ChamberCast

Meet the new Chair and Co-Chair of the best young professionals organization in Montana, NextGEN. Abbey Wink and D'Vaughn Hayes joined us to talk about what NextGEN means to them, and what is in store for the coming year. Thank you so much to PayneWest for sponsoring ChamberCast! Check out the new NextGEN website ! Hear more from D'Vaughn in this previous episode: Member Spotlight: TDS & CEC .

Longtime listeners of this podcast will be familiar with Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED); we talked about it a lot in an episode from March of 2023 called " Smart Design. Safer Spaces ." Our guest for this episode can explain it a lot better than we ever could. The President of the National Institute of Crime Prevention, Art Hushen agreed to join us for an interview while he...

Billings is about to have more options for high-speed internet thanks to two of our members. TDS Fiber is a new internet service provider in town, offering a fiber optic connection. CEC Facilities Group is currently building out their network. Jorge Taveras with CEC and D’Vaughn Hayes with TDS joined us to talk all about it. Thank you so much to PayneWest for sponsoring ChamberCast!

The answer is beef! May is National Beef Month so we wanted to take a look at a very important part of our state's number one industry. Our guests were Chaley Harney with Montana Beef Council , Charlie Hollenbeck with Cowboy Meat Company , and Macee Pearson with Blue Creek Marbled Meat Company . Thank you so much to PayneWest for sponsoring ChamberCast!

We sat down this week with Aly Eggart and Luke Ashmore from VisitBillings to get an update on what they're doing for visitors as we head into the warm season. There are new visitor experience projects that will benefit tourists and locals alike. Make sure to check out all of the attractions on the VisitBillings website . Thank you so much to PayneWest for sponsoring ChamberCast!

Last episode you heard our interviews with two of our Business Excellence Award winners—Businessperson of the Year, Dusty Eaton, and NextGen Emerging Leader Bo Bruinsma. This episode, you’ll hear our interviews with Customer Service Excellence award winner Matt Hall; Inclusion Award winner, William Henry; and Employer of the Year, Entre Technology Services. Thank you so much to PayneWest for spons...

Over the next two episodes we are going to be celebrating our 2023 Business Excellence award winners. We interviewed all 5 winners. Please enjoy our interview with the Businessperson of the Year, Dusty Eaton; and the NextGen Emerging Leader of 2023, Bo Bruinsma. Thank you so much to PayneWest for sponsoring ChamberCast!

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a tool we can all use to make our properties safer from crime and feel safer. If you would like to learn more about CPTED, you can literally get the introductory course right here in Billings this May. This episode features Michelle Williams, the Executive Director of the Billings Depot , a property that has benefitted from the Billings Cham...

This episode of ChamberCast features Andrew Demarest of NonStop Local with Alyssa Voeltz as the celebrity co-host as they share plans for the 2023 Chamber Breakfast at Alberta Bair Theater. This annual Chamber event will be March 30th from 7-9 am and features speaker Captain Sandy Yawn of Below Deck Mediterranean. Thank you to our title sponsor NonStop Local and co-title sponsor America First Resp...

Billings is taking steps to address the issues we are all seeing with mental health, and substance abuse issues that are impacting public safety. On this episode, we are going to talk about a really substantive resource that is being added on that front—the mobile crisis unit. Coralee Schmitz, COO at Rimrock Foundation, and Jason Banfield, Assistant Chief of EMS at the Billings Fire Department joi...

Our local school district is a critical part of our community, and it has a huge impact on Billings’ current and future workforce. Greg Upham, Superintendent, and Bo Bruinsma, Career Outreach Director, sat down with us to dive into the challenges and accomplishments of School District 2. Thank you to PayneWest for sponsoring Chambercast! Learn more: School District 2 Career Center Summer Jobs Prog...

This ChamberCast episode shines a light on one of our Chamber members, Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative. Hear from featured guests President and CEO Brandon Wittman and Board Chairman Dave Kelsey as they share their connections to agriculture, the importance of agriculture to YVEC, bringing electrical services to rural areas, commitment to community, and much more. YVEC is proud to be the t...

