Very nice article. Capsule looks promising in regards to packaging. I'm going to have give 'er a try. One could also use the fatjar[1] or application[2] plugins (within the context of gradle).
Not sure about the startup scene here, but the major tech employers I know about in Bozo are RightNow/Oracle, Zoot and Montana State University. Keep in mind, though, that one doesn't move to Montana for the salary. Also, real estate in the Gallatin valley is expensive compared to other places in MT. I moved back to MT (grew up in Butte) 2 years ago and while the salary isn't great, it beats the hell out of Los Angeles traffic.
[1] https://github.com/musketyr/gradle-fatjar-plugin [2] http://www.gradle.org/docs/current/userguide/application_plu...