BOZEMAN —  It’s been an exciting week at Alpacas of Montana in Bozeman, as a team of shearers prepares to shear nearly 90 animals on the farm, including alpacas and llamas.

Alpacas of Montana owner James Budd notes that this is a great day for both the business and the animals – especially following such a dry, warm winter and spring.

Alpacas of Montana kicks off summer shearing season for nearly 90 alpacas and llamas in Bozeman

“It’s exciting for me to look at the fiber, see what kind of quality animals we have — what kind of products I can make with each specific yarn,” Budd said.

The fiber will be processed into ‘Alpaca Tech Yarn’ and later sold at the Alpacas of Montana shop. Alpacas of Montana is the largest alpaca clothing company in the country, Budd said.

One member of the shearing operation is Kyle Michaels from Biosecure Alpaca Shearing. Michaels has been in the business since 2012, and notes that the goal of the entire process is to shear the animal as gently and as quickly as possible.

MTN NEWS

Janicki to expand to Great Falls, Montana

Janicki, located in Sedro-Woolley, is building a new manufacturing campus in Great Falls, Montana, the company announced Tuesday, June 2. The new, $800-million campus intends to meet the “growing demand” from the company’s aerospace, defense and space customers, and will result in 2,000 new jobs when construction is complete. Construction is set to begin in July 2026. The company will continue to operate campuses in Washington and Utah despite the expansion in Montana.

Blaine pizza shop changes hands

Border Town Pizza in Blaine is under new ownership. Owners Laura and Kara Massaro have passed the independent pizza shop, located at 738 Peace Portal Drive, to Tami and Kamal Bhachu. After 11 years of ownership, Kara Massaro said in a social media post that they will be retiring and spending more time with family. “Wonderful changes will be coming, with the same great flavors and staff!” she wrote.

New skincare boutique opens in Fairhaven

Midlife Skin, a small batch, handcrafted skincare line, is opening its first brick-and-mortar store inside the Sycamore Square Building, 1200 Harris Ave., Suite 406, in Bellingham. The grand opening will happen from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10.

Kate Power, the founder and skincare formulator, said in a news release the boutique spot will offer customers the chance to meet the person making their skincare on site. Previously, Power sold at maker markets.

Midlife Skin launched in 2022 with a focus on bringing natural ingredients and cosmetic science to its skincare products.

Visitor spending in Whatcom County dipped slightly in 2025

Data from Tourism Economics shows a slight dip in spending by tourists in 2025 compared to 2024.
Visitors to Whatcom County spent $772.8 million last year, down 0.4% from the year prior, Visit Bellingham announced in a news release on June 3.

Across the state, tourist spending grew 0.9% from 2024, a drop in growth from the year prior (5.3%). However, data shows that overnight visitors, of which there were 1.46 million, spent more per day this year ($350) compared to last ($300).

By sector, spending on accommodations dropped 2.9% and spending on transportation dropped 4.8%. Tourism jobs also decreased by 4.1%. But food and beverage (2.2%) and recreation (5.8%) saw growth in spending. Retail spending stayed steady.

Nooksack Tribe to close Deming dispensary

Between the Ferns Cannabis, the marijuana dispensary in Deming, will close for good after selling out of inventory, according to an announcement by the Nooksack Indian Tribe on June 2.

Between the Ferns Cannabis, located at 5058 Water St. just off Mount Baker Highway, opened in 2021 as the first tribally owned cannabis shop in Whatcom County.

The Nooksack Tribal Council and Business Council Board of Directors decided to close the business, but promised that “exciting plans are underway for the future of this space that will bring a new revenue stream and continued opportunity for the Nooksack people.”

Closeout sales began Wednesday, June 3. The dispensary will be open 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily until all remaining product is sold. Closure updates will be posted on social media and at the dispensary website at betweenthefernsdeming.com.

Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County leader to step down

The CEO of the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County, John Sternlicht, is stepping down early next year, the EDASC announced in a news release on Monday, June 1.

Sternlicht has led the ESASC since summer 2015 and has brought it into a “new era of economic development that focuses on best practices not only in business attraction, retention and expansion, but also in capacity building for systems and services that enhance the well-being of all county residents,” according to the news release.

Sternlicht said the decision came with “mixed emotions,” and called his work at the EDASC “the most rewarding work I have done in my career.”

“Nevertheless, after 11 years, it is time for a new generation of leadership now that I have essentially accomplished what I set out to do in this position,” he said in the release.

The EDASC plans to begin searching for a new CEO in mid-summer, with a goal to hire by October.

Multiple reporters and CDN Business Contributor Frank Catalano contributed to this report. Send any ideas for business stories to newstips@cascadiadaily.com with “Business Tip” in the subject line.

Some Republicans believe results of the legislative primary mean it’s time for the Montana Republican Party to mend an intraparty fight and move in a new direction.

Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, even said GOP Chairman Art Wittich should step down.

“What he has done is divided the party, created a war, and now we’re basically in shambles, putting Humpty Dumpty back together again,” said Nikolakakos, who won a primary race over current Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci with 68%.

This week, some heavyweight conservatives that earned the ire of the Montana Republican Party secured victories in state legislative primaries — but not all.

Republican Reps. Llew Jones of Conrad, David Bedey of Hamilton, and Nikolakakos of Great Falls won their Senate primaries, and Rep. Brad Barker of Red Lodge did so in the House.

But the state GOP also saw some Republican incumbents it had sought to remove ousted. Those include Sen. Shelley Vance, among a group of GOP senators that collaborated with Democrats in the Senate in 2025.

