A New Angle

This week is a conversation Justin moderated for City Club, featuring Bryce Ward and the director of UM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Pat Barkey. City Club aims to bring Montanans together to inform and inspire citizens on issues facing the community.

In this episode, Justin asks Pat how Montana's economy has changed over the past decade and if this is a good time to be an entrepreneur. A question and answer segment is provided at the end of the episode, too, where City Club attendees ask interesting questions to the panel.

City Club holds forums on the second Monday of every month. Learn more at https://cityclubmissoula.com/

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17WQCuc0kiv742Lc5fyO3xvkl65uSG-1ANQGJwSFGgXI/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Marcel Huijser. Marcel is a road ecologist with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University. He studies the interaction between wildlife and transportation infrastructure, something anyone who’s spent time on Montana’s roads has likely thought about.


In this conversation, Justin asks Marcel about the impacts of transportation on wild ecosystems and how big a problem some of those impacts actually are. Justin ponders what the best places are to put traffic mitigation implements, and Marcel gives some examples of great works of mitigation.


Check out some of Marcel’s wildlife photography here: https://www.marcelhuijserphotography.com/


Transcription here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cok6cI-Em3b42zHqMdAfopiv3Pfb0BjQftlh1JdQpCk/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week is the January edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader issues facing our society. Today, Justin and Bryce look back on the predictions they made for last year and make a few for 2023.


In this episode, Justin and Bryce recap on their predictions about Covid, remote work, the economy, college athletics and politics. Bryce says he feels optimistic about where the economy is right now, and gives his prediction for what the economy might be like this year, and what might be in store for Montana.


Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-YsO9_0UKQsAmm2OXBktgOG0_Ow3QY1shH-J6ze-RiU/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Adam Peterman. This year, Adam put together one of the finest seasons the trail running world has ever seen, including a win in his debut 100 miler, the hallowed Western States. In November, Adam won the World Mountain and Trail running championship. At only 27 years old, his future looks bright.

In this episode Justin asks Adam about his formative years as a runner, what made him take a crack at 100 miles and what his thought process is like through a 100 mile day. Adam brings up the benefit of having some blind faith in yourself and what it feels like to have running as his job. Justin asks Adam about a day in his life, and Adam gives some projections on the next steps in his running career.

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jNpw2kfNrFjLRgmUP8hgnPvKtoL5h4NGPeZr9ThEBIY/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Dr. Lerone Martin, associate professor of religious studies and director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Dr. Martin will be visiting the University of Montana on January 26th as part of the President’s Lecture Series. And since this event is a key part of the university’s Martin Luther King Day celebrations, Justin is also joined by the University of Montana’s director of African-American studies and history professor, Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer.

Justin asks Dr. Martin why we’re still studying Martin Luther King Jr., and Dr. Martin brings up some downsides of the MLK Day holiday. Justin wonders how King’s legacy informs our culture today, and Dr. Martin advocates for thinking of King as a conversation partner.

Dr. Martin’s talk will be on January 26 at 7:30 p.m. For more information and to register, visit umt.edu/president

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1avPz4mkXXd-m6wbPfpYMmr4m73c5Rwt4qzDX076mkOc/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guests are Kris Boyd and Shawna Kelsey, the founders of Pink Bench Distilling in Troy, Montana. This story is one of community investment, engagement and revitalization.

Justin asks Kris and Shawna how they came together around grizzly bears and apples, what is actually needed to make booze and what apple brandy even is. Kris offers that the forest nearby has between 35-40 botanicals that can be used in distilling spirits, and both women share that their goal is to make Pink Bench a family-friendly place, offering mocktails as well. At the end, Justin asks what insight Kris and Shawna would give to people getting into business with friends.

Visit Pink Bench’s Crowdfund link here: https://crowdfundmontana.com/campaigns/41t8oubg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkbenchdistilling/?show_switched_toast=0&show_invite_to_fo[…]w_community_rollback=0&show_follower_visibility_disclosure=0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkbenchdistilling/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ed4610c7-9e[…]f4a-9604d4ad45bf&ig_mid=4461D382-9C7D-4C14-BACD-13E3D9D81E52

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vUPZOIlxahZygn6JGoUnZhP8ZBphvIkCA3BlEHWEijQ/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Michael Dubin, founder and former CEO of Dollar Shave Club, a business that revolutionized direct to consumer marketing and created ripple effects throughout the global economy.

Michael tells Justin the key insight that led to the creation of Dollar Shave Club and gives insight into what it was like being CEO. Justin asks about Michael’s priorities for making an impact outside of work. One of those priorities fits into Montana pretty well — a nonprofit to raise awareness about fuel mitigation and forest management. Michael talks about what he sees as the unique parts of entrepreneurialism in Montana and shares his advice regarding the business world today.

Check out Michael’s wildfire nonprofit here: https://safewoods.com/

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X0OfDLMdcj5YnaWL-z_XsE-4H2t4KxVr3tdQM0rRVUQ/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week is the December edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend, Bryce Ward, about some of the broader challenges facing our society. To close out the year, Justin and Bryce talk about some of the good things that have happened this year.

Making it on that list include a relatively seamless midterm election season, a decline in the poverty rate, a stock correction, Medicaid expansion and a less extreme wildfire season. Justin and Bryce acknowledge that often in I&I they press pause on technological advancement, but note the bonuses of having more resources available more widely to solve problems.

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fbwe0B_JFJ2GwRn7AD2zCM1t867eljtJ3xd3YeTXoFA/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Eric Dietrich, deputy editor at Montana Free Press, where he leads the Long Streets Project, an initiative that conducts in depth reporting on Montana’s economy. Eric’s recent reporting has focused on housing, and in particular, Governor Greg Gianforte’s Housing Task Force.

In this conversation, Justin asks Eric about the state of play of housing in Montana and what the key battlegrounds are on both sides of the debate on how to make more housing. Eric describes how the Housing Task Force came to be and gives a summary of its recommendations to Montana Governor Greg Gianforte. Eric talks about Airbnbs and how they erode the line between housing for residents and tourists and explains what he’s going to watch for in the upcoming legislative session.

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SF96WYg0A8w_1XTMyOwyoxswXvLkCN6xYZWxegm0Htw/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Lesli Allison, founding member and executive director of Western Landowners Alliance. WLA seeks to advance policies and practices that sustain working lands in the West. Many of the most contentious and consequential issues here in Montana are right in the wheelhouse of this important organization.

In this conversation Lesli says that if farms and ranches go out of business, we all lose. She points out that a big economic question we have to ask is whether landowners are going to be helped or hurt by outdoor recreation. Justin asks how WLA has addressed issues like housing policy or concerns about new people moving into Montana, and Lesli says the best thing to do is to build meaningful relationships and not take adversarial positions.

Learn more about WLA here: https://westernlandowners.org/

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uemIGBgzJQ-NruHwQIcI7uNyRRkcoewqfGdX1QkHk2o/edit

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe