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Home My WebLink About09-23-26 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Quarterly Newsletter_ Q3 2026From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Quarterly Newsletter: Q3 2026Date:Wednesday, September 23, 2026 9:55:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Commerce News and Success Stories Commerce Quarterly Newsletter Third Quarter 2026 Welcome to the “Commerce Quarterly,” a newsletter designed to provide constituents and stakeholders with long-form updates on the Montana Department of Commerce’s success stories, as well as innovative opportunities to engage with the department and participate in building the future of Montana’s economy. This newsletter is delivered four times per year covering a variety of topics to showcase the many ways Commerce is working with businesses and community leaders across the state. Partner with Montana at SHOT Show 2027 Commerce’s booth at SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas Brooke Blackler, owner of The Last Best Store, and Marta Bertoglio, director of the Montana Department of Commerce, converse at Commerce’s booth at SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 21. Photo credit: Commerce. The Montana Department of Commerce seeks sponsors to help showcase Montana's growing manufacturing, shooting sports and outdoor recreation industries at the 2027 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas from Jan. 19 to Jan. 22. As one of the nation's premier industry trade shows, SHOT Show provides an opportunity to connect Montana businesses with manufacturers, industry leaders, prospective companies and media from across the country. FULL ARTICLE Commerce Exhibit Brings Montana to Life at Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. The Montana exhibit at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. At the Montana exhibit at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., visitors discovered Montana at the fossil dig pit station. Photo credit: Commerce. From June 25-July 10, visitors to the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., were introduced to the real Montana at a 750-square-foot exhibit brought to life by the Montana Department of Commerce at the direction of Gov. Greg Gianforte. As the agency in charge of marketing the state, Commerce was well prepared to speak to national audiences about what makes Montana an incredible place. FULL ARTICLE Governor’s Award for Excellence Winners Governor’s Award for Excellence Winners Frederick Van Den Abbeel, senior business attraction advisor; April Armstrong, attorney; and Anna Marie Moe, deputy administrator of Commerce's Destination MT Division, received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Helena on Sept. 21. Photo credit: Commerce. Three Montana Department of Commerce employees received individual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Performance under a program that recognizes exceptional accomplishments of individual state employees and teams. FULL ARTICLE The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Becomes Law Vederra Modular factory floor A view from the factory floor of Vederra Modular, a modular housing construction company based in North Aurora, Colo. Photo credit: Commerce. On July 11, 2026, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law. While it is arguably the most impactful federal housing legislation in decades, on-the-ground results will likely take several years to become apparent, as many provisions necessitate additional federal rulemaking and the appropriation of funds. The Montana Department of Commerce’s Housing MT Division and administratively-attached Montana Board of Housing teams are actively working to assess opportunities and identify key action items and deadlines, especially those pertaining to federal programs administered by Commerce. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Implementation Tracker is a particularly useful tool for this analysis. FULL ARTICLE 2026 Montana Tourism Awards Winners Honored at Annual Conference Tourism Awards Presented at Annual Conference From left to right: Amanda Trum, museum manager, Montana Historical Society; Ginny Sullivan, public relations and development officer, Montana Historical Society; Sarah Bannon, retired executive director, Visit Southwest Montana; Alyssa McGeeley, tribal engagement manager, Yellowstone Forever; Norma Ashby Smith, retired broadcaster, Montana Television Network; Avery Hughes, tourism director, Central Montana; Andrea Opitz, executive director, Visit Helena; Marta Bertoglio, director, Montana Department of Commerce. Photo credit: Commerce. Montana Department of Commerce leadership and staff today joined attendees of Commerce’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Great Falls to congratulate finalists and winners of the 2026 Montana Tourism Awards. “These awards celebrate the outstanding work of the communities, businesses, organizations and individuals who champion Montana's tourism industry while increasing its economic impact for Montana residents,” said Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio. “A special congratulations from Commerce to all of the winners who have shown all of us how to make visitors feel truly inspired and welcome in our state.” FULL ARTICLE Janicki Industries Shines a Light on Montana as a Hidden Gem for Corporate Expansion Groundbreaking for Janicki Manufacturing Campus in Great Falls From left to right: John Janicki, president of Janicki Industries; Gov. Greg Gianforte; Peter Janicki, founder and CEO of Janicki Industries; and U.S. Rep. Troy Downing at the groundbreaking for Janicki’s manufacturing campus in Great Falls. Photo credit: Governor’s Office. On June 2, engineering and manufacturing company Janicki Industries announced plans to invest more than $800 million in a new manufacturing