In red Montana, primaries can be decisive races in many legislative districts.

Winning candidates at odds with the state GOP said they crossed the finish line in the primary despite bruising campaigns, significant pressure from the state GOP and Wittich, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack ads.

But Wittich said Democrats tried to improperly influence Republican primaries, and the state GOP fought Republicans who didn’t push back and will continue to fight that influence through the general election.

“This was unprecedented. We gave them the opportunity to reject that interference, and instead of rejecting it, Brad Barker told me to go to hell,” Wittich said.

Wittich also said it isn’t surprising to see sitting lawmakers such as Jones and Bedey win given they’re known names, and he rejected the idea he should turn over the reins.

He may double down.

“If anything, I’m going to accelerate this process of looking at legislators’ votes and making sure they account when they are voting to weaken Republican leadership, voting to weaken Republican policies, and voting to weaken the Republican party,” Wittich said.

State GOP ‘message to purge fell flat’

In some cases, Republicans who pushed against their own party said they were helped when voters took offense at smear tactics. They said it took punch and persistence to counter unrelenting attack ads.

“The more people fought, the better they did,” Nikolakakos said.

Wednesday, Nikolakakos said Wittich’s attempt to take control of the party failed, as did the costly ads by the GOP and outside groups.

“They savaged me,” he said.

In 2025, nine Republicans in the Senate worked with Democrats as an ad hoc majority of 27, marginalizing a more conservative faction of Republicans.

That sometimes fragile coalition helped steer significant legislation including residential property tax relief — albeit a controversial version that landed in court.

Primary outcomes mean in 2027, the Senate could operate with a similar working majority of 26.

Wittich was elected chairman in June 2025 with a mission to further deepen the shade of red in Montana, but Nikolakakos said he ran his race bucking the idea he needs to bow to the state GOP.

“With my first speech on the Senate floor, I’m gonna call him (Wittich) out and remind him I do not work for him, that I work for the people of my district,” Nikolakakos said.

Jones, in his 10th election for the Montana Legislature, said he’s never seen more falsehoods in a campaign, and he’s glad the primary is in the rearview mirror.

The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has shaped the state budget and was a top state GOP target.

In some cases, Jones, of Conrad, said the smears from outside groups offended voters that supported him and helped turn people out. Jones beat Rep. Zach Wirth, elected in 2024, by 4 points.

“Chair Wittich’s message of purging those who don’t swear fealty to the platform on his biggest targets didn’t work,” Jones said. “It fell flat.”

An ‘existential threat’ to the state GOP

Wittich earlier said the state GOP wanted to root out Republican candidates who were actually more aligned with Democrats.

To that end, the state GOP targeted some Republican lawmakers it viewed as out of step with its platform, including Nikolalakos, Jones, Bedey and Barker.

Bedey edged out his GOP opponent with just 51% of the vote in red Ravalli County, and Barker pulled in 64% of the vote in Carbon County.

Wittich said in general, incumbents largely win, so wins by known lawmakers in this primary shouldn’t be considered a rejection of the state GOP. But he said the GOP’s message isn’t about individuals.

“This is an existential threat to the Montana Republican Party, and we had to speak with a clear and loud voice to reject that interference,” Wittich said.

Among the wins for the state GOP was the ousting of Vance, of the Belgrade area, and defeat of the challenge by Sen. Jason Ellsworth in a House race hundreds of miles from Hamilton, where he’s lived and held a Senate seat.

Vance and Ellsworth were two of “The Nine” senators who broke with party leadership in 2025 to work across the aisle and pass major bills, leading to admonishment by the state GOP.

Ellsworth, who was all but removed from office last session, lost to Montana Freedom Caucus Chairman Jerry Schillinger, of Circle, who had support from the state GOP and bested Ellsworth with 86% of the vote.

Vance, the only member of “The Nine” seeking reelection to the Senate, lost to Rep. Caleb Hinkle by 48 points. Hinkle, in the Legislature the last three sessions, is backed by the state GOP.

Finley Warden, who bested incumbent Rep. Linda Reksten with 65% of the vote, said he rejected the idea a split exists with Republicans — he said some candidates use the GOP label to win but are “fake Republicans.”

Warden, on a state GOP Honor Roll, said talking to Republican voters at a grassroots event in nearly any part of the state is evidence.

“They will tell you that they want true conservative Republican representatives that actually follow through on the things that Republicans promise,” Warden said, pointing to smaller budgets as an example.

Into the general election, legislative session

Even staunch conservatives such as Speaker of the House Brandon Ler, of Savage, and the state GOP’s own vice chairperson, Stacy Zinn, of Billings, failed to earn the party’s nod in the Honor Roll it released in April. But they won Tuesday.

Wittich said he wasn’t on the committee that named Honor Roll candidates “supporting Republicans.

But he said it’s possible Ler, as speaker, was held to a higher standard, given the Democrats at the end of the 2025 session said “they got everything they wanted.”

Ler, who could not be reached for comment after the primary, won with 56% of the vote.

Wednesday, Zinn said her opponents tried to cast her as a “malcontent,” but she said asking questions doesn’t mean you’re not a team player.

She also said it’s time to reevaluate the Honor Roll and the strategies of the state GOP and end the fragmentation. Zinn won with 61% of the vote.

“I can tell you right now people (Republicans) are not going to be Kumbaya initially, but it’s time to put the voters and constituents first,” Zinn  said.

Editor’s note: Reporter Micah Drew contributed to this story.