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| MATR Newsletter - Tue May 25, 2010 |
"There's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow lines and dead armadillos." Jim Hightower
What do you think about Montana's entrepreneurial climate? "Montana, Oklahoma Outdo Usual Suspects In Entrepreneur Study " http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- "Ohio's economic development plan "The Ohio Third Frontier" is a model for other states." http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Everlog™ Systems
Glacier Raft and Outdoor Center
- A New Approach to Log Homes - Hoyt Homes and EverLog Systems team up in Montana’s Nine Mile Valley to create a contemporary home with a traditional Montana look
“As an owner of a log home I know how much upkeep they are. This totally takes the upkeep out of the picture.” Wade Hoyt
Idaho National Laboratory
- Guest opinion: Montana’s peace park born amid rancor and protest
During the yearlong celebration of Glacier National Park’s centennial, it might serve us well to recall the tortured legislative beginnings of that soaring, sparkling place.
- Glacier Raft Co. May 2010 Newsletter
May and June are high water, high volume months with cold water, but incredible whitewater. Trips depart daily so check out our Adventure Trips
"Montana's Race To The Top - The State with the Best Education Wins!"
- New U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory invention could aid Mars probes' search for life
The INL team has come up with an efficient new way to generate complex electric fields, which will make it easier to direct ions, or charged particles, along specified paths.
The Best Place Project - Missoula, Montana's Five-Year Economic Development Strategy
- The SEED School
SEED Featured in Waiting for Superman, Award-Winning Documentary Film about Education Reform
- Education Reform is the New Game in Town
It seems we can't do anything in this country without making it a contest. So it's appropriate this spring, as we've slogged through March Madness and the Final Four, and suffered through The Biggest Loser, Top Chef and American Idol, that we complete our first round of Race to the Top.
Highway 12 Ventures
- "The Best Place Project" - Reports in hand, now the hard work begins with economic development in Missoula
“We need to get the right players at the table – the No. 1 employers – and we need to have other people step up and involve themselves in the process of making Missoula more prosperous and economically healthy.” Jeff Fee
- Santa Fe-ing of the World - The answer is face-to-face contact
“In the 21st century, is there any future for cities of any kind?”
TechRanch
- Reflections On One Year Of Blogging - Highway 12 Ventures
Based upon the continued increase in our subscriber base and web traffic, it’s been very gratifying that folks find it worthwhile to spend a few minutes of their time reading and commenting on our thoughts on entrepreneurism in the Intermountain West.
Visit Montana
- I kid you not
This has got to be the funniest thing I have read in a business plan.
Come Home Montana
- The Montana Brewery Trail website
Montanans take their beer seriously, and in recent years, this passion has resulted in a crop of outstanding craft breweries.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- 23 Montana Nonprofit Jobs Online Now! Are You eCruiting Yet? Montana Nonprofite Association Career Center has registered 100 new Job Seekers
Find the best candidates faster with the MNA Online Career Center!
- Montana Career Opportunities - Multiple Positions - Montana Bioscience, Bozeman
BioScience Laboratories offers industry-leading expertise coupled with genuine care and concern to fulfill our clients’ needs.
Missoula Public Schools Excellence
- Can Public-Funded Entrepreneurship Work? A Q&A With the Author of Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The public sector, especially the U.S. Department of Defense, played a crucial role in accelerating the early growth of Silicon Valley.
- Montana, Oklahoma Outdo Usual Suspects In Entrepreneur Study
Try finding a venture capital firm in Montana - it’s like trying to find a needle in Yellowstone National Park.
Montana Biotech
- Missoula County Public Schools to experiment with The Montana Digital Academy online courses
MCPS is the first school district in the state to move toward the "21st century schools" concept, which will radically alter not just the structure of the school day, but the structure of classrooms and teaching concepts from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Montana Business
- Montana's Sen. Baucus champions $1b in biomedical tax credits
Companies working on projects that have "significant potential" to produce new drugs, find a cure for cancer, or address unmet medical needs can apply for up to a $5-million share of the funds.
