Aimee McQuilkin is a Missoula entrepreneur and community builder, best known as the owner of Betty’s Divine and the Clark Fork Yacht Club. Through these beloved businesses, she has helped shape Missoula’s social and cultural fabric by creating welcoming spaces rooted in style, hospitality, and connection. Aimee’s work reflects a deep commitment to local economy, creativity, and gathering people together in meaningful ways.

Shane Clouse is a Missoula musician and songwriter whose work blends Americana, folk, and roots traditions with thoughtful storytelling. His music is shaped by Montana landscapes and lived experience, carrying a quiet honesty that resonates both on stage and in more intimate listening spaces. Shane is a steady presence in the local music community, known for craft, collaboration, and authenticity.

Dave Stromeyer is a Missoula County Commissioner focused on infrastructure, public service, and long term regional planning. He is currently working on a passenger railroad project aimed at improving transportation options and connectivity in western Montana. Dave’s work reflects a practical, forward looking approach to governance with an emphasis on public benefit, economic resilience, and sustainable mobility.​

Show notes:

00:03:44 - 1983 Rabbit and Missoula Roots

00:05:53 - Opening Betty's Divine While Pregnant

00:09:34 - Building Community Through Shared Experiences

00:11:56 - Community Heart and Entrepreneurial Joy

00:13:23 - Homeownership Enables Community Business Growth

00:15:39 - How Desmond the Mannequin Found Home

00:18:12 - The Governor of the Hip Strip

00:23:37 - Missoula's Deep History and Indigenous Stewardship

00:27:39 - Gateway to the Rocky Mountains and Home

00:32:15 - Stewardship and Restoring Passenger Rail

00:38:12 - Keeping Missoula Special Through Community Involvement

00:41:16 - Montana's State Song and Pink Grizzly Greenhouse

00:44:10 - From Farm to Pink Grizzly Business

00:46:39 - From Lumber Mills to Community Music

00:50:32 - Historic Irrigation Ditch Sustains Missoula Community

00:53:56 - Hunting and Fishing Fund Conservation

00:58:58 - Montana Matters: A Song of Unity

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Frank Szollosi is the Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation, the state’s oldest and largest wildlife conservation organization focused on protecting wildlife habitat, public lands access, and science-based natural resource policy in Montana. He took on this leadership role in June 2020 after a long career with the National Wildlife Federation, where he worked for over a decade on climate and water policy at the Great Lakes Regional Center and on national campaigns that defended public lands, advanced the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and connected people with wildlife.

At MWF, Szollosi collaborates with state agencies including Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, tribal governments, landowners, businesses, and conservation partners to advance policies that sustain healthy wildlife populations and accessible wild places. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Utah and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan, and he brings extensive experience in government, including work as both a staffer and local elected official. Outside of his professional work, Szollosi is an avid outdoorsperson who has spent more than 25 years fly fishing and participates enthusiastically in annual hunts with friends and colleagues. He lives in Montana with his wife and four children and enjoys kayaking, downhill skiing, and backpacking.

JOIN THE MONTANA WILDLIFE FEDERATION FOR ONLY $40/YEAR --> www.MontanaWildlife.org

Show notes:

00:02:54 - Growing Up in Toledo, Ohio

00:05:29 - Leading Montana Wildlife Federation

00:08:26 - Finding Balance in Wildlife Conservation

00:10:14 - Montana Wildlife Federation's Origins and Conservation History

00:15:45 - Hunter-Funded Conservation: Montana's Legacy

00:19:53 - Climate Change and Wildlife Conservation in Montana

00:24:09 - Defending Public Lands Through Community Action

00:26:17 - Montana Wildlife Federation's Advocacy Tools

00:29:05 - Protecting Public Lands from Corporate Development

00:31:30 - Montana Wildlife Federation Membership Benefits

00:33:55 - Understanding Differences and Conservation Leadership

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John Wood is an Alaska musher from Chugiak who started chasing the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in the late nineteen seventies and went on to finish the thousand mile route to Nome four times in 1978, 1979, 1982 and 1986. Known for his dry humor and honesty about the grind of the trail, he once joked that after three runs he had “an unparalleled record of mediocrity” and zero prize money, yet if you asked whether he planned to run again his answer was “hell yes,” because the race embodied adventure, excitement, competition and camaraderie that felt uniquely Alaskan. John served as a musher representative on the Iditarod board and offered straight talking advice to rookies about staying upbeat, caring for their dog teams and setting realistic goals in a race where two weeks of little sleep and deep cold are the norm. The event he helped shape as a veteran competitor and mentor is itself legendary an annual March run from Anchorage to Nome of roughly one thousand miles across mountains, frozen rivers and Bering Sea coast, first completed in 1973 and often called the Last Great Race on Earth for its blend of brutal weather, wilderness travel and the deep historical ties between sled dogs and Alaska communities.

Show Notes:

00:02:37 - Growing Up in Alaska's Homestead

00:06:29 - Mountain Life and Mining Adventures in Alaska

00:09:32 - Getting into Dog Mushing with Trap Lines

00:12:43 - Recording the Grand Canyon with John Wood

00:16:32 - From Finishing to Competing in Iditarod

00:18:59 - Iditarod Southern Route and Racing Strategy

00:22:53 - Alaskan Huskies: Sled Dogs and Racing

00:27:47 - Iditarod Dog Care and Rest Cycles

00:30:52 - Sleep Strategy for Iditarod Success

00:33:43 - Three Life Lessons from Iditarod Racing

00:35:42 - Grand Canyon Evening and Iditarod Song

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