Welcome to our final episode of ChamberCast... for now. Host Jack Jennaway and Communications Manager Kelsi Gambill sat down to look back on the last 3 years of this show and take a look ahead to what's next for the Chamber. Stay tuned until the end for a special tribute to Billings! Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast!

You have probably noticed the new look at Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital. What does this mean for patient care, and our local economy? What's new in healthcare? We asked Lee Boyles, President of St. Vincent Regional Hospital for the Montana and Wyoming Markets. You don't want to miss this inside look at this critical Billings institution!Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast!Learn more:* Intermountain Health Website (https://news.intermountainhealth.org/)* Our interview with Dr. David Park on the establishment of Rocky Vista University (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/88001402/rocky-vista-university/)

Special Olympics Montana is coming to Billings for the next 3 years! This huge event will bring hundreds of athletes, family members, and coaches to compete at facilities around Billings--boosting our local economy. This is a two-part episode. In part 1 we hear from VisitBillings's Sports Tourism Manager, Evan Decker on the impact of sports tourism. In part 2, we hear from the co-chairs of the Special Olympics MT State Games, Brian Brown and Tyler Witlgen. Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast!Learn more: * Special Olympics Montana (https://www.somt.org/)* VisitBillings (https://www.visitbillings.com/)

It’s no hidden secret that Billings businesses benefit from tourism here in our city, but did you know that tourism accounts for $620 million dollars in revenue, generated from 3 million people visiting each year?Visitors spend money and spur our local economy, through our restaurants, retail stores, attractions, and hotels, not to mention events and more. Billings is our home AND positioned as a tourism destination, thanks to the efforts of Visit Billings. Regionally, Visit Southeast Montana drives visitation to 13 counties and two Indian reservations. Dive into the economic impacts of tourism to Montana’s Trailhead, fostering community pride, and the diversity of offerings that we have in our backyard as we gear up to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week May 19-25, 2024. Hear insights from two champions of tourism, Billings, and southeastern Montana--Jeff Ewelt of ZooMontana and Kevin Kooistra of the Western Heritage Center, in this episode of ChamberCast.Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast! Learn more:ZooMontana (https://www.zoomontana.org/)Western Heritage Center (https://www.ywhc.org/)Visit Billings (https://www.visitbillings.com/)Visit Southeast Montana (https://southeastmontana.com/)

Michelle Harkins, our 2024 Outstanding Business Person of the Year, truly embodies the concept of being a helper. With a heart for the Billings community, specifically the BIRD, Michelle tirelessly advocates for business and making our city better. Serving as the Director of The Billings Industrial Revitalization District (BIRD), her infectious energy and enthusiasm is evident in everything that she does. With energy and passion, Michelle leads by example and follows the concept of no job or task being beneath her.Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast!Learn more: * BIRD website (https://www.billingsbird.com/)* Billings BIRD on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/billingsbird)* Billings BIRD on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/billings_bird/)

School District 2 is making moves to balance the budget, reduce dropout rates, and improve public safety. Superintendent Dr. Erwin Garcia joined us to provide a comprehensive update on everything happening at SD2, especially the three new charter schools that will open soon! Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast!Learn More: * Our episode from 07/26/2023 with former Superintendent Upham and Dr. Garcia: Moving from Good to Great to Excellent in Education (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/110980559/moving-from-good-to-great-to-excellent-in-education/) * Our episode from 02/08/2023 with Bo Bruinsma and former Superintendent Upham on SD2's Career Pathways program: Education & Pathways to Success (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/93731230/education-pathways-to-success/)* School District 2 (https://www.billingsschools.org/)* Career Center (https://www.billingsschools.org/our-schools/high-schools/career-center)

Native American business, culture, and history is a huge part of Montana. If you have ever wanted to learn more about any of it, there are two events coming up that are great places to start. Cathy Grider, Workforce Development Manager for the Billings Chamber, and Randy Bear Don't Walk with MSU-Billings's Native American Achievement Center joined us to dive into the Native American Business Summit, and the upcoming Powwow at MSU-Billings. Thank you so much to Upstream Strategy Partners for sponsoring ChamberCast! Learn more: Native American Achievement Center (https://www.msubillings.edu/naac/)Powwow (https://www.msubillings.edu/naac/powwow.htm)Native American Business Summit (https://business.billingschamber.com/events/details/native-american-business-summit-5102539)Billings Chamber DEI Network (https://www.billingsdei.com/)Chamber Breakfast featuring Andre Reed

