Community News

Location, location, location.  In Southwest Montana, we’ve got it and then some… yet one more Top 10 national ranking and a few new move-ins and a ground-breaking to report. I endeavor to track our accolades, business news, expansions, and relocations as they come up individually, but it continues to make such a great impact to see some of the cumulative effects of the last quarter.

Livingston’s most recent claim to fame came by receiving the number three spot on the “10 Small Towns With Huge Backyards” list as published in USA Today. Sarah Tuff, co-author of 101 Best Outdoor Towns: Unspoiled Places to Visit, Live & Play, shared her top picks based on living an implicitly more simple life while still having an abundance of outdoor adventure opportunities right out your back door. Tuff states, “They weren’t lying when they named this place Paradise Valley. Livingston is an Eden along the Yellowstone River, just 52 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. Galleries share space with bars, gear shops, and breakfast spots in the historic downtown. Anglers have the Yellowstone or nearby Gallatin and Madison rivers, which teem with thousands of fish per mile. Some 2,000 miles of trails beckon backpackers and bikers to the Gallatin National Forest.”

Yellowstone National Park continues to make national press and is the main-stay of our summer tourism activity. YNP experienced its top visitation numbers ever in 2010 with 3,640,186 people passing through the gates. Though this year’s numbers are consistently down on a monthly basis thus far, there have still been 2,653,883 visitors through the end of August choosing our area as their annual vacation getaway.

The recent announcement of the receipt of a $950,000 federal grant by the Gallatin Field Airport to begin directing Bozeman to New York flights also shows Bozeman’s vitality and dedication to proactively go in search of more flights. A collaboration of public and private organizations who understood the need to provide this service has worked to bring this flight to fruition. A carrier will be chosen early in 2012 with daily flights starting in June. Not only does this ease travel from New York and the Northeast, but it also affords the European business traveler and visitor time savings and convenience. Further happenings at the airport include the decision to move forward with the addition of a customs office and agent in order to allow international visitors to arrive directly in Bozeman with a private jet service instead of arriving at another airport first to clear customs. Though on the surface appearing to cater to only individual clientele, the office will also facilitate foreign companies' (including Canada) ability to come to the area and do business as needed.

Not only is our region enjoyable, but we also have a somewhat serious side in the work arena. Since it is vital to have a good economic base to support those who call Southwest Montana “home”, it is always refreshing to hear about businesses thriving, expanding, and starting up.  

Two examples of positive press include Outside magazine recognizing our own MercuryCSC in August as being one of the best companies to work for (#16 out of 50). Two additional companies, Bridger Photonics, and Natural Baby Company, ranked 164 and 457 respectively on the annual Inc. magazine’s list of “American-based private, for-profit independent companies.” Prospera Business Network often reports about entrepreneurial endeavors that are thriving in Bozeman and the region.

One of the most recent area expansion projects is Blackhawk Products, a subsidiary of the defense contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., a Fortune 500 company.  They plan to relocate and enlarge their Bozeman manufacturing plant to Manhattan, Montana. Blackhawk Products broke ground in September on an 80,000-square-foot factory in Manhattan, which could bring 175 jobs in the next few years. Blackhawk is the maker of gun holsters and accessories for military and law enforcement.

Sitka Gear, designers and manufacturers of performance hunting and archery gear will be relocating their headquarters to Bozeman from Napa, CA by next spring. The company states that in addition to being a popular destination for hunters and outdoor recreationists, Bozeman’s “forward-thinking and outdoor-centric culture make it a natural home for Sitka”.  

Finally, a couple of updates on local businesses I have mentioned in the past. Billion Auto Group just opened the new Nissan Dealership facility at the corner of Cottonwood and Fallon, and both the GM and Dodge Dealerships are fully under construction. Petra Academy was able to move into the educational wing at 4720 Classical Way at the beginning of the school year with the gymnasium and performing arts center to follow. Kohl’s Department Store officially opened with a ribbon cutting on September 28th and added 130 new jobs to our local economy.

“Stay a week or a lifetime”… we live in a place desired by many to vacation, retire, start a business, or expand a business. Thanks to the public and private efforts for many successful endeavors this summer.