The bold landscape of remote work delivers a world where rush-hour traffic jams and towering office rents are relics of the past. 

For business owners, this isn't just a fleeting trend. It's a transformative shift offering businesses an alchemist's touch, turning fixed overheads into golden opportunities for savings. 

In our pocket-sized guide, we'll navigate through the compelling ways your business can save a fortune by embracing the remote work revolution.

Reduction in Office Expenditure

Embracing remote work can drastically deflate your company's office expenditure balloon, leading to a pleasantly plump bottom line. 

Without the need to station every employee at a physical desk, you can downsize to a cozier, more cost-effective space—or eliminate the need for an office altogether. The monthly cascade of rent checks becomes a trickle or dries up entirely.

You’re also looking at reduced insurance premiums and escaping the constant carousel of maintenance demands that come with owning or leasing workplace real estate. Not just that; utilities take a dive as well, since emptied offices sip on energy like delicate teacups instead of guzzling it by gallons. 

Cutting Commuting Costs Completely

With remote work in the driver's seat, businesses can wave goodbye to commuting costs. Employees snatched from the jaws of rush hour find more hours in their day—a treasured reclaim for both productivity and personal time. The savings on fuel, public transport passes, and car maintenance can stack up quicker than morning coffee runs.

In cases where relocation is a savvy business move, helping employees to new pastures using resources like this guide by ARC Relocation ensures a smooth transition tailored to their unique needs. Assisting with relocation not only helps personnel nestle into strategic locations but also displays company commitment, fostering loyalty and satisfaction that keeps teams solid while distances may grow. 

Trimmed Technology Expenses

When the world is your office, you can snip the threads of heavy tech investments, which often come at a high cost. 

Trimmed technology expenses are a hallmark of remote work's economic charm. No need for labyrinthine arrays of high-end computers—the personal laptops and smartphones team members already own become their primary tools, serving double duty with seamless efficiency.

In this shift, businesses pivot from pouring funds into pricey hardware to optimizing cloud solutions and virtual services that exude cost-effectiveness. Investments in software transition from broad licenses to more individualized subscriptions based on actual use—a lean approach minimizing digital waste. 

Broadened Talent Pool Access

Stepping into the arena of remote work is akin to unlocking a door to a vast world brimming with untapped potential. 

Gone are the days when geographic hurdles hemmed in your hiring hunt; now, businesses can cast their net far and wide across seas and time zones, securing the crème de la crème of global talent. 

This boundless access widens your viewfinder beyond local candidates to an international tableau, rich with diverse perspectives and specialized skills that might have been beyond reach in yesterday's office-bound paradigm. It's not just about having more fish in the sea; it’s about catching exotic fish that can navigate the waters of global markets and digital innovation. 

Reduced Turnover Expenditure

Lastly, stabilizing your workforce in the fickle seas of recruitment can be another anchor when forging the path to remote work. 

The offering of remote positions is more than a perk—it signals to employees that their life-work balance is respected, which can transform into higher job satisfaction and commitment. These contented employees are less likely to jump ship in search of greener pastures, reducing the churn that creates ripples across a company's coffers.

Reduced turnover expenditure is a quiet but potent benefit; it curtails the need for frequent rehiring processes, onboarding, and training—each an investment of time and resources. With remote work’s attraction and retention power, businesses conserve financial resources and maintain continuous knowledge and experience within their ranks—a wealth beyond measure.

HELENA – Starting Jan. 1, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will require Hunter and Bowhunter Education students age 12 to 17 who take the online course to pass an in-person field day. Students in that age group must pass both the online exam and the field day to earn a course completion certificate.   

For Hunter Education, the in-person field day will require students to practice and demonstrate key safety skills related to firearm handling, the four main rules of firearm safety, and the PROVE procedure, which stands for “Point, Remove, Observe, Verify, and Examine.” Students will demonstrate how to safely cross a fence with a firearm, hand off a firearm, and remove a firearm from a vehicle, among other practical safety skills. In addition, students will discuss hunting ethics, landowner relations, land ownership and access, FWP’s Block Management Program, wildlife conservation, and more. In-person field days for Bowhunter Education will similarly feature hands-on safety practice and demonstrations. 

Students who are 12 to 17 and are currently in progress with the online Hunter or Bowhunter Education courses must complete their coursework before Jan. 1, or they will be required to complete an in-person field day. Montana law requires everyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, to complete a Hunter or Bowhunter Education course before purchasing or applying for Montana hunting licenses. Students 10 years and older can take an in-person course. Students 18 and older can take the online-only course.  