In honor of International Women's Day, this episode highlights the Chamber's programming for women -- with Jennifer Reiser, who manages those programs and Sam Morris, owner of ENCORE's title sponsor, Chemnet. Learn More: * Chemnet (https://mtchemnet.com/)* ENCORE (https://www.billingschamber.com/encore/)* Women's Network (https://www.billingschamber.com/womens-network/)* Email Jennifer (mailto:%20jennifer@billingshcamber.com)* Our episode on mental health and substance abuse: Getting Upstream on Mental Health (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/127801112/getting-upstream-on-mental-health/)

This episode continues our recent focus on development in Billings, with one of our City's premier architecture firms, Cushing Terrell. We spoke with their CEO, Greg Matthews and Principal Project Manager, Shannon Christensen to talk about Cushing Terrell's work, the development environment in Billings, sustainable design, and Cushing Terrell turning 85. Learn More* Cushing Terrell Website (https://cushingterrell.com/)* Business After Hours @ Cushing Terrell (https://business.billingschamber.com/events/details/business-after-hours-cushing-terrell-march-2024-5102541)

Sanderson Stewart is one of those businesses most people never directly interact with, but your life would be VERY different without the work they do. Michael Sanderson, CEO, joined us on this week's podcast to talk about what they do, property development in Billings, and to talk about some of the exciting changes happening at Sanderson Stewart. Learn More: * Sanderson Stewart website (https://sandersonstewart.com/)* If you want to learn more about land use and zoning, check out our interview with Representative and Senator Zolnikov on zoning reform bills from the previous MT Legislative Session: The Montana Miracle: Celebrating State Legislature Wins (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/116617884/the-montana-miracle-celebrating-state-legislature-wins/).

Listeners of this podcast know how important insurance is to your everyday life and how important Marsh McLennan Agency is to Billings. In this member spotlight, you'll hear from Brett Arnold and Brian Daubert from MMA about insurance, other ways to mitigate risk, and MMA's involvement in the community.

It's January, and at the Billings Chamber of Commerce that means it's agriculture month! Our Ag Celebration Week and the Ag Celebration Banquet is coming up during the last week of January, and we wouldn't be able to do any of this without our title sponsor, Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative. In this episode, we preview what you can expect from all of our upcoming ag-related programming, but also shine a spotlight on a business that is extremely important to Yellowstone County and beyond!Learn More:* Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative (https://www.yvec.com/)* Ag Celebration Week (https://www.billingschamber.com/events/ag-celebration/)* Ag Celebration Banquet (https://business.billingschamber.com/events/details/2024-ag-celebration-banquet-5102528)* Last year's episode with YVEC, very creatively named "Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/93335086/yellowstone-valley-electric-cooperative/)"

2023 was a very eventful year at the Billings Chamber of Commerce! We bet it has been a busy year for you too! Thank you for listening throughout 2023 and enjoy this look back at the previous year with the Chamber's management team!

Mental health impacts every part of our lives, including the workplace. Jennifer Reiser, the Chief Operations Officer for the Billings Chamber, and Melanie Schwarz with Upstream Strategy Partners joined us this episode to talk about management strategies, suicide prevention, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and more.Learn more:* Melanie's book - Lifejackets: A Mother's Journey Through Her Child's Addiction (https://a.co/d/fZfagQV)* To learn more about mental health first aid trainings, contact jennifer@billingschamber.com (mailto:jennifer@billingschamber.com) or cathy@billingschamber.com (mailto:cathy@billingschamber.com).* Our episode on the Mobile Crisis Unit: A New Way to Help People in Crisis (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/94161388/a-new-way-to-help-people-in-crisis/)Suicide Prevention Resources* Shifting Sands (https://www.shiftingsands4health.com/)* NAMI Billings (https://www.namibillings.org/)* Chinook Horses (https://www.chinookhorses.org/)* Riverstone Health - Suicide Prevention (Riverstone%20Health%20-%20Suicide%20Prevention)* Montana 211.org (https://montana211.org/about.php)* Redefining Love Boundaries and Trauma Coaching (http://redefine-love.com)* Emerge from Within (www.emergebreathwork.com)

