Greg Gianforte

According to this article released last week by Recruiter, Montana is #1 for telecommuting!  Of all the 50 states and Washington DC, we have the highest percentage of full-time telecommuters in our workforce, and for those of us who live here it is no surprise.  Who wouldn’t want to live and work in the best place?

Still, it’s exciting to see how popular telecommuting has become in the Treasure state.  It appears that our Come Home To Montana initiative is working, too – we have moved up from being 4th in 2013.  A shout out to all our state’s telecommuters who have shown us that this is not only possible, but much more doable than you might think.  Telecommuting is one more way we can put our families back together by letting our kids work in Montana, plus it brings high-wage jobs to those communities.  Continue to encourage your friends and family who have moved out of state to come home to Montana, and bring their jobs with them!

Though he only stands about two feet tall, Looney the Robot is doing a lot to promote computer science in Montana.  He travels the state with MSU Computer Science professor Hunter Lloyd as part of the Demand Generation initiative, visiting schools and exposing students of all ages to the field of computer science and robotics.  In the 2014-15 school year, Hunter and Looney presented at 56 school assemblies and were seen by over 15,000 Montana students, with the intention of showing these students how fun and interesting robotics can be so that more of them will choose to study computer science in college.  It seems to be working.  In the past two years since Looney and Hunter have been touring, CS enrollment has increased significantly at Montana colleges: 53% at MSU, 54% at Montana Tech, and 27% at U of M.

Not only do the presentations peak an interest in computer science, but the students love them!  At a recent assembly for third and fifth graders in Bozeman, Hunter opened with a demonstration of a project where a small robotic car is programmed to drive itself along a certain route.  He explained how this was a project for one of his classes, and that part of computer programming is solving problems (such as when the car drove over a toy school bus instead of around it, to roaring laughter from the students).  He continued to demonstrate various cameras, 3D modeling, and robots, ending with Looney (to cheers from the students) and Ocean, a similar robot with other programs.  Each of these items brought huge applause and laughs from the audience – in fact, the response when Looney danced to “Gangnam Style” was almost deafening!

Amidst the cheering and impressive displays, Hunter pointed out the incredible progress that has been made in the field of computer science.  He emphasized what the future will be like in terms of computers and technology, such as cars that drive themselves.  He amazed the students by explaining how current robots can be controlled by the Wii or Xbox remote.  And he explained how Montana has great potential to create leaders in this field, and has already done so.  The kids were inspired to hear about people like Eric Reynolds, a Bozemanite who worked on movies like The Hobbit to create the computer-animated 3D characters, and two of the robotics world champions in the past four years, who came from the small Montana towns of Ronan and Sun River.  All of this illustrated for the students how exciting and accessible the field of computer science can be, no matter where you live.  And it pointed back to studying computer science in college.

Young kids are full of excitement.  What better time to introduce exciting fields they can pursue when they grow up, fields that will also allow them to stay in Montana and work high-paying jobs that serve their communities?  Hunter and Looney have been doing an excellent job exposing our students to the fields of computer science and robotics, and I encourage you to take advantage of any opportunity you get to see, or have your kids see, one of their presentations.  To schedule Hunter and Looney to visit your school, call Demand Generation coordinator Sharlyn at 406-994-4794.

The Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a statewide association focused on creating more high-paying jobs in Montana.  Its members enjoy benefits such as networking with other high tech and manufacturing companies, increased visibility across the state, and an online jobs portal recruiting tool.

A study commissioned by the Alliance earlier this year found that the high tech industry is currently 10 – 15% of the state economy, growing 8 – 10 times faster than the state economy and producing jobs twice the state median wage.  But this benefits more than technical people.  The high tech industry creates jobs for non-techies as well in sales, marketing, and administration, and these higher-wage jobs then create jobs in the community in construction, real estate, restaurants and retail.

Recently the MTHBA hosted a member reception in Missoula, where it made some important announcements.  Here are some highlights from the reception, and the progress of the Alliance since its beginning last year.

• Since its launch in April 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance has grown from 20 founding members to more than 230 member firms.

