Northwest Montana
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About Northwest Montana
Northwest Montana is anchored by the communities of the Flathead Valley, including Kalispell, Bigfork, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Polson, Ronan, and St. Ignatius. Nestled between the Rocky Mountains, Glacier National Park, and the shores of Flathead Lake, the region is defined by extraordinary natural beauty, deep community roots, and a strong culture of self-reliance.
Spanning Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders counties, Northwest Montana is also home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Indian Reservation, whose enduring presence and culture have shaped this place for generations. Across the region, people share a connection to the land, a commitment to their communities, and a belief that economic opportunity and quality of life can go hand in hand.
That spirit is increasingly reflected in a growing community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and builders who are choosing to start and grow businesses here. In Northwest Montana, rural entrepreneurship is not just about economic growth. It is about creating opportunity that is rooted in place, shaped by community values, and built to last.
Community Partners
Wachholz Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center
The Wachholz Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (WIEC), housed at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, serves as the entrepreneurial ecosystem hub for Northwest Montana. Supporting a four-county region and the Flathead Indian Reservation, WIEC works with founders, small business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs across one of the most geographically expansive and economically diverse rural areas in the Mountain West.
WIEC’s approach is grounded in connection, mentorship, and long-term ecosystem building. Its work focuses on strengthening entrepreneurial density, expanding access to trust-based mentorship, guiding founders from early exploration to traction, helping entrepreneurs navigate rural capital pathways, and coordinating with partners across the region. As a community college-anchored center, WIEC is deeply rooted in place and committed to expanding equitable opportunity for rural and Tribal founders alike
Montana High Tech Business Alliance
The Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a statewide, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping Montana’s high-tech sector grow responsibly and create high-paying jobs. Since its launch in 2014, the Alliance has built a network of more than 200 member firms and has become a key connector for the state’s tech and manufacturing ecosystem.
Through events, convenings, and industry engagement, the Alliance helps companies and entrepreneurs build relationships, raise visibility, find talent, access funding, and stay connected to emerging opportunities. Its work plays an important role in strengthening the broader innovation economy that rural founders in Northwest Montana can tap into and help shape.
Flathead Valley Community College
Flathead Valley Community College has been serving students and employers in the region since 1967, providing pathways to higher education and workforce opportunity without requiring residents to leave the valley. Today, the college offers degrees in information technology and cybersecurity, entrepreneurship certificates, dual enrollment opportunities with Montana State University System schools, and a biotechnology degree program with transfer options.
As both an educational institution and a community anchor, FVCC plays a vital role in preparing local talent, supporting aspiring entrepreneurs, and helping ensure Northwest Montana’s innovation economy is built by and for the people who call the region home.
What Being a Member of the Network Means to Northwest Montana
For Northwest Montana, joining the Rural Innovation Network means becoming part of a national community that understands both the promise and the realities of building in rural places. It means stronger connections, shared learning, and access to peers who recognize that entrepreneurship in rural America is not peripheral to economic development — it is central to it.
As Northwest Montana continues to grow its entrepreneurial ecosystem, Network membership creates new opportunities for founders, educators, and community partners to learn from others across the country and, in turn, contribute their own insights and leadership.
“The Flathead Valley is not short on founders with big ideas and a willingness to build; what we've lacked is connection to a national community of practice that takes rural entrepreneurship seriously as economic strategy, not just inspiration.”
Eric Harry, Founding Director, Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center
Explore our Network
Today, these local leaders are focused on educating and training local residents in digital skills (especially those traditionally excluded from the tech industry), employing them in new economy jobs, and empowering them to launch startups that will drive a prosperous 21st-century economy. Diverse in geography, economic origin, and demographics, these communities represent the full spectrum of rural America.