The Baker State Bank Building was built in 1910 and stood as one of the cornerstones of Baker's main street for over a century. Today it houses Fallon County's first visitor center, a vintage and handcraft shop founded by retired local women, and four apartments under construction upstairs, with a pocket park next door.

The Business Innovation Center is a brand-new $4.6 million facility in Colstrip, Montana, designed as a hub for entrepreneurship, training, and innovation. The project was eight years in the making, originating from a 2017 community-led diversification strategy aimed at building economic resilience in a community long anchored by energy.

Crazy Mountain Veterinary Service in Harlowton noticed something in their work with ranchers across central Montana: producers were not always choosing the most effective antibiotics for their herds. The practice is now in the final year of a multi-year research project surveying 200+ producers and delivering 20 educational presentations across the state to help close that gap.

In Montana, there is roughly one licensed childcare slot for every four infants. Early Alpine Academy is a Bozeman center working to close that gap, recently doubling its capacity through an expansion into a renovated 1800s house across the street from its original location.

Montana Axe Bar opened in Butte's historic uptown after owner Kayla Lambrecht purchased and renovated the long-vacant Thomas Block Building. The building now houses four businesses on the ground floor and roughly 10,000 square feet upstairs planned for apartments, helping to address Butte's housing shortage.

Old Salt Co-op is a rancher-owned meat company founded in 2020 by five Montana ranch families. Today it spans two Helena restaurants, a processing facility, an e-commerce platform, and over 100 employees, with Montana cattle staying in Montana hands at every stage.

The Petroleum County Courthouse was built in 1917 by the founder of Winnett, the only town in Montana's smallest county. Its upper floor sat mostly vacant for decades. A community-led project is converting it into four apartments and roughly five commercial office spaces, addressing two of Winnett's biggest needs at once.

The Wolf Point General Mercantile opened in July 2024 featuring traditional Native crafts, bison-based foods, and a welcoming community atmosphere. After winning Great Northern Development Corporation’s 2024 Minnow Tank business pitch competition, the Deserly family turned their vision into reality—opening just two months later and bringing new energy to downtown Wolf Point.

Across Montana, economic developers are making a difference in communities of every size. To highlight these successes, MEDA, in partnership with the Montana Department of Commerce, launched a statewide storytelling initiative featuring communities, businesses, and economic development professionals across Montana. Working with 1:1 Studios, MEDA traveled the state to capture firsthand stories of the partnerships, programs, and people driving economic growth in their regions.

These videos showcase the real-world impact of Montana’s economic development organizations and programs, many of which are funded in part, by the State of Montana. These programs have helped support business growth, innovation, manufacturing competitiveness, and locally driven economic development efforts for more than two decades.

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Years of Impact