Bozeman Build Report #24
July 29th - August 4th 2024
Howdy makers of Montana
Welcome back to the Bozeman Build Report covering trade related activities happening in Montana and around the Northern Rockies. Today were talking about Highland Drive, U-haul, Subarus, Pizza Ranch conquest, lukewarm Montana housing markets, Northwestern domination, more lumber mills going under. We appreciate you for tuning in and please enjoy the next 5 minutes covering what Montana is made of.
Keep the saw sharp,
When, what, and who is the Bozeman Build ? The BB is a 1x/week free email newsletter delivered every Monday morning focused on mountain West trades with an emphasis on Montana. The author Daniel Z has a background in accounting, commodities, construction, trucking, and operates a small business called blockbiome. Daniel is not a financial or building advisor.
Sponsors and business spotlight of the week…
Reach out to daniel@blockbiome.com if interested in marketing with the Build!
Bozeman and Montana Trade Pulse
Bozeman trade pulse
Highland Drive to be
Bozeman Health is gearing up to expand their empire. See planning docs here
Urban lot foundation dig and pours East Bozeman
Farms to Uhaul
Uhaul and dusk were the perfect match for some photos. This is Gallatin Valleys 6th Uhaul location off Huffine offering both self storage and their typical trailer/truck rentals. Based on google maps street views of the property, it appears that Bateman-Hall from IF is the construction manager Hollowtop of Three Forks for mechanical, Central Electric of Lewistown for electrical, and Walker Excavation of Belgrade for groundwork.
Subaru Unicorn
Cation! Watch for falling parts coming from the ultimate dirt bag Gambler 500 qualifying car. This Subie isnt the prettiest car on the lot however I respect the owner for the creativity, ingenuity, and modifications applied here.
Here’s a guide to the Subaru culture and lingo
Montana trade pulse
Jul 29, 2024 Man on a quest to visit every Pizza Ranch location stops in Billings One man from Iowa is on a mission to visit all 221 Pizza Ranch locations in the United States, and stopped in Billings to mark stops #183 and #184.
Jul 29, 2024 Pipestone is getting a new RV park There are 80 full hookup sites. Power, water, and sewer. And then we’ll have a combination of 31 cabin and tent sites” Along with a registration building, lounge area, general store, 3 shower houses, around 20 bathrooms, and a 30,000-gallon water system. Keith also hopes to add activities for the guests such as Pickleball courts, horseshoes, a large playground for kids, and more.
Jul 29, 2024 Montana’s housing market experiences a summer cooldown “The market right now just feels like it’s a bit lukewarm,” said Brian Huskey, a Billings, Montana-based ERA American Real Estate agent. “There is still moderated demand from buyers, but there are a lot of people just sitting on the sidelines right now because housing affordability and rates are playing a big role in people’s decisions.”
July 29, 2024 HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Commerce announced today it has been awarded a $47.5 million economic development grant for southeastern Montana from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Jul 30, 2024 Abandoned mine flooding Red Lodge house with thousands of gallons of water A public works investigation indicated the gravity drain that previously carried spring water from within the workings of the abandoned Sunset Mine to the city’s stormwater system has failed.
"These type of situations don't always come up too often. So, this is kind of a rare one, where the property was built where there was unfortunately a historic mine drain underneath it," said John Babcock, an Environmental Officer with the Abandoned Mine Project.
July 31, 2024 The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that more than $440,000 in grant funding has been awarded to three Montana communities to support vital public safety and development projects in coal-impacted areas. The funding was allocated to these communities by the Montana Coal Board.
Jul 31, 2024 Grandstand Construction Complete for Western Montana Fair There's a new and improved, grand addition to the fairgrounds that will be ready to use for the first time ever next week.
Jul 31, 2024 NorthWestern Energy says majority control of Colstrip plant an important step leaders say acquiring another large ownership share in the Colstrip power plant will give them much more control over the plant’s future. On Tuesday, NorthWestern announced they would take over Puget Sound Energy’s share of the coal-fired plant, at no cost, as of Jan. 1, 2026.
Jul 31, 2024 - GREAT FALLS, Mont. NorthWestern Energy to buy Energy West Montana in $39 million deal - NorthWestern Energy (NWE) announced Tuesday they will be acquiring Energy West Montana from Hope Utilities once the transaction is approved by the Montana Public Service Commission.
Aug 2, 2024 - Related to the Seeley Lake Mill closure - Two Oregon lumber mills on opposite ends of the state are shutting down, the latest in a long line of closures.
Aug 4th, 2024 - A BNSF train caused nine miles worth of spot fires in Livingston around 3 p.m. Saturday.
MDT News
20240801-135217 | Tribal Youth In Montana Gain Hands-On Driver Education
20240731-081730 | SWMP Feedback Requested
20240729-130725 | MT 37 Bridge Preservation
20240729-110701 | Thompson Falls Main Street Construction Repairs Begin
Marketplace finds of the week
Commodities
Covering volatility, building materials, and commodities of the Northern Rockies prices as of Sunday August 4th gathered from tradingeconomics.com.
Large Swings
US equities fell off a cliff last week
Oil related prices slipped last week crude being down -2.45%, propane slipping -8.14%, Naphtha sloping down -6.40%.
Lithium carbonate prices fell toward CNY 80,000 per tonne in August, the lowest in over three years, amid increasing concerns of oversupply. Lithium is down -69.94% year over year
Butter increased 1,700 EUR/T or 30.70% since the beginning of 2024 up 5.37% last week.
Weather
6-10 Day Outlooks
Cooler wetter weather settling in this week based on the 6-10 day Outlooks issued by the National Weather Service.
History of 5th wheel coupling
When Otto Neumann and August Fruehauf invented the semi-trailer in 1914, they created a version of a 5th wheel pin hitch coupling which they used until 1916. Then they adopted an improved version of the fifth Wheel offered by the Martin Rocking Company in Massachusetts offered by inventor Hermann Farr and his partner, Charles Martin. Martin introduced Farr's invention of the 5th wheel in 1915. - Singing Wheels