Instructor-led in-person courses are an excellent way to provide new hunters with a hands-on learning experience and can be particularly beneficial for people who have minimal experience in the field or handling firearms. These courses are taught by dedicated volunteer instructors, often from local communities.  

For more information on course options, becoming a volunteer instructor and to sign up for an in-person or online course, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt. 

Regional plan maps ecological resources and provides recommendations 

The Gallatin Valley Sensitive Lands Protection Plan crossed a major milestone this month. With the acceptance of the plan by the Bozeman City Commission and adoption by the Gallatin County Commission, the community will now have a regional and coordinated view of what resources are at risk as development occurs, and what steps can be taken to conserve and protect what residents value most.

“The plan provides meaningful information that will assist the county with implementing our Growth Policy,” says Gallatin County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer. “The menu of strategies that are available to address the impacts on sensitive lands are both at a macro level and a site-specific level in this plan, and they also encompass a variety of approaches from regulations to financial incentives. I think we have a really good mix of levers to use.”

“This plan is two years in the making and demonstrates our shared understanding of how important our ecological resources are to our quality of life. Now, we can clearly see which areas are most at risk and prioritize them accordingly for conservation,” says City of Bozeman Strategic Services Director, Jon Henderson.

The document outlines insights into the vision and values of our community, a set of thematic sensitive land models based on authoritative data sources, and a toolkit of recommendations that can be implemented throughout the Valley.

Online at the project website, residents can explore interactive maps for each theme, view the full Plan document, and walk through each step of the Planning process, from community engagement to the toolkit of solutions.

The Plan has been guided by the public and a Working Group of technical experts. It is a success story of collaboration between multiple city, county, agency, constituent, and landowner representatives.

For more about the Plan, including how to get involved in implementation, visit the Project Hub at https://gallatinvalleyplan.bozeman.net/.

On 12/16/2023 at 3:53pm, Gallatin County 911 dispatch received a call from a group of ice climbers on ‘Zack Attack’ near Hyalite Reservoir. One of the climbers had fallen approximately 40 feet and sustained a back injury, making them unable to climb out on their own.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSSAR) members from the Heli and Valley sections, Hyalite Fire Department, and AMR Ambulance responded. The climber was accessed by helicopter where GCSSAR members utilized a short-haul line to transfer the patient to a waiting ambulance.

Sheriff Springer would like to thank all agencies which responded to assist, especially Central Copters for their professionalism and timeliness during critical calls such as this one. Sheriff Springer would like to remind the public that calling early is always the best option when faced with a possible emergency. Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue services come at no charge to the public. Also having adequate supplies to stay longer than initially planned is always good practice to ensure a safe backcountry experience.

Top 3 Winners of the 2024 Bozeman's Choice Awards have been contacted and the guide will be available in early January, and official results will be posted at bozemanmagazine.com on Jan 1, 2024!

If you are a winner and would like to order a 2024 Certificate for your business you are able to do that here!

Congrats!

Amendments Effectively Balance Wildlife Management, Conservation, Public Access, and Hunter Dispersion

Helena, MT – The Montana Outfitters and Guides Association today recognized the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for making important changes to the state's hunting season rules and regulations. The Commission's actions strike a delicate balance between wildlife management, conservation efforts, public access, and hunter opportunity.

Speaking on behalf of MOGA, Mac Minard, Executive Director, emphasized the critical nature of these changes. "These are pivotal adjustments designed to protect mule deer populations, enhance hunting opportunities in specified regions, and re-establish vital boundaries," stated Mac Minard. "The Commission demonstrated careful consideration in addressing concerns related to hunter overcrowding and took proactive measures to tackle issues like the alarming decline in mule deer numbers. These changes underscore the Commission's commitment to striking a balance between managing wildlife populations and habitats while supporting Montana's hunting community.”

MOGA recognizes the importance of these amendments in supporting sustainable hunting practices and ensuring the long-term health of Montana's wildlife. The association recognizes the Commission’s ongoing efforts to preserving the state's resources and providing a fulfilling hunting experience for residents and visitors alike.

