Meet Our Team

Jennifer Stephens, MBA, SBDC regional director
406-243-4770 | Jennifer.stephens@mso.umt.edu

Jennifer Stephens brings over 10 years of grassroots and formal economic development experience to her role as Missoula SBDC regional director. A Montana native, Jennifer earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Gonzaga University and an MBA at the University of Montana. Jennifer has been a business advisor with the Blackstone LaunchPad at the University of Montana for the past two years, during which she has taken part in over 530 meetings with the nearly 650 entrepreneurs registered with the LaunchPad.

Together with her husband, Nathan Stephens, she co-founded the Montana Web Designers & Developers Association in 2005 to enable tech professionals across the state to network and grow their businesses. She continues to assist with client management for her husband’s business, Groundswell Media Productions.

With hands-on business management experience and training, Jennifer has a passion for working with small and micro-enterprise businesses as well as helping new startups see the potential for future growth. Recently recruited as an advisor to Missoula’s Kiva Zip Program, Jennifer is excited to help Montana business access an additional funding stream through microlending. Passionate about providing opportunities for Montanans, Jennifer helped start and continues on the core advisory team for Montana Code School, Montana’s first computer programming boot camp which takes students from little or no coding knowledge to junior developer level in 12 weeks.

Jennifer also helps organize Missoula’s 1 Million Cups events and has been active in organizing Startup Weekend events across the state in Missoula, Bozeman and Butte. She was a core planning team member for Missoula Barcamp events for seven years along with Harold Shinsato and Nathan Stephens, which brought together approximately 100-150 technologists, artists and change agents for Montana’s first annual unconference loosely patterned on the O’Reilly Foo Camps.

Steve Clairmont, SBDC business advisor
406-243-4770 | steve.clairmont@mso.umt.edu

Steve Clairmont is a Montana Native and provides over 15 years of economic development and entrepreneurial development support in his role as a business advisor. Steve has an associate of science in electronic engineering technology, a bachelor of science in business administration and over 40 years of work experience in the private sector. Steve has earned his economic development finance professional certification with the National Development Council and is a former recipient of the SBA’s "Minority Small Business Champion of the Year."

Steve has owned and operated Eagle Services, a business consulting company, since 2019. His wife, Kyunghee, has provided cosmetology services in Polson since 2006. He has provided bookkeeping services for both businesses since their inception.

Having worked as an individual contributor in various capacities in his work career and in management positions from supervisor up to the president of a corporation, Steve brings a great deal of professional expertise and experience in business operations, growth and improvement. His work experience includes expertise in manufacturing, field service and electronic engineering from his work in the semiconductor equipment industry; entrepreneur training, plan development and finance from his work in economic development; and a well-rounded level of expertise from his other roles and from his work with entrepreneurs in western Montana.

Steve worked for 13 years as the president of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ economic development corporation S&K Business Services, Inc. on the Flathead Reservation. He also served as the business center director for Mission West Community Development Partners in Ronan for two years. He has found a great passion for supporting our entrepreneurs as they pursue their business efforts.