Members Gather in Bozeman for Executive Roundtable, Reception at Rocky Mountain Bank Nov. 9, 2021
Rocky Mountain Bank hosted MHTBA’s member reception in Bozeman with drinks and delicacies on Nov. 9, 2021. All photos courtesy 40 Watt Photo.
Dec. 6, 2021
Montana High Tech Business Alliance members from around the state once again gathered for an executive roundtable discussion at the GranTree Inn and reception hosted by Rocky Mountain Bank in Bozeman on November 9, 2021, after a two-year hiatus.
With a theme of Education and the Workforce, five Montana business and educational leaders spoke during the panel discussion, followed by the reception at Rocky Mountain Bank complete with drinks, hors d’ oeuvres, lightning talks and great conversation. The event marked the sixth time Scott Sehnert, Bozeman Market President for Rocky Mountain Bank, and his team have hosted a reception for the Alliance.
CONNECT: Industry Leaders Bridge Education and Workforce with Internship, Apprenticeship Programs
Business and educational leaders from across the state spoke on how their companies are helping train the next generation of the workforce with unique apprenticeship and internship programs. Speakers (from left to right) were Brett Gunnink, Jacob Sharp, Adam Gilbertson, Kelly Creswell and Jordan Komoto.
Five leaders representing different companies and programs throughout the state spoke on how to connect future employees with the skills needed for Montana’s workforce at the executive roundtable in Bozeman Nov. 9.
Speakers included Brett Gunnink, dean of the Norm Asbjomson College of Engineering at Montana State University-Bozeman; Jacob Sharp, senior manager of support delivery for Foundant Technologies; Adam Gilbertson, vice president of RDO Equipment Co.; Kelly Creswell, executive director of Reach Higher Montana and Montana Youth Apprenticeship Partnership; and Jordan Komoto, vice president of human resources at Zoot Enterprises.
Stay tuned for a full summary of the discussion.
PROMOTE: Governor Gianforte Plays Role in Supporting High Tech Industry, Job Expansion in Montana
Gov. Greg and Susan Gianforte listen to lightning talks from two of Montana’s growing startups during the MHTBA Bozeman member reception. The Gianfortes have supported the Montana High Tech Business Alliance since its inception in 2014.
Rocky Mountain Bank welcomed a special visitor for the MHTBA member reception when Governor Greg Gianforte arrived with his wife Susan Gianforte.
The Gianfortes founded RightNow Technologies, a Bozeman software company that sold to Oracle for $1.8 billion in 2011, and played a crucial role in founding and launching the Montana High Tech Business Alliance in 2014.
The Gianfortes continue to support high tech businesses throughout the state, often attending networking events and connecting with Montana’s tech leaders.
ACCELERATE: Montana State University Applied Research Laboratory, Alosant Highlight Recent Growth
Mark Sharpe and Joseph Brown from the new Applied Research Laboratory at Montana State University’s Innovation Campus spoke briefly at the Bozeman member reception on their work.
Two rapidly-growing Bozeman-based organizations gave lightning talks at the Bozeman member reception.
Alosant, founded in 2017, was named a High-Growth Company to watch by the MHTBA in 2019, and recently received a Montana COVID-19 innovation grant. Co-founder April LaMon spoke on how the app was originally developed as a community engagement tool for real estate developers in Rancho Mission Viejo in Southern California and has expanded to now 200,000 platform users and 62 clients.
Alosant’s apps, which are unique to each residential community, ultimately offer a sense of place and way for residents to connect with each other.
“I think people realize that the value of the place that they live in their community is of the utmost importance,” LaMon said. “And so having a branded app that's your community, it's your app, it's on your phone, really became a way to ignite a sense of cohesion, a way to get those communications very vitally into the hands of people.”
CEO Mark Sharpe, executive director of Montana State University’s Innovation Campus, and Joseph Brown, development liaison for the Applied Research Lab, also delivered a short talk. A part of the 42-acre Innovation Campus, MSU’s recently-built Applied Research Laboratory will help attract classified research into the state.
“I want to help create good jobs for Montanans, and the innovation and the research that’s going on, the work that’s going on in photonics and optics, it’s amazing,” Sharpe said.
About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of highly-engaged high tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.