"In 2019, Hi Country welcomed new management. Owner Travis Byerly and COO Steve Fehrs saw potential for significant market growth, but also shared a commitment to keeping the business in Lincoln. The primary challenge facing them was attracting and retaining a limited workforce. The initiative to become the employer of choice within 65 miles was born..."

"For the past several years, Boulder has not had a licensed child care facility serving the residents of the
town, and a concerned group of citizens came together in early 2021, as an offshoot of the town’s BTAC
(Boulder Transition Advisory Committee), to form the Boulder Child Care Working Group (BCCWG).
They worked to explore many different ways in which they might be able to get a licensed child care
center started, including looking at existing land next to the elementary school; considering space at the
Methodist church, and considering an unused school building that was sitting on blocks in North Helena..."

"Dr. Hailey Axberg is a young Chiropractor and founder of Glacier Family Chiropractic & Wellness in Columbia Falls, MT. She graduated in October of 2021 and opened her family clinic the following February. Dr. Hailey and her fiance initially planned to work as associate doctors after their graduation. When those plans fell through, they decided to explore options of opening a practice in their ideal location..."

"In 2020, the lack of butcher shops and meat processors in eastern Montana became apparent. Even before the pandemic, there was a demand for more USDA-certified meat processors in the state. Ry and Cassie understood the frustration of fellow ranchers and their inability to butcher their livestock locally. They sympathized with consumers worried about the beef supply in grocery stores. Most importantly, they understood the importance of being progressive and adaptable in the agriculture industry..."

"Prospera raised $13,000 for the Next Gen Study. We supported that effort at the spring/summer MEDA meeting in 2019, as MEDA was debating ways to being more relevant and impactful. There was some level of skepticism that “MEDA” could raise the money and do the study (or should even do a study). I was one of the core group of folks who served on the committee to draft an RFP for hiring and find ways to raise funding. We rallied to get the RFP drafted and approved by the Board. WE raised more than the goal needed for the study, and in the process got more attention and commitments to MEDA than have happened in the past. More private support came forward for MEDA and the study, because we took bold action on something many of us cared about. In the process, it lead to MEDA adopting a more action oriented approach to its work, and hiring an ED role (which the study mentions for capacity building) so that we could grow and expand our impact to advance our work in Montana."

"After almost 25 years of being an employee at Carquest, Mike Farris went from spinning wrenches in the shop and helping customers at the front desk to purchasing the business with his wife, Steph. Farris Farm and Auto is a family- owned business passionate about delivering excellence in everything they do.
The couple was exploring the possibility of purchasing the business when Steph attended her first Quickbooks training..."

"Tom Jones has worked in the heating and air conditioning industry for more than 13 years. Demand for HVAC services in the local market continued to increase, and Tom saw an opportunity. In 2021, Tom and his wife Emily decided to explore options to open their own business..."

"Heidi, a teacher with a long line of Blackfeet-Irish entrepreneurs in her family, spent most of her childhood helping her grandmother with the family business. Cesar was raised in a traditional Mexican family, and he loves cooking authentic Mexican food, especially street tacos.
After serving as a Marine, traveling the country, and serving his community as a police officer, Cesar and his wife Heidi saw an opportunity to serve their community in another way..."

"The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is a federal program, run out of Billings BSED. Bozeman lost its PTAC support staff in 2018, because MSU dropped the program. For years, the PTAC staff situation has been an unsolvable problem. Using our MEDA connections and on-going support from the Billings office, we rallied regionally with Butte and Helena – to create a regional PTAC office in Butte, that will serve businesses in Gallatin, Lewis Clark, Jefferson and Butte/Silver Bow. We are chipping in funds as is Helena (MBAC) to help fund the center in Butte. It’s a MEDA success story because we are working together, pooling funds to solve a problem that we could not fix alone. Now, we have a functioning PTAC in Butte serving multiple counties across southwest MT."

"After working decades in the field of domestic and sexual violence, Angela Bridegam returned to school at the University of Montana to pursue her Master's in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management. While in graduate school, Angela created a business plan for Girls Run Missoula to give young girls the skills and confidence to avoid adverse experiences throughout their lives. The business plan focused on teen dating violence, suicide, substance abuse, eating disorders, and mental health challenges to name a few.
The Missoula community was experiencing its first full swing of the COVID pandemic when Angela graduated. With high anxiety, fear of the unknown, and the stress of both teaching and mothering her children, Angela looked to her Girls Run Missoula (GRM} business plan as a response to growing challenges around safe childcare and made an appointment with the Missoula SBDC..."

"Rachel Bray watched her Mom run an in-home child care facility while she was growing up and went on to work in child care facilities in college. After college, Rachel took a job that included a great deal of travel, and she was missing out on the school activities with her kids. She also saw the need for quality childcare facilities in East Helena..."

"Gallatin Valley Furniture/Carpet One has been a staple in Bozeman, Montana since 1946. Stuart Beiswanger was employed there for nine years, from 1991 to 2000. After working in Gallatin Valley Carpet One for many years and knowing the previous owners were looking at their exit strategy, Stuart saw an opportunity. His vision included improvements in operations, sales, the customer experience, and the overall employee experience. Stuart Beiswanger returned to Carpet One in 2014 and began planning the purchase of the business in 2015. In 2021, Stuart turned to the Bozeman SBDC's Regional Director Jeff Turczyn at Prospera Business Network for assistance..."