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Commerce Quarterly Newsletter
First 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.
 Montana Department of Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio shares 2025 success stories from Commerce’s divisions. Photo credit: Commerce.
2025 was a fantastic year for the Montana Department of Commerce, with our Business, Community, Destination and Housing Divisions working hard to use their expertise and resources for the betterment of all Montanans.
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Input From Local Governments Needed Soon Regarding 2030 Census Blocks
 Submitted in February 2026, the Prototype 2030 Census Blocks will be finalized on May 29, 2026. Local governments are encouraged to suggest boundary changes to Commerce’s Research and Information Services Bureau as soon as possible. Image credit: Commerce.
The Montana Department of Commerce’s Research and Information Services Bureau is asking city and county governments for suggested changes to prototype census blocks generated by the U.S. Census Bureau. Current census block boundaries, drawn in 2020, will be updated for the 2030 Decennial Census. RIS must submit all new boundary suggestions to the U.S. Census Bureau by May 29, 2026.
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Registration Open for 2026 Montana Housing Partnership Conference
 Panelists address the audience at the 2025 Housing Partnership Conference in Billings, May 19-21. Photo credit: Commerce.
Planning activities are in full swing for the 2026 Montana Housing Partnership Conference. Registration for the conference opened on Feb. 23, with early bird pricing through April 1. This year’s event will take place May 18-20 at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in Anaconda. The Montana Department of Commerce and the administratively attached Montana Board of Housing both support and sponsor the event. Representatives from Commerce and the MBOH will be in attendance.
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First Quarter Employee Spotlight: Amanda Wilkey
 Amanda Wilkey was recognized in the 2026 first quarter employee spotlight for her support of the Tourism Advisory Council, the Made in Montana Trade Show and interactions with our Marketing and Communications team. Photo credit: Commerce.
Congratulations to our first quarter employee spotlight, Amanda Wilkey, tourism promotion liaison with the Montana Department of Commerce’s Destination MT Division. The employee spotlight recognizes members of the Commerce team for their dedication, hard work and commitment to the agency’s mission. Amanda was chosen for her support of the Tourism Advisory Council, the Made in Montana Trade Show and communication with the Marketing and Communications team.
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 A still from “Borrowed from the Earth,” which won Best Short Film at the 2025 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. Filmmakers Chad Dawson and Zach Johaneson were awarded a Commerce Big Sky Film Grant in 2022. Photo credit: Chris Murphy.
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The short film “Borrowed from the Earth,” a Montana Department of Commerce Big Sky Film Grant recipient, was recognized as Best Short Film at the 2025 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in Banff, Alberta last November. The film was also selected for the Santa Fe International Film Festival.
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 A room sits ready to welcome a family in need at Mountain Home Montana, where a newly renovated facility was funded in part by Commerce’s State Small Business Credit Initiative Loan Participation Program, MoFi and First Interstate Bank. Photo credit: Mountain Home Montana.
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Mountain Home Montana opened its doors in 2000 with room for three mothers and their children. Over a quarter century later, the Missoula nonprofit remains dedicated to offering safe housing and comprehensive support to young mothers and their children. Thanks to partners like the Montana Department of Commerce’s State Small Business Credit Initiative Loan Participation Program, MoFi and First Interstate Bank, Mountain Home has grown into a 32,000-square-foot campus offering residential and transitional living programs, a childcare center and an on-site licensed mental health clinic.
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 Tony Brockman, Commerce officer of international relations, Mandy Rambo, Commerce deputy director, Kanako Watanabe, chief executive director of the Japan External Trade Organization, and Ed Ramsey, JETRO’s business development manager, at the 2026 Photonics West Exhibition in San Francisco on Jan. 22. Photo credit: JETRO.
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Total Nutrition and Tanning: A Small Business Success Story in Great Falls
 Jake Deshner, owner of Total Nutrition and Tanning in Great Falls, purchased the business with support from his regional Small Business Development Center. Photo credit: Total Nutrition and Tanning.
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When Jake Deshner saw an opportunity to buy Total Nutrition and Tanning in Great Falls, he knew he needed trusted advisors to navigate the complex process. Deshner turned to the Montana Small Business Development Center, where he received critical support in business planning, financial forecasting and loan preparation.
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Commerce Historic Preservation Grant Supports Conservation Museum in Missoula
 Construction is almost finished at the National Conservation Legacy Center in Missoula, where storage for a critical historic collection was built with help from Commerce’s Montana Historic Preservation Grant Program. Photo credit: Lisa Tate.
The National Conservation Legacy Center, a world-class museum where visitors can learn about Montana’s conservation history, will soon open one mile west of Missoula’s airport with help from a Montana Historic Preservation Grant. The MHPG Program is administered by the Montana Department of Commerce’s Community MT Division, with grants awarded by the Montana State Legislature each biennium.
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SHOT Show 2026 Another Success
 Brooke Blackler, owner of Missoula's The Last Best Company, and Montana Department of Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio chat at Commerce’s booth at SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 21. Photo credit: Commerce.
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The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show is the largest annual event at the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum, attracting over 50,000 industry professionals each year. From Jan. 20-23, 2026, SHOT Show welcomed visitors from all 50 U.S. states and 126 countries
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Commerce Grant Helps Winnett Transform 1915 Town Hall into Community Hub
 Funded in part by a Commerce Annual Tourism Grant, the town of Winnett relocated the century-old Odd Fellows Hall and reimagined it as a gathering place for all. Photo credit: Laura Nowlin.
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With help from the Montana Department of Commerce’s Annual Tourism Grant Program, the small community of Winnett is working together to preserve the past. In 2022, Commerce awarded a $49,963 grant to nonprofit Winnett ACES, Inc. for the Winnett Public Convenience Facilities and Bike Camp project. Last summer, the revitalized space created by this project, Odd Fellows Hall, opened to visitors.
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 At the annual Made in Montana Trade Show for Food and Gifts from March 13-14, 112 vendors filled the exhibit hall at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena. Wholesale Buyer Day on Friday welcomed more than 3,500 buyers from 126 businesses; more than 3,000 members of the public braved the snowy weather on Saturday to support Montana entrepreneurs. This year, Commerce welcomed 26 new vendors to the event. Photo credit: Commerce.
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Montana Department of Commerce
301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620
Contact Us: 406-841-2700
commerce.mt.gov
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