Montana Trade Content May 27th – June 2nd
Daniel Zavadil
June 03, 2024
Howdy builders of Montana!
Happy to see you back where we cover blue collar/build topics in Montana, we also zoom out and talk about what’s happening around the rest of the US. Today we’re breaking down urban camping, XL chimneys, project status updates. microbursts, and more. Enjoy the next 5 minutes of blue collar updates.
New build off Bryant St. Appreciated the common color between the truck and the zip.
Keep the saw sharp,
When, what, and who is the Bozeman Build? The BB is a 1x/week free email newsletter delivered every Monday morning focused on mountain West trades with an emphasis on Montana. The author Daniel Z has a background in accounting, commodities, construction, trucking, and operates a small business called blockbiome. Daniel is not a financial or building advisor.
Block Biome + Bozeman Build research
Urban camping counts
On May 15th 2024, we made an attempt to count how many urban campers there are around Bozeman, we counted 109 campers and 41 tents. Check out the Block Biome Bozeman urban camping breakdown blog article to see where these counts were made.
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Craigslist/Marketplace finds of the week
 A reliable cattle checking vehicle |  Subaru sister of the brat. Great engines. |
 This seller had 4+ tractors listed at one point in time |  Toy fleet sale |
 Wonder why their selling? |  Deer Lodge fence post prices |
Anything you want us to research to help further your business? Reach out to daniel@blockbiome.com
Montana commodities
Prices as of Sunday June 2nd for Hard commodities and Friday May 31st for Soft commodities. Who’s picking up the breakfast tab? Note, I am neither a commodities broker nor financial advisor.
Hard
| Hard | Price | Weekly | Monthly | YoY |
| Copper | $4.63 | -4.13% | 1.55% | 22.81% |
| Crude Oil | $76.92 | -0.92% | -2.52% | 9.70% |
| Natural Gas | $2.67 | 3.07% | 20.40% | 9.00% |
Soft
| Soft | Price | Weekly | Monthly | YoY |
| Wheat | $678.50 | -2.69% | 13.22% | 8.69% |
| Live Cattle | $181.58 | -1.26% | 4.48% | 5.34% |
| Lumber | $506.52 | -4.08% | -4.34% | -0.10% |
Large swings of the week
| Volatile | Price | Weekly | Monthly | YoY |
| Eggs US | $1.97 | 24.68% | -5.74% | 77.48% |
| Potatoes | $51.00 | 45.30% | 82.14% | 0.59% |
| Orange Juice | $437.20 | -8.25% | 11.67% | 54.19% |
Local, State, US Wide Trade Pulse
Bozeman trade pulse
May 24, 2024 Bozeman Hot Springs to unveil new building next week. Customers can expect to see the new doors open Wednesday, May 29 – KBZK
May 28, 2024 Where to buy bulk native wildflower seed mix? – R/Bozeman
- Circle S Seeds in Three Forks
- The conservation district office in Manhattan gives it away for free – Gallatin Pollinator Initiative
- Pheasants Forever
- Native Ideals
May 30, 2024 Construction on new Bozeman homeless shelter underway. The $16.3 million facility, called Homeward Point, is being built off of Griffin Drive in northeast Bozeman. Work on Bozeman’s first purpose-built homeless shelter is just over a year out from completion. -BDC
Homeward Point construction status picture from South of the tracks
June 1, 2024 Diesel Mechanics in Bozeman? -R/Bozeman
- Diesel Pros in Belgrade
- Daighs Diesel and Automotive
- Battleridge in Belgrade
Two projects added to the cities project doc folder last week
Both development review applications added May 28th – City of Bozeman Project Documents folder
- 24185 – Rest stop ZMA Application – Zoning Application – This app is related to the lot where the closed rest stop on N. 19th Ave sits.
- 24255 – Demolition of Entire Primary Structure within Conservation Overlay (NCOD) – Demo of existing two unit residence and redevelopment of a 2 unit residence
HUGE chimney cap by DeGidio Sheet Metal, Inc.
I stopped by DeGidios shop to purchase some scrap steel, in the corner there was this huge box at least 8×10’, asking what is that? Its a chimney cap.
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MSU projects
Last week we rode by campus observing Knife River laying a giant asphalt parking lot surrounding the Stadium, Apex asphalt paving around the new Jumbotron (big screen) installed by Martel, and watching the new athletics building get final touches (interior work, window cleaning, landscaping)
 Stadium paving project |  New big screen North endzone |
 New student rec building East side |  New student rec building North side |
Montana trade pulse
Microburst windstorm in the Little Belts
Montana residents grapple with aftermath of damaging winter storm – KPAX-TV
NOAA Microbursts
MDT News
News Releases dated May 28 through May 30 – MDT News
- 20240530-152817 | Crossover Traffic To Begin On I-90 In Bozeman
- 20240530-150915 | North 7th Avenue & Griffin Drive Project Complete
- 20240530-144738 | Airway Boulevard Closure 6/3-6/4
- 20240530-135246 | Traffic Signal Box Replacement At US 93/MT 82 Intersection
- 20240530-081509 | Madison Street Bridge Inspection
- 20240530-080115 | Hiawatha Trail Access On I-90
- 20240530-075640 | South Billings Boulevard – Bridge Rehabilitation To Begin
- 20240529-144256 | Construction To Begin On MT 72
- 20240529-111505 | Boulder Main Street Upgrade This Summer
- 20240528-123849 | Spokane Creek Road Pavement Preservation To Begin
Upcoming Lettings
MDT lettings as of June 6, 2024 – MDT Advertised Bid Packages
- 101 – MT-37 BRIDGES PRES MP 0-64
- 102 – SCHOOL SIDEWALKS – EAST HELENA
- 103 – CUSTER AVE SIGNALS – HELENA
USA wide highlights
Bozeman Builds top picks from the Construction Dive
May 28, 2024 The largest commercial construction starts of April 2024
May 28, 2024 At halfway mark, majority of infrastructure law funds yet to be spent
May 29, 2024 Swinerton-owned Timberlab acquires glulam manufacturer
May 29, 2024 The top 10 residential builders of 2024
May 30, 2024 The top commercial contractors of 2024
- Turner Construction Co.
- Kiewit Corp.
- Bechtel
- MasTec Inc.
- The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
May 31, 2024 May 2024 wins: Contractors report their latest awards
- D.R. Horton
- Lennar Corp.
- PulteGroup
- NVR
- Meritage Homes
All headlines and articles mentioned above were sourced from constructiondive.com
Ag, Mining, and Transport
Ag
May 31, 2024 USDA Invests $83 Million in Boosting Fertilizer Availability – AgWeb
May 28, 2024 Lightning Kills Colorado Rancher and 34 Cows Saturday – AgWeb
May 28, 2024 More Wind, Rain and Hail Likely Ahead in June – AgWeb
Mining/Oil
May 28, 2024 American Pacific Mining Mobilizes Drill Rig to Madison Copper-Gold Project in Montana – Junior Mining Network
May 30, 2024 Buried fortune of old copper wire is worth billions to telcos – mining.com
Transport
May 28, 2024 Biden-Harris Administration Announces $343 Million to Modernize Transit Stations, Improve Accessibility Across the Country – USDOT
May 31, 2024 Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $187 Million in Grants from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Modernize Airports – USDOT
History
Thanks for reading,
Daniel – Not a Financial or Building Advisor
The best compliment you can leave is a referral or feedback!