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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Aug 11, 2006 |
MATR
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"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -- Alan Kay
Come Home Montana
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Career Opportunites in Hamilton, MT GlaxoSmithKline
We currently have several exciting employment opportunities available at our Hamilton facility, which is situated in the heart of the beautiful Bitterroot Valley in southwestern Montana and offers a stimulating work environment, relaxed lifestyle, and unparalleled outdoor recreational opportunities.
- Homegrown doctors hope to give back to Montana American Indian community
Come back. Give back. That's how Kris Cunningham describes what he and some of his classmates in the Montana Family Practice Residency want to do.
Education
- Where The Best-Paying High-Tech Jobs Are
Such places often have niche local employers for IT professionals, not to mention much lower costs of living than the industry's traditional epicenters.
- There's No Place Like Home
Faced with the never-ending dilemma of recruiting high caliber employees, we made a radical decision to use large portion our funding to do something very different than our competitors: build a virtual or home-based agent call center.
- Europe Faces Shrinking Pool of Workers
"For a year now, it has been harder to find employees in the information technology field, particularly highly qualified ones," Hubschneider said.
Montana Business
- New Efforts in Minnesota, New Orleans to Get Kids Interested in Math and Science
American K-12 students are becoming less and less interested in math, science and technology fields.
- Schools Try Elementary Approach To Teaching Foreign Languages
Compared with adults or even high school students, young children are better able to learn German with near-native pronunciation or mimic the subtle tones of Mandarin.
- It Takes More Than Schools to Close Achievement Gap
What if the impediments to learning run so deep that they cannot be addressed by any particular kind of school or any set of in-school reforms? What if schools are not the answer?
- Education corridor moves forward
The purpose of the education corridor is to give students the ability to earn three different levels of degrees and never leave the campus.
- Medical program adding clinical training in Montana
"People who are from Montana can train in Montana. I really believe in that," said Dr. Craig Eddy, a vice president and chief medical officer at St. Patrick Hospital.
Montana Meth Project
- Eschelon will pay approximately $9.5 million in cash for Billings, Mont.-based OneEighty Communications
The deal is expected to close by the end of the third quarter.
- Farm-to-Table Committee closer to acquiring Western Trails, Inc./ Cowboy Foods
Moving the business to Glendive and setting it up in the former Williston Basin Inc., office building could be done fairly easily if money can be found to purchase the equipment and acquire other assets of the business, committee chairman Bruce Smith said, adding that he has a private investor who has expressed an interest in providing startup funds.
- Livingston Mercantile (community-based, community-owned and community-shopped) closing in on funding goal. Investors still sought
For a prospectus and information about purchasing stock, call Doug Truex (222-2288), Dave Viers (222-7722), Bob Ebinger (222-0438), Sharon Walker (222-0773) or Victor Robbins (222-2950).
- Suiting up for science. Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton
If you're a scientist at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton hoping to work in the new biosafety level 4 suite of laboratories, be prepared to build up your bladder strength.
- DirecTV up and running in Missoula, MT
From the outside, the new DirecTV call center in Missoula looks like many other buildings in the final stages of construction. From the inside, however, it looks like the Silicon Valley during its dot-com heyday - with a Montana twist.
Montana Economic Development
- Teens Across Montana Win Over $300,000 in Cash in the Montana Meth Project's Paint the State Contest
'Most Remarkable Display of Public Art' Gains Widespread Praise and Earns Alexa Audet the $13,000 Grand Prize
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Montana Manufacturing Extension Center Is First Grant Recipient - Grant from Montana's New Homestead Act Funds - WIRED Grant
"MMEC has a proven track record of providing training in advanced manufacturing for Montana's businesses," said Governor Brian Schweitzer. "The award will be used to diversify and increase the economic base in the WIRED region by developing and delivering client-driven training to improve skills, productivity, and wages of new and incumbent workers."
Funding and Building your Business
- Middle of nowhere. The burden of the Midwestern network start-up: "How good can the software be if it's made here?"
"As far as venture-backed companies are concerned, the Midwest is lagging [behind] the rest of the nation,"
- The 5 Worst States for Start-ups
These states have not received any venture capital funding for an IT-related startups since January 2004. That’s 10 quarters without any seed funding available to entrepreneurs starting software, hardware, Internet or telecommunications companies.
Regional Economic Development
- A down-to-earth business plan will help your company fly high
In building your marketing campaign, you need to define the image that you are seeking. Are you trying to establish your business as a high-end boutique or a cost-saving alternative?
- Must-Win Battles: Lessons from Successful and Failed Journeys
Rather than spreading their resources too thin, companies must focus on three to five key challenges -- must-win battles (MWBs) that are crucial to achieving their business goals.
- Small Business Administration loan programs explained
The Small Business Administration offers several loan programs that can range from a few hundred dollars to millions for small business expansion.
- Entrepreneurs Compete in StartupNation Elevator Pitch Contest “Pitch Off” to Win Startup Coaching
“If you’re trying to take a business from idea to reality, you’ve got to have a sizzling Elevator Pitch and have to be able to deliver it to your ‘dream financier’ in a minute or less,”
- Business plan must be clear, not long
It is said that Mark Twain once apologized for the long length of a letter to a friend. As the story goes, if he had had more time to improve the clarity of his writing, the letter would have been shorter!
Utah Business
- Data centers on rise in rural areas. Internet firms build where power is cheaper
Sabey believes that times have changed. The current market for data centers is now being driven by the space needs of individual Internet companies rather than co-location providers such as Exodus and AboveNet, which were fueled with "Wall Street money" and chasing the same opportunities.
