Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Big Sky, Bright Future: Big Names, Bright Connections

The Montana Chamber of Commerce and Governor Gianforte are excited to announce Senator Sheehy, Governor Pillen of Nebraska, and a Senior Trump Administration Official are confirmed to speak at the 2nd Annual Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit! More speakers announced soon.

This event is almost sold out - don't miss out on the high-caliber lineup of speakers and networking opportunities.

2025 Changes to Property Tax Lead to Increased Business Taxes

The Montana Chamber of Commerce was concerned about the potential shifts in property taxpayers due to the changes in the 2025 Legislative Session.

Analysis from the Montana Taxpayers Association shows that taxes paid by the business community will indeed increase, noting, "[R]esidential property taxes decreased statewide by 3% from 2024 levels. Most other classes of property had double digit tax increases to offset the reduction in residential property. Residential property makes up 79% of the market value of the state so a small percentage decrease in residential property taxes causes large increases in property taxes of other classes." To read the whole article, check out our website at the link below.

Our president & CEO, Todd O'Hair has been pushing for a conversation on taxes where every available option is on the table. Find some of this news coverage below.

MT Chamber Strategic Plan Survey Accepting Responses

Montana Chamber Foundation on the Airwaves

Workforce Specialist James Easton spoke with Catherine Koenen with the Gianforte Family Foundation and Aaron Flint on Montana Talks last week about the state of education in the state and programming the Montana Chamber Foundation is working on with teachers across the state.

Check it out at the link below or search "Montana Talks" wherever you get your podcasts.

Cultivating Careers Inspires Students Across Montana

Cultivating Careers brought together over 500 students—from middle school to college—and more than 40 businesses for a hands-on career exploration experience in Glendive on the campus of Dawson Community College on September 24th. Sponsored by the Montana Chamber Foundation, this event is one of six planned for the school year, with past stops in communities like Livingston and Cut Bank.



Students connected with local employers, explored career pathways, and discovered opportunities in their region. Through programs like Empowered and The Prospects, the Foundation continues to invest in Montana’s future workforce—especially in rural and tribal communities—by fostering innovation, readiness, and economic growth.

Montanans at Work Statewide Tour Rolls Out to Montana Communities

The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) recently announced its Montanans at Work statewide tour, offering a unique opportunity for local employers, workforce professionals, and community members to connect with DLI experts and resources as part of Governor Greg Gianforte’s 406 JOBS initiative.

Montanans at Work will be in the following communities through the month of October. The events are free to attend; advanced registration is encouraged.

• Libby, Oct. 1-2, location TBD
• Kalispell, Oct 2-3, Flathead Valley Community College
• Billings, Oct. 7-8, Billings Hotel & Convention Center
• Lewistown, Oct. 15-16, location TBD
• Miles City, Oct. 16-17, Miles City Town & Country Club
• Bozeman, Oct. 21-22, AC Hotel Bozeman Downtown
• Great Falls, Oct. 23-24, Great Falls College MSU – Heritage Hall
• Glendive, Oct. 27-28, location TBD
• Wolf Point, Oct. 28-29, location TBD
• Havre, Oct. 29-30, location TBD
• Cutbank/Shelby, Oct. 30-31, location TBD         

Combat-Wounded Veteran receives payment-free vehicle from Military Warriors Support Foundation and Wells Fargo in Helena, Montana

Retired U.S. Army Special Forces Major Richard Wertz was honored for his service and sacrifice last week by receiving a payment-free vehicle through Military Warriors Support Foundation’s (MWSF) Transportation4Heroes program, in collaboration with Wells Fargo in Helena, Montana. A ceremony took place where Wells Fargo, Military Warriors Support Foundation, and Congressman Troy Downing presented retired U.S. Army Special Forces Major Richard Wertz with the keys to this new vehicle. 

For the past 10 years, Wells Fargo and Military Warriors Support Foundation have teamed up to provide veterans with safe, reliable vehicles to help restore their independence and improve their quality of life. This partnership has transformed the lives of hundreds of heroes nationwide by ensuring they have the transportation needed to access healthcare, employment, and community resources in addition to providing financial mentoring.  

Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit: Thursday, Oct. 16 in Bozeman

Thank you to our sponsors that have made this event possible:

Title: Americans for Prosperity Montana

Platinum: Google, Stockman Bank

Gold: BHE Montana, BNSF, NorthWestern Energy, Weyerhaeuser

Silver: Boeing, Holland & Hart, Montana Department of Commerce, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, The Washington Companies, Montana WWAMI

Bronze: Bloom Montana, CrossHarbor Capital Partners, Dayspring Restoration, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Green Diamond, The Lewis & Clark Motel, Lone Mountain Land Company, PLUS Communications, Prospera, Phillips 66, Puget Sound Energy, Town Pump Hotel Group

Copper: UBS

Breakfast: Billings Clinic Bozeman

Business Days at the Capitol: January 6-7, 2026 in Helena

Registration is now open for the Montana Chamber of Commerce's premier event, Business Days at the Capitol. Space is limited and the event sells out every year so register early.

Montana's leaders in business, energy, politics, and economic development are convening for a timely discussion on the state's economic and energy opportunities. These experts will assess the challenges Montana faces with rising electricity prices and demand, as well as remedies required to keep Montana among the most attractive states for business investment.

Billings - The Paper Mill, Oct 23, 5-8pm -

RSVP here

Keynote: Sonja Nowakowski, DEQ

Panel:

• Shannon Brown, Talen Energy
• Brant Johnson, Grid United
• Heather McDowell, Sibanye Stillwater
• Sheryl Mayo, Quantica (pending)
• Sen Daniel Zolnikov (R - Billings)

Helena - The Original Montana Club, Nov 5, 5-8pm RSVP here

Keynote: Keegan Moyer, Energy Strategies

Panel:

• Todd O'Hair, Montana Chamber
• Mike Cashell, NorthWestern Energy
• Spencer Gray, NIPPC
• Brant Johnson, Grid United
• Mark Thompson, Montana Resources
• Rep Gary Parry (R - Colstrip)

Social Media and the Workplace

Written by Bethany Williamson, HR Business Partner

Social media is everywhere, and everywhere includes your workplace. Some employers may be using social media to recruit new employees, screen job applicants, monitor employee conduct, or promote their organizational brand. Employee use can result in a work distraction or escape, negative postings about work conditions, or sharing confidential company, employee, or third-party information. How do I manage all of this? Two words: Very Carefully!

First, realize that unless an employee is divulging confidential information, lying about your business (for example, saying your company cheats to get contracts), threatening/ harassing an employee, vendor, or customer, or using hate speech, there may not be anything to be done. Unless they are posting something unethical or unlawful related to your business, content on social media may be protected.

Be extremely cautious if considering terminating an employee over their remarks. Unionized or not, all employees are afforded some protections under the National Labor Relations Act. Predominantly, Section 7 under the NLRA allows employees to engage in “concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.” Employees must be allowed to discuss terms and conditions of employment without fear of reprisal. On the other hand, the NLRA does not protect personal gripes/comments that have no real connection to working conditions.

What might you say to an employee who has vented online? Maybe have a quick one on one to see if they are happy. Maybe there is something in the complaints that is valid and could be solved to everyone’s benefit. Make social media a force for good in your business. Happy employees can be brand ambassadors for your company by promoting and being excited about working for a business that reacts and cares.

For everyone’s benefit, you could counsel your employees:

• Not to list their employer on their social media pages
• Not to ‘friend’ coworkers on social media
• Consider setting all social media pages to private
• Have a line in their bio on their pages that says that all opinions and content are theirs alone
• and do not reflect the opinions of others including employers

If your organization is using social media sites for employee recruiting, you will want to proceed with caution. Proper training must occur for employees who are responsible for gathering candidate information. These employees must stay focused on picking out only pertinent information that is related to the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Social media can be a fun place for your business and your employees. The explosion and now normal day to day use of social media, especially by our younger employees who have never known life without those platforms can blur the line between personal and professional. When in doubt whether someone online has crossed a line, be sure to consult your attorney to help you navigate the tricky subject of social media.

In search of liberty, we put it all on the line, crossing the 49th and expanding our machine-shop operations into the great state of Montana. 

Specializing in precision rifles and match-grade barrels, our products are hand-crafted in-house, one barrel at a time, with serious attention to detail. We’ve perfected our craft over the years, scaling up production while constantly chasing new ideas. Offering a wide range of rifle configurations for the tactical, competition, and hunting segments of our industry. 

2025 marks the launch of our all-new SuperShort action designed around the Hornady ARC cartridge family and the AR15 magazine. Proudly built in America.

Are you interested in joining the Montana Chamber of Commerce? Fill out the form below and we'll be in touch!

This Business Brief is Sponsored by Treasure State Member

To learn more about Treasure State Membership benefits for your business, contact Matt Olson, Director of Network Development at Matthew@montanachamber.com | 406.360.6443