Conversations with cool people doing awesome things in and around Missoula, Montana.
We like say at the college that "Montana Means Business," but that's not just a catchphrase. Montana and our Missoula community inspire incredible creators. This podcast is about exploring their journeys. We hope the stories we share will resonate with you, at whatever stage you are in your career.
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Episode 033: Front Street Capital's Russ Piazza invests in culture
Justin W. Angle
Front Street Capital Management's Russ Piazza (UM '77) knows exactly the sort of businesses he wants to invest in. As the portfolio manager of the hugely successful Tarkio Fund, Russ brings a focus and clarity to his work that's inspiring. He also has a thing ... Read More
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Episode 032: Holly Truitt: Community Creator, Coalition Builder, and Change Maker
Justin W. Angle
"You gotta get Holly Truitt on the pod!" We've heard this countless times since we launched the show, and we finally got her to come on. Holly is the Director of University of Montana's Broader Impacts Group. Her work ranges from directing spectrUM, a wonderful ... Read More
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Episode 031: Olympian Sam Schultz Rides For All the Right Reasons
Justin W. Angle
The competitive pinnacle of Sam Schultz's mountain biking career came during the 2012 Olympic games. In the years since, he's faced health challenges, a limited capacity to train and race, and the reality that his relationship with his bike and livelihood must change. Today we ... Read More
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Episode 030: John Wicks knows drums, coffee & juggling both with family
Justin W. Angle
Missoula's John Wicks wears many hats - drummer for the hugely successful Fitz and the Tantrums, co-founder of Drum Coffee with his wonderful wife Jenna, bad-ass mountain athlete, and committed husband and father. In this conversation we break down how he juggles it all, and ... Read More
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Episode 029: Nick Triolo - Activist, Athlete, and Lifelong Student of Narrative
Justin W. Angle
Nick Triolo is passionate about story and using the tools of narrative to make the world a better place. Through his work as an activist, writer, filmmaker, coach, guide, and mountain athlete Nick is deeply dedicated to making people care more about the natural world. ... Read More
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Episode 028: Keila Szpaller Takes Her Turn in the Hot Seat
Justin W. Angle
Keila Szpaller took over the University of Montana "beat" in 2015. This Missoulian reporter and UM Journalism graduate has covered both the city of Missoula and UM during tumultuous and controversial times. In this episode we discuss her approach to reporting, sourcing, background, and what ... Read More
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Episode 027: MoFi's Dave Glaser on Making People "Bankable"
Justin W. Angle
MoFi is a non-profit organization with a mission to "provide financing and consulting services that transform the lives of individuals and strengthen communities." Dave Glaser is president of this important organization and chats with us about the critical catalytic roll MoFi (formerly known as Montana ... Read More
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Episode 026: Montana Code School - a Case Study in Education Innovation
Justin W. Angle
The Montana Code School launched in 2015 as a way to prepare students to walk in ready and able to the growing number of technology jobs available in Montana. In this episode we talk with Paul Gladen, Director of the Blackstone Launchpad and founder of ... Read More
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Episode 025: Pictionary Creator Rob Angel on Trusting the Process
Justin W. Angle
Rob Angel invented the legendary game Pictionary in 1985. I got the chance to speak with this charismatic, inspired and dynamic creator during a quick visit with his children, both Missoula residents. Rob shares the Pictionary origin story, brings us up to date on his ... Read More
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Episode 024: Bjorn Nabozney on Building a Community with Big Sky Brewing Co.
Justin W. Angle
Few places impact the community like Big Sky Brewing. This week, we sit down with founder Bjorn Nabozney to talk about beer, building a community, and the issue of alcohol on college campuses.