campus in Great Falls, reinforcing what many Montana communities already know: Montana is a destination for innovative companies looking to grow. FULL ARTICLE Commerce Allocates 13 Rural Tourism Asset Grants Downtown Ennis Neighbors gather in Ennis, which was awarded $42,680 in RTAG funding to upgrade its Lions Club Park amenities. Photo credit: Commerce. On July 30, the Montana Department of Commerce announced that $750,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 13 rural Montana communities and tourism organizations to support one-time, stand-alone projects that create long-term tourism improvements. The funding was allocated through Commerce’s Rural Tourism Asset Grant Program. FULL ARTICLE Hard Rock Mining Impact Board and Commerce Staff Visit Montana Resources in Butte Montana Resources in Butte The Hard Rock Impact Board, Commerce staff and members of the public toured Montana Resources in Butte in July. Photo credit: Commerce. The Hard Rock Mining Impact Board, Commerce staff and members of the public traveled to Butte on July 13 to attend the HRMI Board meeting. Nancy Schlepp with Sandfire Resources-Black Butte Copper Mine and Doug Stiles with Silver Bow Mining gave updates on their respective projects that afternoon. Among other items, attendees learned that Black Butte Copper signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Meagher County Stewardship Council, committing to no open pit mining in the district. FULL ARTICLE Community Food Bank of Mineral County Celebrates Grand Opening of New Facility Community Food Bank of Mineral County Rosie Goldich, Community Development Block Grant coordinator at Commerce (far right), joined Community Food Bank of Mineral County board members to celebrate the grand opening of a new facility in Superior on May 28. Photo credit: Commerce. The Community Food Bank of Mineral County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of its new facility in Superior on May 28. CFBMC, a program of the District XI Human Resource Council, received $700,000 in funding from Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant Community Facilities Program in 2025 for construction of the new building. FULL ARTICLE Photo Feature: Don Addy Memorial Park’s Upgraded Signage Don Addy Memorial Park Sign The Montana Department of Commerce’s Office of Indian Country Economic Development programs provided the Fort Belknap Indian Community with a Fiscal Year 2026 sponsorship of $1,140 to upgrade Don Addy Memorial Park signage and continue the legacy of Don Addy. The park, located in Harlem, serves as a memorial of hope and renewal, physically central to the tribal communities’ infrastructure and economic revitalization efforts. Photo courtesy of Doreen Bell of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Q3 Employee Spotlight Lindsey Harada Photo credit: Precious Moments Photography. Congratulations to our third quarter employee spotlight, Lindsey Harada, infrastructure coordinator with Commerce’s Community MT Division. The employee spotlight recognizes members of the Commerce team for their dedication, hard work and commitment to the agency’s mission. Lindsey was chosen for her exceptional strengths in planning and organization as part of an important grant application ranking process. FULL ARTICLE Commerce Launches Tourism Asset Database to Support Statewide Resilience Tourism Asset Database Homepage The new Montana Tourism Asset Database helps users understand and track current tourism and business assets. Photo credit: Commerce. The Montana Department of Commerce’s Destination MT Division has launched the Tourism Asset Database, a web-based tool that automatically inventories statewide tourism and business assets using web scraping and current data sets to house them all in one platform. The tool, which is now available for use, was developed in collaboration with Commerce’s agency of record, Lawrence & Schiller. FULL ARTICLE Border Bar and Grill: A Small Business Success Story in Turner Border Bar and Grill in Turner Dan Friedrich, co-owner of the Border Bar and Grill in Turner, utilized support from SBDC in 2023 to make his small business even more vibrant. Photo credit: Border Bar and Grill. After Dan and Crystal Friedrich spent decades in the oil industry and health care, they sought a change of pace and scenery. In 2021, they purchased the Border Bar and Grill in Turner, embarking on a new chapter as small business owners. In 2023, a routine Department of Environmental Quality survey revealed elevated nitrate levels in the establishment’s water supply. Because The Border Bar and Grill operates as a transient non-community public water source, this finding triggered the need for an engineer’s report. Realizing the path forward would be challenging, Dan and Crystal turned to the Montana Department of Commerce’s Small Business Development Center for assistance. FULL ARTICLE Commerce Announces New Funding Opportunity from Film Office Art House Cinema and Pub An evening view of Art House Cinema & Pub in Billings. Photo credit: Commerce. The Montana Department of Commerce Film Office is pleased to offer a new funding opportunity: the Film Fest and Theater Sponsorship Program. FULL ARTICLE Montana Department of Commerce 301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620 Contact Us: 406-841-2700 commerce.mt.gov This email was sent to comments@bozeman.net using Granicus Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaDepartment of Commerce · P.O. Box 200501 · Helena, MT 59620-0501 footer View as a webpage Unsubscribe Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on yourSubscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. Discover information about additional topics at Commerce. Sign up for more topics. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Montana Department of Commerce 301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620 406-841-2700