Examples of specific changes were:
·      Conservation efforts for mule deer in Regions 6 and 7 by limiting doe mule deer harvests.
·      Improved antelope management precision and hunter distribution to reduce crowding
·      Improved elk hunting opportunities in HD 314
·      Addressed mule deer declines in HD 417 while balancing hunter opportunities.
·      Took initial steps to preserve Wild Sheep hunting in the unlimited areas while addressing hunter crowding

“This suite of changes, passed unanimously, represent significant conservation achievements for mule deer and antelope and will help distribute elk and antelope hunters across the state,” added Minard.

BOZEMAN – With a new $26.7 million grant from the U.S. Air Force, Montana State University will establish a facility with the mission of moving advanced quantum technology applications in cybersecurity, communications technology and national defense from concept and testing to market.

The 20-month grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, will support MSU’s Applied Quantum CORE facility, to be located at the MSU Innovation Campus within the INDUSTRY Bozeman building, which is currently under construction. The grant funding will purchase equipment to test prototype quantum components in the extremely cold environments in which they operate.

Yves Idzerda, a physicist and dean of MSU’s College of Letters and Science who is the grant’s principal investigator and the administrator of MSU’s Applied Quantum CORE, said the new facility will aid the incorporation of quantum science into technological applications to benefit the government and private sectors. CORE stands for Capacity and Operational Resilience and regional Equity.

“Montana State University is a leader in the quantum field,” Idzerda said. He added that Montana is a great place to start small companies in the specialty because of the groundwork in quantum materials already laid at MSU.

Quantum physics deals with the behavior of very small particles, smaller even than the protons and neutrons most people know as the parts that make up atoms. Scientists – including those at MSU’s photonics Spectrum Lab and the MonArk Quantum Foundry, which is led by MSU and the University of Arkansas – are discovering how to manipulate quantum particles to create faster, more sensitive and more precise systems in electronics, including sensors, location systems, computers and medical equipment.

The Applied Quantum CORE facility will nurture scientists and entrepreneurs attempting to incorporate those advances into useful components and devices, Idzerda said.

“We will have a facility with this testbed, and it will be available to anybody who collaborates with researchers in the Q-CORE, the MSU Spectrum Lab, the MonArk Foundry, or one of the groups here at Montana State University,” he said.

The facility will house specialized devices called dilution refrigerators, which are used in labs to achieve extremely cold temperatures close to absolute zero, which is minus 273.15 degrees Celsius or minus 459.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Absolute zero is the lowest temperature possible, where even “the little vibrations in atoms go away,” Idzerda said, thereby minimizing or eliminating certain phenomena, like electrical resistance.

In order to take advantage of that condition, quantum components must be able to withstand those very, very cold temperatures. Because dilution refrigerators like those coming to the Applied Quantum CORE facility are very expensive, many commercial components being developed have never been tested in those extreme environments, Idzerda said.

“What we will do is test new devices that people create and we’ll find out what the faults are with some of them,” Idzerda said.

After devices are tested, the Applied Quantum CORE facility will help troubleshoot components and refine the ones that show promise. The facility’s business accelerator division will help with further development of experimental components into viable devices, and the Applied Quantum CORE’s incubator division will help clients find further capital investment and assist with product development and marketing.

“There’s a lot of science driving this, but the next phase is economic development,” Idzerda said. “How do we take these ideas, which the first phase funded, and turn them into a product or into a company? That’s really what we’re headed for in the long run.”

Idzerda said Dan Miller, MSU engineering professor and former dean of the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, will lead the economic development arm of the facility. Suzi Taylor, currently director of MSU’s Science Math Resource Center, will focus on workforce development.

Idzerda said the Applied Quantum CORE will employee about 10 staff members. Krishna Rupavatharam, associate director of Spectrum Lab, has been named the facility’s science lead.

Idzerda credited Jayne Morrow, formerly of MSU’s Office of Research and Economic Development, with the idea of creating a facility that would focus on turning research projects into segments of the growing research enterprise in quantum materials in Montana and the surrounding region.

“We’d like to draw from the middle of the country, from those places that don’t have the resources that would allow them to have this low-temperature capability, but they do have good ideas,” Idzerda said.

Alison Harmon, MSU vice president for research and economic development, said the grant is among the most significant directed grants ever received by MSU researchers.

“We will put it to good use, investing in the technology testing facility that will help bridge gaps in bringing innovations to market,” she said. “Montana State’s leadership in quantum science will benefit the state and the regional economy as the Applied Quantum CORE provides resources that small businesses could never develop on their own. I am very proud of the researchers who have made this vision a reality.”