- BioScience Labs in Bozeman, Montana seeks research participants
The average pay for participants is $25 per hour; studies can pay up to $500 total.
- Biotech’s $1 Billion Tax Credits Are Up for Grabs! OK, Now Everybody Relax
In contrast to rumors that have been floating around, the program is not set up on a “first come, first served” basis.
Montana Economic Development
- Bozeman, Montana sees hopeful signs, but thousands still jobless
After the bleak winter of the Great Recession, Bozeman appears to be in the early spring of a recovery.
- Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today hailed a $1.8 million grant to help workers associated with the wood products industry hit by the economic downturn.
“This grant will be a lasting opportunity for Montanans to get the help they need to find good paying jobs here at home,” said Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. “The closure of the Smurfit-Stone mill and layoffs at other mills were devastating for Montana, and you can bet I’ll keep working to ensure folks in our state are on the path toward economic recovery and growth.”
Regional Economic Development
- Economists say tourism could help put Missoula in the black
"People in this country are migrating, and they're overwhelmingly migrating to places which have a good quality of life, which have amenities,"
Bill Payne
- It's the Jobs, Stupid: Infrastructure Matters
What good is it to stimulate business if they don’t have the tools they need to work with?
- Ohio's economic development plan "The Ohio Third Frontier" is a model for other states.
Citizens and leaders need to think bigger about job creation in the Innovation Economy, as the leaders in the Buckeye State have done.
- A Plan for Rural's Future Takes Shape
Emphasis on a stronger economy was evident in the topic areas for regional planning and implementation posted at the Madison meeting: “small business and entrepreneurship”; “energy”; “broadband”; and “local foods and tourism.” There is no doubt that these areas are high priorities for the north-central region. Surprisingly, however, education was not on the priority list, nor were environmental issues.
Business Plan Forums
- What do Angels Look for in Fundable Deals – Part II
So what are the additional features that can make or break an entrepreneur’s business plan?
Careers
- The second Idaho Startup Weekend aims to help entrepreneurs come up with a winning business plan
Founded in 2007 by Andrew Hyde, Startup Weekend has already been successful in more than 53 cities and 12 countries, McGrath said. More than 168 companies have come out of Startup Weekends across the globe and at least a half-million dollars has been invested in these companies. Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/05/23/1203348/could-one-of-these-ideas-be-the.html#ixzz0olYkKIka
- Entrants turn to clean-tech for Wisconsin business contest
5 of 25 finalists are in this hot new sector
Funding and Building your Business
- Graduates’ First Job: Marketing Themselves
You can’t be casual about your job search, she said, and your résumé, cover letter and interviewing skills must be top notch.
Incubators and R&D
- 6 Ways To Use Video As A Small Business Owner
Google Gives Away Video Software to Lure Developers
- BoomStartup picks 10 companies to receive $15K in seed capital
BoomStartup will be giving each of the companies up to $15,000 in seed capital, free office space, legal and other professional services -- as well as a crash course taught by a group of successful entrepreneurs.
- The modern business plan
If I want the real truth about a business and where it's going, I'd rather see something else.
- How are Angels Different Than Venture Capitalists?
VCs, because they have a fiduciary duty to maximize returns, typically demand board positions and veto rights to exert greater control over a company's direction. Angels, on the other hand, are more likely to play an advisory or mentoring role to a company's founder or principals.
- Klout Puts Metrics Into Social Media Management
I really like klout.com for three good reasons:
- How to Hire for Cultural Fit
It’s not what you know, but how you fit in the culture that results in accelerated performance.
- Tony Blair to Join Venture Capital Firm, Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures, which Mr. Khosla founded in 2004 after leaving the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is currently investing $1.1 billion in clean technology and information technology companies.
Montana Education Excellence
- Y Combinator Raises Over $8M to Expand Incubator Membership
The incubator is accepting late applications to assure the best companies are accepted.
