The Flathead Valley is home to several innovative high-tech companies and is a key player in the state’s advanced manufacturing industry. 

In a recent report, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to helping high-tech companies create and fill jobs in Montana, highlighted some of the area’s companies in advanced manufacturing, like Applied Materials, Synergetix Incorporated and Fiber Reaper, along with companies in cloud services, cybersecurity and software — like Endpoint Technology Partners, Interbel Telephone Co-op, Ten Point Data, Glacier Cybersecurity, Sokn Engineering and Tourbase.  

But there are many more companies, those that are writing software, providing IT services and installing systems to protect government buildings, that have set up shop in Northwest Montana. Local leaders in tech say that being based in Northwest Montana doesn’t limit them from reaching customers across the country and globe, and they hope the industry continues to grow.  

Technology related industry is growing in Montana, with companies in advanced manufacturing and computing continuing to add jobs throughout the entire state.  

Manufacturing employment gains over the last five years are strongest in computer and electronic products, machinery, and transportation equipment manufacturing, according to the 2025 Montana Labor Day Report from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. 

In 2024, 18,800 people were employed in the advanced manufacturing and computing industry in Montana, according to the report. The agency predicts 2,100 annual job openings in the industry between 2024 and 2034.  

Since 2013, Montana has seen a 57% increase in knowledge and technology intensive employment, ranking eighth overall in total growth, according to the 2024 Montana Manufacturing Report by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana.  

Businesses that develop technology and products with photonics, quantum and smart sensing have seen a surge in growth and investment, according to Montana High Tech Business Alliance Executive Director Christina Henderson. 

She referenced a $41 million federal grant given to the technology consortium Headwaters Tech Hub in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The grant aimed to help build out jobs within the optical and laser technologies field in four regions of Montana, according to the Daily Montanan.  

Photonics technology is key to many day-to-day products like smartphones, DVD players, cameras, medical instruments and lighting, according to the Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance. The organization said the technology will power innovations such as self-driving cars, advanced mapping technology and next-generation medical imaging. 

“I think that award definitely shines a spotlight on an industry that's been a real strength for Montana, and one that continues to grow and attract interested investment,” Henderson said. 

Although Montana is mostly rural and distant from the typical tech-hubs across the U.S., it is still attracting many businesses in the industry. Henderson said the Montana High Tech Business Alliance has done research on this topic, asking the question “what is motivating tech companies to startup or move here?” 

In 2017, the alliance published a case study on entrepreneurship in Montana, in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, which found that Montana had the highest rate of entrepreneurship per capita in the nation for four years in a row.  

The research found a number of reasons why someone would want to set up a business in Montana, like being a part of tight business networks. Henderson said this allows people to become closer to experienced business leaders or elected officials. She said Montana’s elected officials are viewed as “champions of business,” differing from those in other states.  

Another reason is the state’s “strong and loyal workforce.” 

“We also have Montana values that emerged as benefits. So that means having a tolerance for risk and a willingness to just jump in and get things done,” Henderson said.  “All of those things were real assets for business. And of course, Montana's high quality of life. The beauty of the landscape is very attractive for entrepreneurs themselves and also for talent.” 

That was the case for GL Solutions Founder and CEO Bill Moseley, who moved his company from Bend, Oregon, to Kalispell in 2020. He founded the company 28 years ago with current Chief Administrative Officer Eric Staley, after working together at the Oregon Department of Justice Charitable Activities Section, where they were dissatisfied with the agency’s software system.  

Moseley and Staley developed a digital licensing system for their section, which would allow the regulatory agency to get caught up on a significant backlog of renewals. The effort saw almost $500,000 collected in fees, according to GL Solution’s website.  

They left Oregon’s Department of Justice in the late 90s with the vision for a company that continued to improve software systems within many government agencies.  

Most recently, GL Solutions won a contract to modernize the licensing system for the Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners. It’s part of a growing list of Oklahoma agencies partnering with GL Solutions to modernize regulatory operations with their GL Suite software.  

In addition to the company’s statewide Oklahoma licensing contract, the Kalispell company works with the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board to ensure public health and safety through trade licensing and inspections. 

The new additions are just a small piece of the many kinds of agencies, both state and federal, that GL Solutions works with.  

“I’ve watched a lot of organizations run over the years that we've been in business and there's certainly a lot of inefficiency in government,” Moseley said. “I think people experience that when they interact with government agencies. But instead of just complaining about them, I always wanted to help them function better.” 

When they decided to move the company out of Bend, Kalispell was one of a few cities that GL Solutions leadership looked at as an option for a new home. They also looked at Moscow, Idaho Falls, Spokane and Missoula. But following visits to each area, they chose Kalispell due to housing prices and cost of living.  

