Venture Boldly
Episodes
78 episodes
The Case for Agritourism in Montana with Mike Sullivan of Longview Lavender Farm
Mike Sullivan planted lavender in Northwest Montana and lost it all. Twice. What kept him going is a story about more than farming.At Longview Lavender Farm in the Flathead Valley, Mike turned a stubborn specialty crop into a thriving ag...
Child Care Center Business Insights with Corinne Kuntz, The Birds Nest Early Learning Village
Infant child care is one of the biggest hidden barriers to workforce participation—and one of the hardest services to sustain. In this episode, Corinne Kuntz of Bird’s Nest Early Learning Village shares her transition from in-home care to a pur...
Entrepreneurship in the Flathead: Wachholz Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center with Eric Harry
In this episode, we sit down with Eric Harry of the Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Flathead Valley Community College to tackle a key question: how do we help founders build and stay in Northwest Montana?Eric shares in...
Downtown Kalispell Forward: A New Chapter for Kalispell’s Core
Downtown Kalispell is evolving quickly, and community leaders are working to ensure that growth happens with intention. In this episode, Brenden Craig of First Interstate Bank sits down with Lorraine Clarno, President and CEO of the Kalispell C...
Smart Growth, Strong Community: Inside Kalispell’s Next Chapter with City Manager, Jarod Nygren
Kalispell is growing, and the decisions we make now will shape the next decade. In this episode, City Manager Jarod Nygren breaks down how the city is planning for infrastructure, housing, and downtown vitality to stay ahead of that growth. We ...
Growing Roots Early Learning Center: A Conversation with Center Director, Leigh Ann Downie-Economy
Childcare is essential workforce infrastructure. In this episode, Leigh Ann Downie-Economy, Director of Growing Roots Early Learning Center in Kalispell, shares what it takes to create a high-quality early learning center—from facility upgrades...
Kalispell Education Foundation: Community Support, Classroom Impact
Public funding covers the basics in Montana schools, but targeted donations drive innovation. In this episode, Dorothy Drury of the Kalispell Education Foundation shares how Montana school funding really works and how the KEF's fast, teacher-dr...
2025 Business Person of the Year: Mark Johnson
A bitter cold snap can turn the grid into a high-wire act, and few people understand those stakes like Mark Johnson, CEO and General Manager of Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC) and the 2025 Kalispell Chamber Business Person of the Year
A Conversation with Kalispell Mayor-elect, Ryan Hunter
Growth is here, and today’s choices will shape Kalispell for decades. In this episode, Kalispell mayor-elect Ryan Hunter lays out a clear, practical agenda: protect waterways, expand attainable housing, improve street safety, and apply predicta...
2025 Rising Star Award Winner- Miles Terry
Join us as we meet with Miles Terry, Vice President of Terry Homes and the Kalispell Chamber’s 2025 Rising Star. As the VP of Terry Homes, a family-owned homebuilder that's been building homes in the Flathead for over 30 years, Mile...
2025 Flathead Legacy Award Winner: Bob Nystuen
In this episode, we sit down with 2025 Flathead Legacy Award recipient Bob Nystuen to trace his path from North Dakota roots to leading Glacier Bank and shaping the Flathead’s business and education landscape. He shares how capital, culture, an...
Made in the Flathead: Fiber Reaper's Manufacturing Innovation
A small clamp is making a big impact in Montana manufacturing. Founder Amber Pacheco Holm of Fiber Reaper, and her husband, Jeremy, turned a simple field frustration into a breakthrough tool now used by fiber splicing crews across the co...
Beyond Capacity: The Need for a New Flathead County Detention Center
Sheriff Brian Heino doesn't mince words about Flathead County's jail crisis. The 1987 facility is bursting at the seams, with failing systems, inadequate space, and mounting safety concerns. With over two decades of law enforcement experience, ...
Kyle Waterman: Candidate for Kalispell City Council Ward 3
Kyle Waterman, downtown business owner and former city councilor, is running for Kalispell City Council Ward 3. In this conversation, he shares how his past council experience and decades of community leadership shape his vision for a growing, ...
Kisa Davison: Candidate for Mayor of Kalispell
Meet Kisa Davison, Kalispell mayoral candidate and recipient of the Kalispell Chamber’s endorsement. She joins Drew Zagorski to share her journey from business owner and community leader to candidate for mayor.Since moving to Kalispell i...
Pathways Beyond Prison: The Flathead Valley Reentry Center
Join host Drew Zagorski as he sits down with Brian Gootkin, Director of the Montana Department of Corrections, and Jim Sanderson, Operations Manager of the new Flathead Valley Reentry Center, for a revealing conversation about how we rein...
Keeping Montana Wild with MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Montana’s outdoor recreation supports billions in spending while protecting landscapes, wildlife, and local traditions. Amber Steed, Region 1 Supervisor for Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), brings deep knowledge to managing these resources and h...
Flathead County Fairgrounds & the NWMT Fair
This episode of the Venture Boldly podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of the Flathead County Fairgrounds—an iconic 60-acre hub in Kalispell that hosts over 750 events and draws more than 250,000 visitors each year. While many kn...
Flathead Lake Biological Station: Preserving Our Natural Treasure
Flathead Lake’s clean waters and mountain views aren’t just beautiful—they’re essential to our region’s economy, culture, and future. For over 100 years, the Flathead Lake Biological Station has worked to protect one of America’s cleanest lakes...
Lemonade Day Champions: Two Sisters' Recipe for Success
"Young entrepreneurs can teach us all a thing or two about business," is the lesson that shines through in my conversation with Parker and Lucy, the young founders of Two Sisters Lemonade and winners of the 2024 Youth Entrepreneurship Award for...
Building the Flathead, with Bill Goldberg, Compass Construction
What does it take to build a construction company that shapes a community? Bill Goldberg, founder of Compass Construction, shares how he went from a 20-year-old entrepreneur to a leader in Flathead Valley development.Raised in a family o...
Catapult Your Career with the Kalispell Chamber
Ready to transform your professional trajectory? The Discover Kalispell Chamber unveils Catapult Collective, an innovative leadership and career development program poised to revolutionize how professionals grow in the Flathead Valley.C...
Bringing World-Class Entertainment to Montana's Flathead Valley
Join us as Matt Laughlin, Director of the Wachholz College Center at Flathead Valley Community College, takes us behind the curtain of Kalispell's premier performing arts venue. Matt, a Montana native who returned home after 14 years at Seattle...
Exploring the Historic Conrad Mansion with Brit Clark, Executive Director
The Conrad Mansion, built in 1895 by Kalispell founder Charles Conrad, is a well-preserved Victorian home that offers a rare, authentic view of Montana’s past. Under the leadership of Executive Director Brit Clark, the Conrad Mansion Museum sha...
Montana's Economic Pulse: Labor Trends & Workforce Insights with State Economist, Amy Watson
Montana's economy is booming. Labor force numbers have pushed total workforce to over 579,000 people, with nearly 50,000 jobs added since COVID-19 began reshaping our economic landscape. The Flathead Valley stands out with even more impressive ...