BOZEMAN — When Georgeline Morsette crosses the stage in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Friday during Montana State University’s 139th commencement ceremony, she’ll celebrate earning a bachelor’s degree and entering a new chapter of life, one where she looks forward to working as an art educator in Montana.

The ceremony will be the culmination of Morsette’s college career at MSU in which she has successfully completed her coursework, charted a career path, earned the respect of professors and staff members, and volunteered in her community, according to several who have worked with her. Morsette will receive a degree in art education, K-12 broadfield teaching option.

But there were times when Morsette wasn’t sure she would finish her degree. During her time at MSU, she said, “life hit (her) like a train,” and the challenges were daunting. To reach the commencement milestone is significant, she said, and she’s glad she persisted.

“It’s been a long journey,” Morsette said. “I’m really glad to be at this point.”

Morsette enrolled at MSU in the fall of 2017 after graduating from high school in Billings.

“I’ve always loved art and working with kids and teaching, so I think ever since I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to go to school to be an art teacher,” she said.

She said she was inspired to study art education because her dad had wanted to be an art educator. He had enrolled at MSU too, but, she said, life got in the way of him completing his degree — her parents both started taking classes at MSU when she was just 3 weeks old.

“It turns out school is really hard with a newborn baby, and in a way I am getting this degree for both of us,” Morsette said. (Her mother ended up graduating about a decade later from MSU Billings.)

Morsette also knew she wanted to study at MSU. She is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree tribe and grew up in several Montana communities, including Rocky Boy, Bozeman, Belgrade and Billings. She and her parents lived in MSU’s on-campus housing for students with families when she was young. She remembers loving Bozeman and wanted to return.

Morsette has been deeply involved in a number of activities during her time at MSU, including as a member of the American Indian Council and the Society of INdigenous Educators and as an ambassador for the College of Arts and Architecture. Her art has been featured at American Indian Heritage Day and in MSU’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls exhibit in the Strand Union Building. She also served as a community assistant in MSU’s Student Apartments, and she volunteered with the HRDC’s summer lunch program, MSU’s Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry and as a tutor in local schools with the America Reads, America Counts program. Her motivation for her volunteer work has been simply to be kind and make people feel welcome, Morsette said.

When MSU’s American Indian Hall opened in October 2021, Morsette was at the podium, speaking as a representative of the MSU American Indian Council to the more than 1,000 people who attended.

The experience was “meaningful but also terrifying,” Morsette recalled. She said she spoke about the importance of having a Native community at MSU.

“Even though I didn’t come straight from my reservation, having that community is something that’s really important,” she said. “It can be really hard to come to a whole new place and hard to stay unless you feel you have that community.” The American Indian Hall has enabled MSU’s Native community to hold more events and to grow in numbers, Morsette said.

“It’s so nice to have a bigger space for Native students to come in and feel welcome,” she said.

In fact, Lisa Perry, director of American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success Services, said Morsette has helped strengthen her community.

“George always engages and brings good energy into anything she is involved with,” Perry said. “She genuinely cares about her community.” In 2021, Morsette received the Daniel Voyich Community Involvement award given by the MSU Department of Native American Studies and the American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success Program.

As Morsette progressed through college, the increasing difficulty of her classes and the number of activities she participated in started to leave her feeling overwhelmed, she said. She had to learn to say “no” to some things and that it was important to seek out help when she needed it, even if that went beyond academic help.

“I could feel myself start to struggle,” she said. “I was getting burned out and my classes were getting harder. It was harder to find the motivation to get out of bed each day and go to class.”

Morsette sought help for her mental health, working with staff in MSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Working with a counselor was new for her, Morsette said: She has many siblings, and she has always been the one in her family who has given help, not needed it.

“But I realized it’s OK to ask for help, too,” she said. “I know I’m strong, but even strong people need help. … It was good to get the help I needed.”

Other challenges came, too. Morsette, who had transferred some credits from summer courses she took at Stone Child College in Rocky Boy, was originally on track to graduate from MSU in three years, she said. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit just as she was getting ready to student-teach, and she knew she didn’t want to complete that portion of her education virtually.

“I just felt like it wouldn’t prepare me for the classroom,” she said. Instead, she took classes in Native American studies, but by the spring of 2021, her mental health was “not great” and she also needed to save money for school and living expenses. So Morsette took a year off from MSU.

