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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Nov 4, 2008 |
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams
Hope you've made plans to attend this event tomorrow: "One Day Entrepreneurial Bootcamp, 11/5, Bozeman, Montana" http://matr.net/events ... =2474
The Horizons Project
Idaho National Laboratory
- The Horizons Project Montana Community Blogs - Big Timber
The Horizon Community Development Group has had several meetings concerning the issue of how to keep needed services open in Big Timber and getting these entities together under one organization.
Montana World Trade Center
- Idaho National Laboratory technology wins 2008 Idaho Innovations Award
One Idaho National Laboratory technology won top honors and a second was a finalist at the third annual Stoel Rives Idaho Innovations Awards on Oct. 29.
City Club Missoula
- Montana World Trade Center Oct. 29, 2008 Newsletter
Based off extremely positive feedback from Dale Tasharski, Deputy Senior Commercial Counselor in India, MWTC will lead a trade mission to India January 12-16, 2009.
The Burton K. Wheeler Center
- City Club Missoula "Environmental Sustainability From An Institutional Perspective", 11/17, Missoula
How do we green up our institutions while we maintain the same levels of service to our customers?
Vision Net
- The Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy: What's down the road for Montana transportation?
Montana is transportation-dependent in a way that few states are. It is far from major cities and market centers, and even within the state distances from one town to the next are great. The recent run-up in the price of fuel makes the situation more difficult, and more expensive, for consumers, producers, and shippers.
Come Home Montana
- Vision Net video conferencing brings people face to face in Montana and the world
"Video conferencing is cost-effective, and people want face-to-face applications for a variety of reasons," Rob Ferris, CEO Vision Net
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Great Falls, Montana ready to grow
Montana was recently announced to be one of the top three states with their growing economies and because of that more people and companies will be looking to move to Montana and Great Falls." Steve Malicott, new president and CEO of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
- Whitefish company builds Web products for giants — ZaneRay Group brings new money into the Flathead economy from far afield
Once a year or so, Gregerson used to visit the Flathead for a quiet bit of fishing. The rest of his time was spent in Southern California, doing corporate computing back to front - inventory, warehousing, Web sales, production systems - "I was doing it all." He was in-between Montana trips, parked at his California desk, when he spotted an ad for work up this way. Seems an outfit named Egghead was looking for a programmer. He knew they were working on a shoestring, "but I didn't care. I knew the fishing was worth it." So he packed up, moved north, and within a year was unemployed, Egghead in the tank.
Montana Business
- Smaller Cities Better For Small Business
"The large urban centres have had the luxury for a long time of cranking up the taxes on their business cores, but as they have enlarged, the [smaller centres] are much more business-friendly."
Montana Economic Development
- Cash starts to roll in for Conrad, Montana based Intercontinental Truck Body with Air Force deal
The company, which operates in a plant 13 miles east of Conrad, won a $29 million, five-year Air Force contract in 2005 to make the tractors, designed to position military planes the size of an F-15 and smaller around air bases.
- D.A. Davidson & Co. Puts New Twist on Student Investment Program, Partners with the Motley Fool
"Our partnership with The Motley Fool will make the program more engaging and rewarding for the students involved by providing a fun, online forum so students can share their picks and research and watch how other teams are doing."
- Irish wind firm, Gaelectric has big plans for Montana
An Irish wind power company with offices in Great Falls has outlined a new technology that could make wind energy more marketable: "compressed air" power plants.
- Western Montana InBusiness Monthly - Made in Montana graces products never dreamed of when program began
The state of Montana has been promoting its wares since 1916, when the Associated Made in Montana Advertisers was founded. Today, the Made in Montana program resides in the state Department of Commerce and is widely recognized by its little blue stickers: Made in Montana and Grown in Montana.
Regional Economic Development
- Townsend, Montana takes another step toward boosting its local economy, becoming an affiliate member of the Montana Main Street Program
“(Main Street) is the gathering place for the community and it instills community pride.
- Special Event Grants Available from the Montana Department of Commerce
“In revising the program, we recognized the need to not only assist new emerging events but provide the opportunity for our communities to enhance their ‘hallmark’ events that have become important economic drivers in their communities,” said Anthony Preite, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce.
- Health Corps brings new doctors to Butte, Montana
The corps attempts to recruit primary care physicians into underserved areas. For each year a student uses a NHSC full-ride scholarship to medical school, they agree to work for a year in a place where doctors are in demand.
- Montana's Main Streets draw tourists, drive economy
Tourism in Montana is a $3 billion industry that is comprised of a multitude of small businesses. We are Main Street.
