Hallway conversations and “accidental meetings” happen frequently at the Montana Technology Enterprise Center (MonTEC) in Missoula, and that is one of the best parts of being located at the business and technology incubator across from the University of Montana on the Clark Fork River, according to Elke Govertsen, founder and publisher of Mamalode.Bumping into her colleagues at MonTEC -- who are making impacts in renewable chemistry, oil and gas analytical services, big data/e-discovery, pharmaceuticals, health care data analytics, publishing, and online video delivery – always inspires Govertsen.

At the Montana High Tech Business Alliance the stories we’re excited to tell in 2016 – about the state of the industry, high-growth companies, and scores of new employees hired - all point to a state on the rise.Here’s a sneak peek at five positive trends I see in the year ahead for Montana businesses.

There is often a mindset that technology companies thrive in major metropolitan centers – not in rural areas. But Doug Schust, the chief operating officer of Hagadone Digital, has found the opposite to be true.In 2013, Hagadone Digital, a powerhouse for digital marketing in the U.S. and Canada, expanded its operation to Kalispell, a town with a population of just over 20,000 located in northwestern Montana near Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park.

2015 has been a landmark year for high tech and manufacturing in Montana. It has also been a period of significant growth for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. Here's a look back at six reasons to feel great about the state of Montana this year.

Five months ago, a Bozeman-based couple launched what is probably the most successful Kickstarter campaign in Montana history. Their goal was to raise $70,000 to take their desktop computer-driven mill into production. In the first hour they surpassed that goal.

Access to capital is one of the biggest barriers to growth for Montana’s high tech and manufacturing firms. As we learned from the Alliance's CEO Roundtable on financing business growth, finding money isn't always easy and often involves using multiple resources over the life of a company.

Access to capital is the second biggest barrier to growth for Montana’s high tech and manufacturing firms, according to a Montana High Tech Business Alliance survey conducted in February 2015.

Montana’s business community got a huge boost in May when Next Frontier Capital, a Bozeman-based venture capital firm, announced the initial closing of its inaugural $20 million fund.Founder and Managing Partner Will Price spoke on the Montana High Tech Business Alliance’s Big Sky Innovation panel at the Montana High Tech Jobs Summit in September.

Rapid expansion has led Elixiterto relocate four times in Bozeman in the last four years. Founded by RightNow Technologies veteran Andrew Hull in 2011, the digital marketing agency has averaged 100 percent year-over-year growth since its inception.

First Interstate Bank welcomed more than 130 guests to their downtown branch for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance's reception in Missoula on October 22, 2015. Sue Larew, Vice President at FIB and member of the Alliance Board of Advisors, gave the opening remarks. One third of Alliance member firms are located in the Missoula area.

With Montana’s high-tech and manufacturing sector growing rapidly and increasing its footprint across the state, the Montana University System has been working to meet the needs of the sector via education, service, and research.

Situated on the top floor of the historic Mary Innes School in Dillon is a technology company that does business internationally with Fortune 500 clients, employs local residents, and has grown 45 percent per year since it opened two years ago in the town known for farming, ranching, and blue-ribbon trout streams.

Heading to Kalispell? Check out our recommendations for food, drink, and lodging!

What's to do in Butte? Check out our recommendations for food, drink, and lodging!

Check out our recommendations for food, drink, and lodging in Great Falls.

Technology boot camps and training programs are springing up around Montana to address the #1 barrier to growth for the state’s high tech and manufacturing firms: finding skilled technology workers.

Montana High Tech Business Alliance members have a starring role in the summer issue of the Montana Business Quarterly out this month. T