Celebrate agriculture with us in this ChamberCast episode that features guests Mike Phillips of Little Horn State Bank and chair of the Chamber Ag Committee, Courtney Kibblewhite of KGHL/Northern Broadcasting and host of the 2023 Ag Week and Banquet, and Alyssa Voeltz of the Billings Chamber. Hear why agriculture and ag education is so important to these guests, the city of Billings and our state....

The Billings Chamber has two programs designed specifically for women in leadership, Women’s Network and ENCORE. This episode of ChamberCast examines these programs, how they got started and the why behind them. Take a listen to learn more and get excited about ENCORE, as guests Becky Bey of KLJ and Jennifer Reiser of the Billings Chamber share their insights and advice about this powerful and emp...

The 2023 Montana Legislative Session kicks off on January 2nd! This is an opportunity for the Billings Chamber to make progress on the top three priorities our members voted on in our Legislative Priorities Survey—Montana’s Workforce, Public Safety, and Tax Reform. For this episode, we sat down with Rebecca Meyers, our contracted lobbyist for the upcoming session, to talk shop and get the lay of t...

Shopping small and supporting local businesses is big this holiday season with the Billings Chamber’s Keep the Cheer Here campaign and Shop Small Tour, sponsored by Western Security Bank. Shopping local means everything to small businesses in Billings. The local stores here are part of the landscape that makes Billings so unique! Every purchase big and small means a lot to small businesses. Listen...

The holidays are here, and the season of giving has begun. This episode of ChamberCast highlights three local nonprofit organizations and the unique holiday opportunities they are hosting. Host Jack Jennaway is joined by Felicia Burg with Family Promise, Lindsay Richardson with Downtown Billings Alliance, and Gabriel Denio with Special Olympics. We invite you to put your money where your heart is...

Why is tourism important to Billings and southeastern Montana? What efforts are being made to attract travelers to these areas?   This ChamberCast episode answers these questions and more, shining a spotlight on tourism in Billings and the region of southeast Montana. From winter campaigns to trails and travel shows, Visit Billings and Visit Southeast Montana are working hard to attract travelers...

This week's episode is a fantastic conversation with Shelli Mann of the Boothill Inn , Michelle Williams of the Billings Depot , and Alex Tyson of Visit Billings ! This dynamic trio shares insights and the business benefits about becoming a Certified Autism Center along with leading efforts to become the region's first Certified Autism Destination .

Chamber Membership comes with a lot of different benefits, some of them are useful for every member, while others are more narrowly tailored. This episode with the Chamber's membership team, Jennifer Reiser, Rene Beyl, and Isiac Hammer, will give you a brief primer on some of what membership entails. Billings Chamber of Commerce Chamber Journey Public Policy Guide

At last night's Chamber Annual Meeting, we gave Jim and Chris Scott the Legacy Award. By the end of this episode you will understand why. Enjoy this fascinating interview with this year's award winners! Billings Chamber Website

Why do some move to Billings and choose to make this their home, while others struggle to connect to their scene and their people? With a competitive job market and 2.3% unemployment, we need “those Californians,” graduating students, and those with diverse backgrounds and lifestyles to authentically feel THEY belong in Billings. This year’s Annual Meeting is focused on building a purpose driven c...

One of the hottest topics in Billings right now is the future of management at MetraPark and whether or not it should continue to be managed by Yellowstone County, or by a professional venue management business contracted by the County. One interesting case study comes out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Mayor of Sioux Falls, Paul TenHakken , and Shawn Pritchett, the Finance Director for the Cit...

Here's what's brewing in Billings! Packy Tagliaferro with Erro Coffee Roasters joined us this week to tell us all about his business. Billings Chamber of Commerce Other episodes of interest: Flipping the BURD

This week we sat down with Dr. David Park, the founding dean of Rocky Vista University to get an update on one of the most exciting developments taking place in Billings right now. Billings Chamber of Commerce Jack and Cathy's answers to this week's Rorschach questions: 1. What is a new development in medicine you are excited about? Jack : I think the possibilities for other uses for mRNA vaccines...