People spend a LOT of money around the holiday season, which means that it can be a very important time of year for our favorite local businesses. This episode focuses on two local shops that opened within the last year, what they provide, why the owners started their own business, and how things have been going for them so far. We also preview one of the things the Billings Chamber does to support these small businesses, Keep the Cheer Here, and the Keep the Cheer Here Tour. Enjoy this interview with Sara Creeden, owner of Arts Paper and Paints, and Katie Moldenahuer, owner of Giddy UP, co-hosted by Austrin Martens, Marketing and Events Manager for the Billings Chamber.Thank you so much to Marsh McLennan Agency (https://www.marshmma.com/us/locations/montana/billings.html) for sponsoring ChamberCast!Learn More: * Art's Paper & Paint (https://artspaperpaint.com/)* Giddy Up Coffee Bar & Boutique (https://giddyupmt.com/)* Keep the Cheer Here Game Board (https://www.billingschamber.com/events/keepthecheerhere/)* Keep the Cheer Here Trolley Tour (https://business.billingschamber.com/events/details/2023-keep-the-cheer-here-trolley-tour-5102525)

The Billings Air Service Committee, comprised of Billings Airport, Billings Chamber, Big Sky Economic Development, and Visit Billings, has been hard at work promoting air service to/from Billings! Their recent efforts resulted in bringing Sun Country Airlines to Billings, which will provide another direct flight to Minneapolis beginning this summer. They also secured essential air service to key towns in Montana and secured a federal air service grant, which will help us attract direct service to Southern California. The CEO of the Billings Chamber, John Brewer; and Director of Aviation and Transit for the City of Billings, Jeff Roach joined us to provide an update on everything happening with this critical part of our economy. Thank you so much to Marsh McLennan Agency (https://www.marshmma.com/us/locations/montana/billings.html) for sponsoring ChamberCast!

Veteran's Day is this month! We wanted to shine a spotlight on two local businesses who are helping Montana's Veterans and our local businesses. Please welcome Mike McManus of Veterans Navigation Network and Dave Nordel of MaxFab Consulting!Thank you so much to Marsh McLennan Agency (https://www.marshmma.com/us/locations/montana/billings.html) for sponsoring ChamberCast! Learn More* Veteran's Navigation Network (https://www.veteransnavigation.org/)* MaxFab Consulting (https://maxfabconsulting.com/)

If the parks/trails/recreation bond that is on this November's ballot passes, it will mean big things for Billings! Commensurately, this is a big episode. Billings City Administrator Chris Kukulski, and Julie Seedhouse, Chair of Play it Forward Billings (the Vote-Yes campaign for the parks bond) walked us through every detail of this historic potential investment in our parks & recreation infrastructure. Thank you so much to Marsh McLennan Agency (https://www.marshmma.com/us/locations/montana/billings.html) for sponsoring ChamberCast!LEARN MORE* Play it Forward Billings campaign website (https://playitforwardbillings.com/)* City of Billings Parks Bond Information Page (https://www.billingsmt.gov/3125/Parks-Bond-2023)* Voter Information (https://www.yellowstonecountymt.gov/elections/)* Our 2021 Episode on the Recreation Center (https://blubrry.com/chambercast/83340886/sports-tourism-in-south-billings/)

We sat down with Michelle Harkins and Leah Clark, the leading ladies of the EBIRD and NILE respectively, to talk about all of the opportunities Billings residents will have to learn more about and celebrate Montana's western heritage later this month. To learn more, visit: NILE Website (https://thenile.org/)EBIRD Website (https://www.billingsbird.com/)Thank you so much to Marsh McLennan Agency (https://www.marshmma.com/us/locations/montana/billings.html) for sponsoring ChamberCast!

Every year, the Billings Chamber gives out one of its highest honors at our annual meeting—the Legacy Award. On September 14—to uproarious applause—we presented that award to Mike Nelson, owner of the fabulous Northern Hotel in beautiful downtown Billings.Learn more about Mike and the Legacy award here (https://www.billingschamber.com/2023-legacy-award-recipient/).Thank you so much to Marsh McLennan Agency (https://www.marshmma.com/us/locations/montana/billings.html) for sponsoring ChamberCast!