She said it was a tough decision and she was worried that she might not return.

“I was scared because many people told me how hard it would be to come back,” she recalled. “But I think that’s part of what motivated me to come back. I’m really stubborn. And I came so far and worked so hard to not go back and finish my degree.”

Ultimately, she said the time off “gave me a renewed sense of purpose and the rest that I needed to come back.” She re-enrolled at MSU in the spring of 2022 and completed her student teaching this semester in Billings, teaching high school ceramics.

Now, as she looks back on her time at MSU, she feels grateful for the professors and staff members who supported her along the way. For example, “everyone” in the education department was always kind and welcoming, she said.

“They genuinely care about you and want you to succeed. And if you ever need help, they’re always there to help you,” she said. “I definitely wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t had tons of people to help me through.”

In addition, she said her academic work taught her lessons she will carry with her throughout her career. One art methods class taught by Paul Waldum was especially memorable.

“That class showed the importance of creativity and of teaching creative thinking, critical thinking skills and out-of-the-box-type thinking,” she said. “Art education is so much more than doing art.”

As she looks ahead to life after graduation, Morsette isn’t sure what’s next. She would like to find a job teaching art somewhere in Montana, as her partner has one more year left at MSU. She has also considered enrolling in a master’s program.

One thing she does know is that, as she reflects on the impact her teachers have had on her life, she looks forward to someday being an important person in her own students’ lives.

“I’ve had amazing teachers in my life,” Morsette said. “Growing up, life wasn't always easy, but school was a place I enjoyed going because of those great teachers and mentors who inspired me. They made a safe place for me and made me excited to learn. That's what made me want to be a teacher; I want to be that for my own students one day.”

Joe Hicks, assistant dean in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, predicts that Morsette will be just that, calling her a “natural educator” who exhibits great joy and enthusiasm for the learning process.

“Georgeline invests so much into fostering caring and supportive student relationships,” Hicks said. “Her future teaching career is so bright, helping to make the world of art accessible to all students.”

TWIN BRIDGES – A chronic wasting disease (CWD) management hunt will be held for all white-tailed deer and antlerless mule deer in a portion of Hunting District 322 in the lower Ruby Valley.

The hunt will run from Dec. 15 through Feb. 15. Valid licenses, which will be available for purchase during the hunt, will include:

• General deer license: valid for antlerless mule deer or either sex white-tailed deer
• 003-00 white-tailed deer B license: valid for either sex white-tailed deer
• 399-00 white-tailed deer B license: valid for either sex white-tailed deer

The area of the hunt is known to have a high prevalence of CWD. The goals of the management hunt are to reduce the white-tailed deer population and to increase the CWD test sample size from a localized herd of mule deer to improve the accuracy of prevalence estimates.

CWD is a fatal, contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. CWD surveillance across southwest Montana over the past three years, including broad CWD management hunts, continues to illustrate a localized area of high prevalence among deer in the lower Ruby Valley, surrounded by an area of low prevalence.

So far this season, CWD has been found in 71 percent of white-tailed does, 73 percent of white-tailed bucks and five of 10 adult mule deer harvested within the management hunt area.

The management hunt area includes almost exclusively private lands south of Twin Bridges along the Beaverhead and Ruby rivers. A map of the hunt area can be downloaded here: Southwest Montana CWD Hunt Area 2023-24.

As always, landowner permission is required before hunting on private lands. The relatively small hunt area will limit the number of hunters who can participate. All other 2023 hunting regulations apply, including regulations on carcass disposal. Information on proper carcass disposal can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/CWD.

Due to high CWD prevalence in this area, FWP recommends that hunters have their harvested animals tested. Some participating ranches will require testing as a condition of hunting. FWP pays for the testing, making it free for hunters. FWP has provided resources to help hunters collect and submit samples for testing on their own. These resources can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/CWD. Hunters can also call a regional FWP office to schedule an appointment if they need help collecting a CWD sample.

CWD was first detected in Montana’s wild cervids in 2017. It has since been detected widely along Montana’s northern and southern borders. CWD was first detected among white-tailed deer in the Ruby Valley in 2019 and is now known to occur in the Ruby, Beaverhead, Big Hole and Jefferson watersheds.

CWD is not known to infect humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people not eat meat from infected animals and have their harvested animals tested before eating them if they were taken from an area where CWD is known to exist. For more information on CDC recommendations, please visit go.usa.gov/xAcnc.