oil this winter when prices for it are expected to drop. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=379 Michael Hanson to Serve as Company Consultant NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE) today announced the appointment of Robert C. Rowe as President and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately as successor to Michael J. Hanson. Rowe also has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors. Hanson, who has resigned as President and CEO, will continue to serve the Company as a consultant to ensure a seamless transition. “I want to thank Mike for his service to the Company and for his leadership and significant contributions to the organization,” said E. Linn Draper, Jr., Chairman of the NorthWestern Energy Board of Directors. “In Bob Rowe, we have found an excellent leader to carry on, and are pleased to welcome him to the Company. He is well known to the Board of Directors and the management team. We have the highest regard for his strategic and public policy insights as well as his judgment. He also is very well respected among federal and state regulatory authorities that are so integral to our business.” Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=377 By Elizabeth Milito There is no question that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions impact small business. In fact, studies have shown that more than 40 percent of the court’s cases deal with issues that directly affect the business community. Those issues include employment, civil rights, insurance, workplace injury, environmental regulations and product liability issues. Unfortunately, the 2007-2008 term is likely to receive mixed reviews from the business community. The National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center participated in seven of court’s most critical cases and scored two important victories for small business. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=376 By Evelyn Pyburn What a novel idea! Buying property, when wanting to control the use of it. Not long ago the Livingston Enterprise reported, “The heir to an Italian candy empire that includes Mentos mints has purchased about 4,000 acres of the proposed 11,000-acre Ameya Preserve development, developer Wade Dokken said. Giorgio Perfetti proposed the purchase because he didn’t want to look at the development from his own property.” By George, he got it! In the United States of America, no less – someone gets it. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=375 By Evelyn Pyburn Representatives of a number of area gravel mine operations and the county commissioners of several counties met recently in Billings to air their differences and try to find common ground regarding the issues of permitting and regulating gravel pits. Basically, they all agreed that they wanted to get along rather than “butt heads” at the state legislature. “I don’t see how it’s to our benefit to irritate one of our best customers,” said Rick Allison of Knife River Co. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=374 The Montana Coal Board awarded a total of $421,000 in coal impact grants to Big Horn County, the City of Colstrip, Dawson County, and Powder River County at its meeting in Billings. The Montana Coal Board provides financial grants to help local jurisdictions provide for the expansion of public services or facilities needed as a direct consequence of coal development activities.. The following applicants were awarded coal impact grant funds for their projects: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=373 The Montana state soil, the Scobey series, will be among samples included in a historic new exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The exhibition, entitled “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil,” opens July 19 and will remain on display in the Nation’s capital through Jan. 3, 2010. Thereafter, it will travel to ten museums nationwide until 2013. The exhibit aims to improve soil literacy with a 5,000-square-foot exhibition revealing the complex soil ecosystem and how it supports nearly every form of life on earth. There are more living creatures in a shovelful of soil than there are human beings on the planet; so many organisms contribute to the health of soil that scientists have not named them all. Yet, the exhibit tells us, more is known about the dark side of the moon than about soil. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=372 Montana State University microbiologist Matthew Fields spends his days trying to understand how interactions on a microscopic scale could change how we think of energy production, climate change and even soil contamination. Fields studies the physiology and behavior of microbes - the tiny organisms that have inhabited virtually every square inch of the earth’s surface for the past 3.5 billion years. “Microbes have global impacts,” Fields said. “They can grow fast and in large numbers, and there is always power in numbers.” Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=371 Laurel’s history as a town began in 1879 when the first settlers came into the area. However, Laurel was not the original name, nor is it in the original location. Initially named Carlton, the town was two miles west of its present location. No one knows why the name changed, although there are different accounts as to how it came to be known as Laurel. One account claims that a railroad man named it after a member of his family, another claims a railroad man named it after his hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. A third account that claims a railroad official named it after a shrub. Whatever the reason, by 1906 Laurel was considered a town and by 1908 it was incorporated. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=370 MDU Resources Group, Inc. has announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Fidelity Exploration & Production Company, recently completed its first operated well in the Three Forks/Sanish formation in the Bakken shale area in Mountrail County in North Dakota. Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=369 The next gathering of the Business Owners Social Society BOSS will be an evening in the park with a catered barbeque on Thursday, August 14, Rose Park, starting at 5:30 p.m. -- dinner served at 6:30 p.m. BOSS is a no-commitment, no dues, no committees organization just for the enjoyment of business owners getting together. You join by showing up. Spouses welcome. Enjoy a double entree barbecue, including beer and wine for $20 per person. For more information and RSVPs call (406) 259-2309 or email BOSS Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=368 By Robert Nolte Yellowstone County News A new high-speed internet service has been launched, developed by the Glaser family that has been working on the system for three years. “It’s faster than DSL and costs much less,” said Bill Glaser, who serves in the Montana House of Representatives. “We use the new wireless ethernet technology, which is about five years ahead of what’s currently out there.” Glaser, his wife, Patsy, and their granddaughter Jami Howell have invested $100,000 in the new company, East Slope Internet. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=367 Engineering, Inc. is hosting the upcoming Green Drinks event at their building in the Transtech Center, which is located at 1300 North Transtech Way, just behind the Windmill restaurant, on August 12 from 5 to 8 pm. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=366 Reports significant improvement in net income Declares dividend of 33 cents per share NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE) reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2008. Highlights for the quarter include: Net income improved to $9.5 million in the second quarter of 2008 compared with $2.4 million in the second quarter of 2007; The stipulated agreement for electric and natural gas rate case was approved by the Montana Public Service Commission (“MPSC”); Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=363 Montana ranked 33rd in a CNBC study as to which states are the most competitive in terms of business. States were ranked according to data that measures competitiveness in ten categories. Montana’s ranking in each category is as follows: - Cost of Doing Business, 26 - Workforce, 36 - Economy, 10 - Education, 16 - Quality of Life, 30 - Technology & Innovation, 45 - Transportation, 29 - Cost of Living, 31 - Business Friendliness, 44 - Access to Capital, 45 In other state rankings Idaho was fourth, South Dakota was seventh, Wyoming, 14th and North Dakota, 16th. Texas was first and Alaska was last. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=362 By Steve Roth, President, Montana Stockgrowers Association In light of Montana’s recent loss of brucellosis Class Free status, the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) would like to reiterate its opposition to split-state status as means for managing brucellosis in Montana. Members adopted policy opposing regionalization for brucellosis in Dec. 2007, at the MSGA Annual Convention, after the first brucellosis case was discovered in herd a near Bridger. Our organization continues to have a number of concerns about split-state status. Aside from our practical concerns about the implementation, maintenance and enforcement of two classification areas in MT, philosophically, we do not support geographically isolating ranchers according to problems they experience. We believe that the industry’s integrity and future depends on uniting producers against common threats. Sacrificing some for the short-term gain of others only serves to weaken these goals and the industry’s foundation. Cattle producers must remain united on all fronts against brucellosis to protect the livelihood, stability and heritage of our industry. Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=361 Downtown revitalization is the theme for the Montana Department of Commerce’s first Main Street conference, which takes place Sept. 29-30, at the Finlen Hotel in uptown Butte. Developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, Main Street is a historic preservation-based economic development program that has been used in thousands of rural and urban communities nationwide to spark life into traditional commercial districts. In 2005, the Montana Legislature authorized funding to join the national program. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=360 The state seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased for the fifth consecutive month to 4.2% in May, up 0.4 percent from the April level of 3.8 percent. The national unemployment rate increased half a percentage point over the month to 5.5 percent in May. “The May employment figures suggest that national economic woes are slowing employment growth in Montana,” says Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly. “High gas prices have slowed employment growth in the wholesale and transportation industries, while a slowdown in housing growth has lowered employment levels for self-employed construction workers. Construction payroll employment, however, is still growing.” Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=359 Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has secured $100,000 in funding for the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) in the Financial Services Appropriations Bill. MMEC is an outreach center in the Montana State University College of Engineering in Bozeman that works with manufacturers to implement solutions that help them stay competitive and grow. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0600 http://journal.bigskybusiness.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=358 A Montana coal mine made national news this week, with Reuters reporting on Monday that the Bull Mountain mine change in ownership “could result in more U.S. exports to the Pacific Basin.” Two companies in Ohio purchased an 80 percent share in the Bull Mountain mine on July 15, promising to increase production from “a few hundred thousand tons” to 14 million tons. The new owners, Boich Companies and a utility company, FirstEnergy Corp (FE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) also purchased the proposed 35-mile short line railroad between Roundup and Broadview. Total cost for developing the mine and railroad is estimated at $450 million. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:30:46 -0600