• The October 22 reception in Missoula was the last for 2015, but there will be five receptions in 2016: Bozeman, Billings, Butte, Kalispell, and Missoula. (All dates to be determined)

• The Alliance launched a new Board of Advisors on October 22, adding 30 representatives from member firms across the state to its leadership team in addition to the current seven on the Board of Directors.

• Also on October 22, it launched its second annual High Tech and Manufacturing Industry Survey with the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Last year they had around 100 member companies take the survey, and this year they expect 200 respondents. The report with the results from this survey should be available in early 2016.

• The Alliance maintains a high tech jobs portal with around 80 jobs from member companies at any given time. The part-time jobs portal coordinator, Mary Mildren, works with members to make sure there are current jobs and internships in the portal. The Alliance promotes these jobs through ads in alumni publications, social media, and in-person visits to classrooms and job fairs. Job seekers can subscribe to an email list for weekly updates.

• The Alliance continues to publish its own e-newsletter with original feature stories about Montana’s high tech and manufacturing industry, news and events. Folks can subscribe to this newsletter for weekly updates as well.

If you are a high tech or manufacturing company in Montana that has not yet joined the Montana High Tech Business Alliance, I encourage you to do so!  Non-tech companies can also join as affiliate members. This organization is making great strides in bringing high-paying jobs, and awareness of high-paying jobs, to Montana, and there is no time like the present to participate.

In a previous post I listed some ideas for finding, or creating, a high wage job in Montana.  Let’s talk about another point.

Innovate In Agriculture

Innovation in agriculture can also increase income for farmers and ranchers. First, adding more automation and technology helps get more done with less manpower, thereby increasing efficiency and profits. The second approach is to add more value to traditional farm and ranch products before going to market. Branded Montana beef can sell for more, but you need to identify niche markets and buyers willing to pay for the difference. Wheat Montana is a famous Montana example of similar vertical integration and innovation in grain. Niche markets can be more lucrative if you can tailor your products for buyers with specific preferences that they are willing to pay more for.

Steve and Cathy Cottom are partners in a seed potato farm in southwestern Montana.  With only about 10,000 total acres of seed potatoes being grown in the entire state, this relatively small agriculture industry is able to bring in significant income.  Because the Montana farms are isolated enough to grow seed stock without contamination, the purity of these potatoes allows them to be sold at a higher rate to potato farms in neighboring states like Idaho and Washington.

Plus, technology helps make the farming process more accurate and efficient.  From starting seed stock in university labs under a microscope, to automated tractors with GPS steering and guidance, to weather stations on the farm that can predict water usage and disease risks, breakthrough innovations have greatly increased the productivity, and in turn the income, for the Cottom’s farm, as well as many others across the state.

And let’s not forget an often-overlooked potential for high-wage jobs in the agriculture industry.  The support industries for agriculture, which includes those who help provide the expertise, inputs, and equipment to help grow, market, and transport the crops and livestock, provide tremendous opportunities.  We’ll highlight these fields and their benefits in a future post.

Montana is our home and we want to raise our families here, yet without more high wage jobs many of our kids and grandkids must leave to find work that can support them and their families.  Innovation in the agriculture industry is one way we can create more high paying jobs for them.

Do you have other ideas on how to bring high wage jobs to Montana? Please let me know your thoughts.

All across the state, computer science enrollment at universities has increased.  In fact, over the past two years, MSU, Montana Tech, and U of M have seen increases of 53 percent, 54 percent, and 27 percent, respectively.  That is huge news, and it’s encouraging to see that the various efforts we’ve made investing in high tech education are paying off.

For example, Looney the Robot presentations have been given by MSU’s Hunter Lloyd to over 150 K-12 schools in the state to encourage studying high tech at a young age.  The Joy and Beauty of Computing classes continue to offer high school students the opportunity to fulfill entry level university electives in high school (and teachers are able to get better equipped for teaching these classes through a summer program at MSU).  CodeMontana has expanded and is now run by Montana Tech.  And MSU is expanding it’s CS program by creating additional CS professorships.  With the help of some very dedicated teachers, professors, and administrators, all of this has happened in just the past two years.

