Folks who eat the food that Pam and I grow at Purple Frog can all attest that we work hard and pour our heart and soul into our community. It’s that value of hard work and honoring locals, instilled by parents and grandparents, which I bring to Helena. It’s a funny campaign when special interest […]

Small, stooped, with a wry sense of humor, Winfield Emerson Page was one of the early stock market “day traders.” Page was essentially nocturnal. He seemed able to function with very little sleep. He frequently stayed up most of the night to monitor foreign markets, making trades by telephone and telegraph, at all hours, nationally […]

Flathead Business and Industry Association has recently been the victim of “hogwash” on the part of Rep. Jopek, as a result of our recent endorsement and advocacy on behalf of pro-business candidates in the Flathead. Rep. Jopek’s statements in a recent Beacon editorial about FBIA are as insulting as they are false. On behalf of […]

In last week’s column, I lightly admonished an anonymous bunch of folks for not personalizing their business (noting that the title of this column is “Business is Personal”). After that, it seems logical that I give you some tools to make it easier to do what I was complaining about last week. There are two […]

As a longtime Alaskan, and former Montanan, I have some interesting observations for the Big Sky. I was born in Montana, educated at the University of Montana and immediately adventured to Alaska for a lifelong accounting career. As a CPA and private sector community leader in Wasilla, yes, I know Sarah Palin very well. I […]

It can only rain this hard in Washington, Oregon or Guadalcanal. The tires aquaplaned on the river running down the middle of the eastbound highway headed for Mount Hood, just east of Portland. We had passed dozens of automobile agencies that were devoid of customers and drowning in unsold merchandise. For a weekend, at least, […]

My birthday was earlier this month and as I do every year, I take great care to notice (and reward) those businesses who paid attention in the past when I brought it up, as well as those who already have my birth date and use it wisely. While not every business knows my birthday (or […]

Congress’s lardy response to the Wall Street mortgage fiasco leaves me wondering about governmental fiscal responsibility – not just inside the Beltway, but here in Flathead County. Both Whitefish and Evergreen passed public-safety bond issues in the past couple of months in special elections. Evergreen’s fire hall is falling down, plus the department has seen […]

When we launched Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies two years ago, markets around the region were booming and the big questions on many peoples’ minds were about how to control runaway growth. Today the environment is very different – but we think the insights you’ll gain into the economy, the real estate […]

When I first ran for elected office I was conflicted between running as a Republican or a Democrat. I am from one of the many families who are a bit split on issues: my dad a Republican who delivered crude oil across the seas, my mom an English teacher and a Democrat. In 2002, when […]

When I was a child, my grandma used to make me frankfurters and mashed potatoes if I was upset or not feeling good. I miss those days dearly, grandparents are graceful and just knew how to make it right. She also had some great insight into how best to deal with others when they treated […]

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama is a big hunter. Despite Halloween’s rapid approach, it appears the blaze orange vests will remain closeted. There are no plans by candidates to slog through the woods, rifles in hands, with photographers creeping a few dozen yards behind. And that’s a relief. In 2004, when Democratic presidential candidate […]

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the month devoted to bringing attention to the impact this epidemic has on our community. It is hoped that awareness will elicit responsiveness and, ultimately, change. It’s a difficult task. At the Violence Free Crisis Line, most of our interaction with the community is working directly with people already […]

Men, bear with me for a moment, this column is for you too. When marketing a product to women, there’s one thing you simply have to try to do if you want to hit a home run. Get yourself or your product on Oprah. The reason is simple and I hope, obvious: Oprah’s viewers trust […]

What’s Important, Anyway? By Ryan Zinke, Republican As I read the editorials and ads written by incumbents that take credit for something they did not do, or by their opponents who assail them for something that they did do, I wonder if we have lost sight of what’s really important? What is important to me […]