“I know people are worried about housing costs here, and they probably should be. I understand how that can price people out, because things increase. Especially if you're on a fixed income and your housing costs go up. It's really very difficult to adjust to that sort of thing, but the housing costs here were half of what they were in Bend,” he said.  

In Oregon, Moseley said the company was tired of high taxes and increasing regulations on businesses. It was a mill town when the company began and felt like a tourist town when they decided to leave.  

That working-class spirit that Moseley appreciated in Bend is present in the Flathead Valley, he said. There is also enough of a labor market available, as they were looking for an area that had 150,000 people within a 30-mile radius.  

Paired with Montana’s low taxes, light regulations and a pro-business governor — Kalispell was looking like the best location to move GL Solutions.  

He recalled a meeting hosted by Montana West Economic Development that swayed the decision. The meeting featured several people, including the mayor, city manager, Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and a University of Montana representative — all there to discuss reasons why a company like GL Solutions should choose Kalispell.  

“We asked someone, ‘Why would you want a business like ours here?’ ... And someone said that he wanted his kids to be able to stay here and find gainful employment. So, it just showed a lot of community spirit. There’s a lot of pride in the area,” Moseley said.  

GL Solutions has experienced a growth spurt since. The number of employees has doubled to 88. Annual revenue is three times as much, increasing from $4 million a year to $12 million in 2025.  

“People don't realize it, but Montanans are pretty hardworking. They do what they say. If you're an employer, you know these are the kinds of people that you want to work with,” he said.  

ANOTHER COMPANY with clients all across the nation is Integrated Security Solutions, which designs, installs and maintains high-end electronic security systems.  

With over 90% of work being used for the federal government, the company follows strict standards — including what materials and manufacturers are used. This includes systems like access control, burglar alarm cameras and duress alarms, according to Director of Operations Eddie Wise. 

“We're currently at about 130 employees. We have contracts all around the world — our first employee starts today in Guam. We have active contracts in places like Turkey, Bavaria and Germany. We have eight people in Germany right now working on projects. And we’ve worked in all 50 states and five US territories,” Wise said.  

Integrated Security Solutions is owned by Marquis Laude, who started the company 25 years ago after responding to a contract for maintaining the security at the Hungry Horse Dam, according to previous reporting by the Daily Inter Lake.  

Laude has helped install security systems at the Hoover Dam, on Air Force bases and the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Locally, it has supplied and serviced security systems for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.  

Wise said the office in Kalispell is not only the center of operations but also has several labs for testing new security systems. In addition to this, there are 70 cameras in and around the office, some with advanced enough to recognize particular cars or people when they approach the building. 

As the company’s clients are all over the map, it allows for hiring outside of Montana.  

“We have about 40 employees based here in Kalispell. But we lovingly refer our technicians out in the field as permanently homeless, because when they're on the road and installing — we’re making money,” he said. “We have a fleet of about 35 trucks that were deployed across the country.” 

Integrated Security Solutions has grown quite a bit in the last four years, Wise said, and in doing so has had to find a way to recruit and retain employees by looking across the country. It’s also looking to keep growing and competing against much larger companies in seeking government contracts.  

“It's tough competing here with businesses like Applied Materials and Nomad for the kind of skillsets that we're looking for. I think it's great that we have such a concentration of technology industries here, but it does make it tough for us to recruit labor,” Wise said. “But again, because our technicians are on the road, I can get them from all over the place. Currently, we have employees from 27 different states that are out there in the field.”  

Integrated Security Solutions was recently selected as a vendor on the Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency's Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense, also known as the SHIELD program. The $151 billion contract includes a number of companies and aims to eventually create what President Donald Trump refers to as the “Golden Dome,” a multi-layered missile defense system for the U.S.  

“We are one of the only security system specific companies that made that contract,” Wise said. 

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].    

    A worker on the pilot line at Applied Materials, a large employer in the Flathead Valley that makes semi-conductor chips at their Evergreen facility. (photo courtesy of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance)
  

 

    GL Solutions in Kalispell on Thursday, Feb. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Employees at GL Solutions in Kalispell on Thursday, Feb. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Employees at GL Solutions in Kalispell on Thursday, Feb. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Eric Staley and Bill Moseley at GL Solutions in Kalispell on Wednesday, Nov. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Staff members of GL Solutions in Kalispell on Wednesday, Nov. 5. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Integrated Security Solutions uses a 3D printer to create custom parts for their security products at their facility in Kalispell on Friday, Feb. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Eddie Wise opens the doors of an ammunition storage bunker that Integrated Security Solutions built for the Army National Guard at the company's facility in Kalispell on Friday, Feb. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Marco Arauz wires a secondary vault panel for a security system at Integrated Security Solutions in Kalispell on Friday, Feb. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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    Marquis Laude, the president of Integrated Security Solutions, Inc., cuts the ribbon at the company's new location at Gateway Mall in July of 2023. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)