But what does this mean for the future of Montana?  You may recall a recent University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research survey that found that Montana’s high tech sector is growing 8-10 times the rate of Montana’s overall economy and producing jobs that are double the state median salary. It also found that Montana’s high tech employers rate their inability to find qualified talent as a top impediment to growth. In 2013, there were only 40 computer science college graduates in the entire state of Montana.  However, a growth in CS enrollment means more CS graduates in Montana, and more Montanans able to find high-paying jobs here in the state after college.

Plus, tech companies mostly employ non-techies in sales, marketing, accounting and administration staff, creating opportunities for many types of people.  And as these employees spend their higher wages homes are built, creating trades jobs, and entire communities thrive.

John Paxton, Department Head of the MSU Computer Science Department, notes, “It is important to introduce greater numbers of K-12 students to the exciting world of computational thinking and computer science. By doing so, these students are prepared to enjoy impactful, meaningful, in-demand careers in the 21st century, while contributing to the growth of Montana’s high-tech economy.”

Yet the buck doesn’t stop here.  I’m thrilled to see the tremendous growth in Computer Science students statewide in the past two years, but we can do more.  Computer science should be in every high school across the state.  Now that we have the programs in place, we can expand them to reach every student.  If we work harder to prepare our young people for the future, they’ll find even more high-paying jobs right here in Montana.

In a previous post I listed some ideas for finding, or creating, a high wage job in Montana.  Let’s talk about another point.

Think About Telecommuting And Remote Work

More and more national and global companies don’t care where employees are located. Companies like Oracle, American Express, and Aetna have thousands of jobs open today that can be filled in any community in Montana as long as you have an internet connection and a phone. Oracle alone has over 1,000 jobs open today that are listed on their web site. On our recent telecommuting tour, we found people doing remote work in every community we visited in Montana. So don’t restrict your job search to just Montana-based companies.

Another place to look is www.flexjobs.com. Last time we checked this fee-based site had about 3,000 open career jobs listed that can be done on a 100% remote basis, and you can review them for free.

There are many jobs, both technical and non-technical, that people are doing remotely already, right here in Montana.  Here are just a few:

• Travel agent
• Event planner
• Training and meeting facilitation
• Bookkeeping
• Medical transcriptioning
• Computer programming
• Website design
• Public relations
• Graphic design
• Editing
• Online tutoring

If you already have a high wage job outside the state, consider returning home and bringing your job with you to work remotely from Montana.  And if you know someone who wants to return to Montana, forward them this post and encourage them to do the same, or have them check out some of the websites listed in this post for open positions that can be done remotely from here.  The internet changes the rules for work, and Montana families can benefit!

Do you have other ideas on how to bring high wage jobs to Montana? Please let me know your thoughts.

Stay tuned for my next post, where we discuss another way you can increase your high wage job prospects in Montana.

In a previous post I listed some ideas for finding, or creating, a high wage job in Montana.  Let’s talk about another point.

Start A Business

Have you ever wanted to start a business? Ever thought about putting your name on a product and selling it? Or making money doing something you love all day long? My wife and I did it here in Bozeman – when some thought it was impossible!  Not only did we create jobs for ourselves, but also for hundreds of others.

Mike Sparr is the CEO and founder of Goomzee, a mobile software application company for the real estate industry, based in Missoula.  He is one example of how starting a business can be a good career path for yourself and any employees you have.  He was also gracious enough to share some insights from his own journey.

Q: When did you start Goomzee?

A: We introduced our first mobile product for real estate mid 2007. Prior to that, the company was a home-based e-commerce website hosting company I started after leaving the corporate world (Bay Area, Europe, etc.) in 2003.

Q: What drove you to start a business?

A: I grew up in a family business and have a passion for helping others, building things, and solving problems. Creating software provides that instant gratification of realizing what you built, plus some measurable impact on the problem you address. It’s a continuous rush and you’re always learning something new.

Q: What obstacles have you faced in starting this business?

A: I face them every day. The toughest being a sole founder is that normally all the “hats” early team members wear are distributed. I often have to wear more hats than most, so deciding what to address/solve that will provide the most impact without letting other things slip is a daily struggle. Sometimes you can get stuck in the trenches doing the work, instead of elevating yourself to articulate your vision and empower others to shine and really grow. You can suck it up and bootstrap your way to funding more hires and hands of talent, or fundraise to grow the team quicker. I’ve done both and learned so much but I can say for most it is extremely difficult to go the funding route.