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Episode 023: Erin Switalski on the vital work of Women’s Voices for the Earth
Justin W. Angle
Women’s Voices for the Earth is a Missoula-based national non-profit organization doing big things on a national scale. The group’s aim is to eliminate the use of harmful chemicals in a surprising and disturbing number of household products, particularly products used predominantly by women. We ... Read More
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Episode 022: The Big Dipper's Charlie Beaton Knows Ice Cream, Music, and Balance
Justin W. Angle
Montana has a handful of iconic establishments, and The Big Dipper is one of its finest. In this week's episode we learn all about it with founder and owner Charlie Beaton, a Missoula legend. Charlie not only creates killer ice cream, but he also makes ... Read More
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Episode 021: Black Coffee's Matt McQuilkin on Coffee, Community & Creativity
Justin W. Angle
Matt McQuilkin and Jim Chapman launched Black Coffee Roasting Company in 2010 and it quickly became a fixture of the Missoula scene. In this conversation, Matt and I discuss the series of experiences that uniquely prepared him for success as a coffee entrepreneur and how ... Read More
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Episode 020: Meg Whicher: Recreation Evangelist
Justin W. Angle
Meg Whicher is a Recreation Specialist at Missoula Parks and Recreation.
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Episode 019: Tester, Gianforte, & Ward on Higher Education and the 6-mil Levy
Justin W. Angle
Investment in higher education is a hot topic across the country and in Montana especially. Every ten years since 1948 Montanans vote on a ballot measured called the 6-mil levy, which represents a substantial funding mechanism for the state's university system. The 6-mil levy returns ... Read More
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Episode 018: Eric Sprunk, COO at NIKE, on Leadership, Opportunity and Coming Home
Justin W. Angle
Eric Sprunk was the commencement speaker at this year's University of Montana graduation ceremony. In today's episode, we track Eric's experience as an accounting student who graduated in from UM in 1986 though to his current position as head of Nike's global operations. It's an ... Read More
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Episode 017: Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament on Creativity, Hustle, and Giving Back
Justin W. Angle
Jeff Ament was born in Havre and grew up in Big Sandy. His Montana roots and pride run deep and returning to his home state is a big part of what keeps him balanced. Our conversation dug into several key themes about the basis for ... Read More
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Episode 016: Lisa Mills and Elephant Friendly Tea
Justin W. Angle
Lisa Mills is the creator of the world's first tea certification program. In this episode she tells us about the devastating effects conventional tea farming has on the severely endangered population of Asian elephants. The program she launched - Elephant Friendly Tea - is a ... Read More
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Episode 015: Christopher Preston: Philosopher for the Synthetic Age
Justin W. Angle
This week we chat with Christopher Preston, Professor of Philosophy at University of Montana. Christopher recently published The Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World. The central argument of the book is that human beings have fundamentally altered the planet in a ... Read More
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Episode 014: Clark Fork Coalition's Karen Knutsen: What the River Needs
Justin W. Angle
This week's episode features my conversation with Karen Knutsen, Executive Director of the Clark Fork Coalition. Karen's focused and dynamic leadership has lead the coalition to many critical achievements in its work to protect and restore the Clark Fork River watershed. We talk about the ... Read More
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Episode 013: Switchback Records: Students Making Music
Justin W. Angle
In this episode we chat with some of the amazing University of Montana students behind Switchback Records. Switchback Records is an entirely student-run record label operating out of the College of Business’s Entertainment Management Program. On April 13, Switchback will launch its first album Elvis: ... Read More
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Episode 012: The Dram Shop Origin Story with Zach Millar
Justin W. Angle
Learn how Missoula's Dram Shop went from crazy idea to booming business in this week's conversation with Zach Millar. This interview was done on location, catching Zach as he tuned up the shop for a regular day of business. That makes the sound quality a ... Read More
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Episode 011: Joel Benenson - Chief Pollster and Strategist to Obama and Clinton
Justin W. Angle
Joel Benenson is a premier political strategist and pollster. He's the only Democratic pollster to have played a leading role in 3 winning presidential campaigns. He recently visited University of Montana to speak with our students about the Big Sky Poll project. Joel and I ... Read More
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Episode 010: R2C's Michelle Cardinal: CEO, Philanthropist, Activist
Justin W. Angle
This week we feature Michelle Cardinal, CEO and Co-founder of the R2C Group, a digital marketing firm headquartered in Portland, OR. Michelle was recently on campus as this semester's Gilkey Lecture Speaker. She used the opportunity to talk about the power of business to give ... Read More
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Episode 009: Mike Foote: Mountain Athlete, Innovator, Community Builder
Justin W. Angle
In this episode we connect with "friend of the pod" Mike Foote. Mike is a legendary mountain athlete who competes with the world's best in two sports that few people know about - ultra running and ski-mountaineering. He is the co-founder and race director of ... Read More