Careers
- Why America Needs an Economic Strategy
What is the fundamental competitive position of the U.S. in the global economy? And what must we do to remain strong when other nations are making rapid progress?
- Rural Connections - Western Researchers Explore Possibilities for Renewable Energy Could the West lead the nation?
In this issue of Rural Connections we highlight efforts by researchers in the West who are working to develop and improve the efficiency of a variety of renewable energy sources.
- SBA-Backed Loans Dry Up at Crucial Time for Businesses
Lenders Cite Toughened Standards and Declining Creditworthiness of Borrowers as Some Critics Blame Government Inaction
Funding and Building your Business
- Job-hunting resources for retirees
There are many resources for those looking for new careers.
- The retiree work force
Bad economy puts seniors back to work — or keeps them there
Incubators and R&D
- CEOs Rank Talent Management Challenges Higher Than Financial Objectives
"We no longer have a bottomless pool of talent to do the work that is needed. Even highly successful businesses are scrambling to tap this limited pool and are adapting the business and workplace to address a new normal."
- Mark your calendars for the 26th annual Venture Capital in the Rockies. March 3 - 5, 2009 Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Beaver Creek, Colorado
Know of a hot company in the region?
- 8 Bonehead Ways to Blow a Presentation
Sales presentations are hard to do well but easy to screw up. Here are eight sure-fire ways to ensure that your sales presentations fall flat:
Regional Business
- Montana State University-led team finds new type of fuel in Patagonia fungus
"These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel," Strobel said. "This is a major discovery."
Idaho Business
- Recession Nation: 49 States at Risk
In March, Five States Were in Recession; Now There Are 30, With 19 More at Risk
Wyoming Business
- Idaho computer maker, MPC Corp. in 'critical condition'
MPC Corp., a southwestern Idaho computer maker, can guarantee no job security for employees unless it can stabilize finances, a spokesman said.
- Lauding a true economic gem. You might be surprised to see who's king of North Idaho's economic development realm.
The winner is:
- Idahoans flock to Ore. border town
The difference? Idaho shoppers. They flock to Ontario because Idaho imposes a 6 percent sales tax while Oregon has none.
- Idaho workers responding to Internet ads cheated out of wages
At least two dozen Idaho workers who responded to Internet job advertisements from companies distributing promotional material door to door have been cheated out of wages over the past six months.
Education
- Cheyenne, Wyoming of Two Minds About Denver-Like Growth
Now the Denver area’s relentless growth, with its phalanx of satellite cities and suburbs that march north toward Wyoming, are grabbing Cheyenne by the lapels.
Energy
- Incentives Can Make Or Break Students. Ethical Issues Come With Gains on Tests
Desperate for ways to ratchet up test scores and close the achievement gap separating white and minority students, school officials from Tucson to Boston are paying kids who put up good numbers.
- Changing the Game: The Federal Role in Supporting 21st Century Educational Innovation
A robust new federal Office of Educational Entrepreneurship and Innovation within the Department of Education would expand the boundaries of public education by scaling up successful educational entrepreneurs, seeding transformative educational innovations, and building a stronger culture to support these activities throughout the public sector.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Fuel of the future?: Scientists work to make pond scum a viable energy source
"I'm convinced algae will work, but it'll take a different, out-of-the-box approach," said Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla, delivering the keynote address at the Algae Biomass Summit in Seattle last month.
Government Technology
- Arista hopes to be next big thing in 'cloud computing'
Contemporary valley lore features the tale of how, in 1998, Cheriton introduced Bechtolsheim to his students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Bechtolsheim later provided their first seed investment — a $100,000 check written out to "Google" even before the start-up had a bank account. (That investment would later be estimated to be worth $1.5 billion.)
Non-Profit News
- Second Life Hosts Web 2.0 Government Discussion Group - MuniGov 2.0
MuniGov 2.0 is about six weeks old, and in that time Greeves said 100 members have signed up from 61 organizations - mostly city and county governments - in 20 states and three countries. It's growing so quickly that Greeves said he's looking for more volunteers to help manage the group.
Transportation
- Private donors lending Glacier a hand
“We want people to have a great experience when they visit Glacier,” said GNPF executive director Jane Ratzlaff. “If the government can't provide that experience with the limited money Congress makes available, then we have to step up.”
- Signing of Complete Streets bill promises safer conditions for all
"Last month Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1358, the Complete Streets Act, making California the first state in the nation to ensure that all local streets and roads accommodate the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders, as well as motorists.
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