- 2006-07 NGA Chair Gov. Janet Napolitano's Initiative. Innovation America
In today’s economy, competition between nations is less relevant than competition between regions of innovation — groups of high wage, rapidly growing businesses that are closely linked through collaboration, research efforts, common products and services.
- Conference Works to Keep What's Best about Rocky Mountain West Towns and Cities
Community leaders from across the region and the nation will gather in Denver in October to discuss some of the underpinning issues of growth and development in the region, including where the energy for that growth will be produced, how to accommodate the ever-changing needs and tastes of the growing population, transportation needs, and the growing momentum of citizen's initiatives to revamp property rights laws.
- Economic Gardening up and down the Front Range of Colorado/Wyoming
What I find to be interesting is that our meetings have many of the same beneficial effects that industry clusters do….that is we are starting to learn from each other, share best practices (Littleton gets as much as it gives any more in these meetings) and bounce ideas off each other.
Idaho Business
- Angel investors and entrepreneurs to gather in Utah
Ten prescreened and coached entrepreneurs will be able to pitch to 10 small groups of investors.
Washington State Business
- Tax break urged for 'angel investors'. Task force endorses tax benefits for people who put money into Idaho tech, bioscience start-ups
"We believe very strongly this helps increase the incentive for angel-type investors to invest in entrepreneurs," "I'll have to look at it some more, but high-tech start-up businesses really do need angel investors," Gov. Risch told the Idaho Statesman. "These are high-risk companies, and the average citizen and average institutional investors aren't going to invest in start-ups."
- Idaho advisory council pushes $50 million science and technology package for high-tech industries
Idaho officials say more high-speed Internet would help state compete for new businesses
Wyoming Business
- Venture Capital: List-en up: Here's the scoop on Web 2.0
SOMEONE ASKED ME the other day how I keep track of all the new startup companies in Seattle.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Oil-gas to hydrogen in Wyoming? Energy school planned by the University of Wyoming must be flexible enough to deal with future changes in the state’s energy industry.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who appointed industry officials as seven of the council’s nine voting members, urged the board to “think 40 years down the road.”
Incubators and R&D
- Positive Quote of the Day
“All big things in this world are done by people who are naïve and have an idea that is obviously impossible.” Dr. Frank Richards (1875-1961)
University TechTransfer
- Researchers hope high-speed network gets money it needs
Science researchers are following the progress of a proposed $3 million federal earmark that Congress may soon consider to extend a regional high-speed computing network between Boise and Richland.
- MIT's Energy "Manhattan Project"
Scientists at MIT are undertaking a big, ambitious, university-wide program to develop innovative energy tech under the auspices of the university's Energy Research Council.
Careers
- "Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer"
By attracting and enlisting the help of entrepreneurs, alumni, angel investors and venture capitalists, entrepreneurial tech transfer is an effective tool to commercialize technologies from university and federal R&D.
- University Students develop robot shopping carts that follow you around, a flying device to lift heavy objects, and other flying, walking and swimming robots
"At this university, every piece of the robot puzzle has been solved,"
Non-Profit News
- How to Answer Any Interview Question
"Most people don't realize that their purpose isn't to sit there and hope the right questions will be asked,"
Energy
- Online Courses for Grant Writing & Nonprofit Management
Many thanks to Al Jones for passing this excellent resource for non-profits.
- Charitable Incentives and Reforms Pass Congress
As many of you know, MNA has been working behind the scenes for several years to promote new charitable giving incentives and advance reasonable nonprofit reform to improve governance and curb abuses in the nonprofit sector. We are very pleased to report that several of our policy efforts including passage of the Tax Free IRA Charitable Distribution provision have finally come to fruition.
- Business Schools help students do well doing good
Doing good is no longer good enough.
Making the Most of the American Prairie
- MSU professor quietly creates one of nation's largest databases for wind turbine materials energy research
John Mandell and Dan Samborsky have built one of the nation's largest open-access databases on wind turbine materials using this lab at Montana State University.
- PG&E vows fivefold increase in solar use
``Utilities are now embracing solar as a cost-effective technology for delivering high-quality, clean energy to consumers. We're, in many cases, going to be the lowest cost option for utilities.''
- Build Green, Make Green. Buildings are something of an energy-efficiency blind spot in this country.
Companies are seeing the light on what are known as green buildings and the lower operating costs that come with them.
Connectivity & Communications
- Let the Antelope Roam
Of all the species living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of northwest Wyoming, the pronghorn is the only one native to the American West — elk, bison and even grizzly bears moved in from Asia centuries ago — but it is by no means the least exotic.
Community
- A Night at the Movies. Technorati's Hirshberg webcasts on blogging and how it fits into the global market.
He also speaks about the advances of the medium and how it has helped to shape not only the internet, but society today in everyday life.
- Back from Scoble’s OffTheGrid Camp in Montana
A very interesting and smart group of people discussed all matter of topics...
- Nationwide 4G Wireless Broadband Initiative Announced
Sprint Nextel Corp. yesterday announced plans to develop and deploy a fourth generation (4G) nationwide broadband mobile network.
- Portland's 'Vision Vessel' An unorthodox project encourages the residents of Portland to participate in the shaping of their city.
he Vision Vessel, though, is designed to rocket democratic discourse into the podcasting age by fusing racy design and dirt-cheap technology.
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