Montana

The designation by the Montana Department of Agriculture will boost local economic development efforts in food and agricultural processing, as well as renewable energy.

The 58,000-square-foot egg grading operation in Great Falls, MT will process over 280 million eggs annually to meet growing demand for organic, free-range eggs.

A monumental fight over federal land is heating up in the state with the second-largest percentage of it.

U.S. employers expect the hiring pace to remain positive in Q2 2017 with 22 percent of employers planning to add staff between April and June, according to the ManpowerGroup.

Locations across the nation are rapidly applying the best practices needed to meet the requirements of new and expanding 21st century businesses. This makes it much tougher for us to pick the best of the best, so we’ve expanded our showcase to make room for an ever-increasing number of economic development leaders.

Construction will begin this fall on the south side of the existing facility, with estimated completion by the fourth quarter of 2014.

A foundation built on kitty litter offers a crash course for entrepreneurs through its partnership with the National Center for Economic Gardening.

WA, CA, OR top the field in Renewable Energy, while VT, RI, DE have the smallest carbon footprint.