Q: What encouragements, or good resources, have been helpful to you?

A: The local community support. A major advantage Montanan’s have is access: access to government, financial, and other entrepreneurial leaders who can help with mentorship or connections. One great example is my relationship with you, and the ways you have helped me organize my board meetings and planning efforts, and connected me with talented people who could help with various legal and financial tasks.

Q: Could you share some brief stats about Goomzee?

A: Our headcount has fluctuated as we shifted from individual user telesales to enterprise channel sales. With team members in three locations we currently average between 6-9 people but peak as high as 13 plus contractors. We have already earned several million in revenues, we have been profitable and cash flow positive since late 2013. We are focused on sustained growth and solving even bigger problems in the near future.

Thanks to Mike for his illustrations!

Some of the other perks of starting your own business include:

• Setting your own hours
• Growing as big as you dream
• Getting to design as much as you want, from the logo to the product
• Bringing your kids to work
• Working from home or finding your perfect office environment
• Creating jobs for other people

If you think starting a company in Montana may be for you, I am happy to send you a complimentary copy of my book “Bootstrapping Your Business: Start and Grow a Business With Almost No Money”. You can request your free copy at www.bozeman.com.

Do you have other ideas on how to bring high wage jobs to Montana? Please let me know your thoughts.

Stay tuned for my next post, where we discuss another way you can increase your high wage job prospects in Montana.

In a previous post I listed some ideas for finding, or creating, a high wage job in Montana.  Let’s talk about another point.

Acquire A Manufacturing or Construction Skill

Montana has a growing manufacturing sector.  While this is mostly concentrated in the Flathead, Great Falls, and Lewistown, there are manufacturers all over Montana. Nationally, manufacturing companies provide some of the highest wage jobs. Our Montana two-year colleges provide training in welding and machining that can prepare people for skilled work in manufacturing. As high tech jobs have boomed in Gallatin County, construction payroll has also shot up, creating high wage jobs building homes.

Tom Spika, chairman of the Montana Manufacturing Council, and owner of Spika Design and Manufacturing in Lewistown, says it best: “If we want to grow our economy, we need to look at what has the best potential, and to me manufacturing has that potential.”  Tom also acknowledges there is a major skills gap in Montana’s manufacturing sector, which has prompted my establishment of the Gianforte Manufacturing scholarship, a grant that provides financial assistance to lower-income students and veterans pursuing manufacturing or industrial education at a two-year college in Montana (see my December post about it here).

One benefit of this scholarship is that I get to hear great stories about how people are using it to create better livelihoods for themselves and their families through the manufacturing industry.

Levi Hunt is in the manufacturing program at Flathead Valley Community College, and a recipient of the Gianforte Manufacturing Scholarship.  He shared some of his story with me.

Q: What drew you to the manufacturing program?

A:  I have a wife and three kids.  I grew up in Helena, but our family moved to the Flathead where my wife’s family lives.  I was done with the career I had before and wanted to find something I could do and still stay here in the Flathead, while getting a comparable wage to what I used to make.  I used to be a military contractor and was making pretty good money, but wanted to be able to stay home and not travel as much.  I had a hard time finding something here with a comparable wage that could support my family.  I like to create things and work with metals, so machines came naturally to me.  Quality control seemed like a good fit, but even those positions require some background and understanding of manufacturing.  The program at the school sounded like the perfect avenue to get experience and certification in manufacturing.

“The program at the school sounded like the perfect avenue to get experience and certification in manufacturing.”

I have two more semesters in the program and graduate next spring.  Having the manufacturing scholarship really helps with the living expenses while I am in school, and cuts down on the student debt I will have when I graduate.  It’s provided some relief to our family during this time.

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?

A: In spring 2016 I plan to enter the job market.  I’d like to stay in the Flathead where my family is established.  Preferably I’d like to work in quality control or design and development.  I really want to work with machines and do the programming, not just push the buttons.  There are a lot of manufacturing companies in the Flathead, and a lot of your success after graduating comes from the work you put into school when you’re there.  It’s a good program, and you have to really work hard and learn your stuff while you’re there to do well afterwards.

“There are a lot of manufacturing companies in the Flathead, and a lot of your success after graduating comes from the work you put into school when you’re there.”

Do you have other ideas on how to bring high wage jobs to Montana? Please let me know your thoughts.

Stay tuned for my next post, where we discuss another way you can increase your high wage job prospects in Montana.

In a previous post I listed some ideas for finding, or creating, a high wage job in Montana.  Let’s talk about Natural Resources.

Natural Resources

Historically natural resource industries like timber, coal, mining, and energy have provided the best opportunity for high wage jobs in Montana. Nationally this sector provides the highest wages according to the US Dept. of Labor, but the sector is being strangled by federal rules and regulations. There’s a reason we call Montana the Treasure State!  We need to make sure that our natural resource industries thrive again.

I received some great feedback on this industry from Ed Regan, resource manager for RY Timber, Inc. in Townsend.  RY offers both skilled and entry level full-time positions at their mills producing lumber.  Additionally they employ foresters, accountants, electricians, and clerical workers.  Along with a good wage, all of their employees receive medical and retirement benefits.

At full capacity, RY alone employs 220 people, not including the 250-300 people who receive work indirectly through their logging operations.  Unfortunately, the last two years they have had to curtail production in the mills and are now running at around 75% of their capacity.  A shortage of both logs and new timber sales have necessitated these cut backs.

I asked Ed what needs to happen so his company, and industry, can thrive again.

“The two most pressing issues for our continued success are a reliable timber supply coming off Forest Service lands and a new Softwood Lumber Agreement with Canada,” he related.

Ed presented some other thoughts for helping to solve the problems facing the timber industry.  These include earlier collaboration with the Forest Service during the forest planning process, instead of at the project level, and a way to cut back on frivolous lawsuits, whose delays cause uncertainty and hardship on companies dependent on federal timber sales.  “Without a speedy return to a more reliable FS timber program, Montana will lose the remaining mills and its best tool for restoring forest health.”

We know the potential natural resources have for high-paying jobs in Montana.  Let’s work to keep these industries running at full capacity, for the benefit of our families, state, and future.

Do you have other ideas on how to bring high wage jobs to Montana? Please let me know your thoughts.

Stay tuned for my next post, where we discuss another way you can increase your high wage job prospects in Montana.

In my last post I listed some ideas for finding, or creating, a high wage job in Montana.  Let’s talk about the first point.

Consider A Job In The Montana High Tech Sector

Some think “Montana High Tech” is a contradiction in terms, but there are now 200 high tech firms in Montana that are growing 8 – 10 times faster than the state economy. These firms are creating jobs that have average wages just over $50,000 – double the state median. The entire sector, if it continues to grow at the current rate, will pass both agriculture and tourism in less than five years, complimenting these other industries to create more opportunities for Montana families.  You can find a listing of jobs with high tech firms in Montana at The Montana High Tech Business Alliance jobs portal.

Plus, high tech is not just for techies. Most jobs are in accounting, sales, marketing and administration.  Take a look at Elixiter, Inc., a Bozeman-based marketing agency that specializes in marketing automation technology platforms. Of their current (but growing) number of 27 employees, 2 have a technical background, while the remaining 25 have learned the tech skills they need to administer these platforms after being hired.  This company takes people with business and marketing backgrounds, hires them, and gives them three months (over 100 hours) of formal technological training with a curriculum designed in-house (and this doesn’t include on-the-job learning they acquire once the formal training is over).  Plus, Elixiter actively recruits marketing and business majors from Montana universities, giving opportunities to our state’s non-techie graduates to step into this high-paying sector.

Another advantage of high-tech companies is the global scale on which they can operate.  Elixiter has over 55 active clients in 10 countries.  Although two clients are in Montana, the rest are out of state, impacting companies on a global scale as well as bringing more outside dollars into Montana’s economy.

Do you have other ideas on how to bring high wage jobs to Montana? Please let me know your thoughts.

Stay tuned for my next post, where we discuss the second way you can increase your high wage job prospects in Montana: Acquire a Manufacturing or Construction Skill.