- Idaho State University wins $2.5 million in Department of Energy grants
The grants come from the DOE’s Nuclear Energy University Program, aimed at advancing nuclear education and developing nuclear technologies.
Regional Business
- Montana State University seeks OK to run two-year college
MSU will ask the Montana Board of Regents, meeting Thursday and Friday in Havre, to transfer administrative responsibility of the classes from the two-year MSU-Great Falls College of Technology to the four-year Bozeman campus.
- University of Montana Event Celebrates New High-Speed Network
The University of Montana will celebrate the completion of a robust research network across northern states between Seattle and Chicago on Thursday, June 3.
- MSU students, graduates collaborate on ecosmart house in Bozeman
"Students who work on this project will graduate with the ability to work collaboratively, to work on teams, which is the way the real world works," said Terry Beaubois, director of MSU's Creative Research Lab, which is coordinating the MSU element of the project. "It is just a tremendous advantage."
Developing an Angel Network in Montana
- Warburg Pincus Private Equity X. L.P. invests $139 million in Sterling Financial Corp.
Warburg Pincus Private Equity X. L.P. http://www.warburgpincus.com/ would own 20.5 percent of Sterling if the company successfully completes its $720 million plan to raise enough capital to satisfy regulator requirements.
Idaho Business
- Hungry for cash, start-ups seek better angels for their ventures
Some look to Silicon Valley with a bit of envy; out West, an emerging crop of “super angels’’ pride themselves on making 10 or more investments a year. While most fail, a single Google or PayPal can wipe away the bad bets.
Oregon Economic Development
- Idaho uranium enrichment plant wins $2 billion loan guarantee
AREVA officials say the project would create 400 permanent jobs near Idaho Falls, create another 1,000 construction jobs and result in the creation of up to 5,000 jobs in related services.
- Idaho launches new website - Justmaketheshift.com invites businesses from neighboring states to think about expanding or relocating
In response to Oregon and Washington raising taxes on their businesses and as part of Governor Butch Otter's Project 60 initiative, Idaho has launched an aggressive campaign to lure companies from states that have chosen to raise taxes on business.
- The second Idaho Startup Weekend aims to help entrepreneurs come up with a winning business plan - Social networking buying venture, GoFi.sh wins
GoFi.sh http://twitter.com/gofishapp describes itself as a buyer-driven game to get the best deals and advice on products and services using existing social networks.
Government
- Behind-the-scenes work in Oregon on brink of landing $200 million Solexant Corp. solar plant
The San Jose, Calif., company is pioneering a new "thin film" technology designed to drive down costs of solar cells and panels. It's applying for state loans and subsidies to help build the plant, likely near Wilsonville or Gresham.
Energy and Climate Change
- Western Governors Association Chair Gov. Brian Schweitzer invites you to attend the 2010 WGA Annual Meeting, 6/27-29, Whitefish, Montana - 100 Years of Common Ground
The Western Governors' Association is recognizing "100 Years of Common Ground" during this year's Annual Meeting on June 27-29 in Whitefish, Montana. Western governors gathered as a group in 1910 to consider how best to manage the region's natural resources. A century later, Western governors continue to work collaboratively to find common ground on diverse issues.
- Why Don't Entrepreneurs Run For Office?
Here are a few reasons I think entrepreneurs aren’t interested in running for office, but I’d like to hear your feedback.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Marin County presents possible model for beefing up clean energy in Boulder
It took eight years of tough political battles, but California's Marin County finally flipped the switch on its own energy authority two weeks ago, providing customers with electricity that's largely generated from renewable sources.
- What's so smart about a smart meter?
Why are utilities across the country and around the world racing to install them? And what benefits are there for consumers?
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- The 7 Keynote MBA: How to Save 2 Years and $100,000
7 extraordinary moments with 7 true visionaries…right here, right now…
GIS Technology
- Darpa’s Self-Learning Software Knows Who You Are
The idea, ultimately, is to develop code that can teach itself to spot objects in a picture, actions in a video, or voices in a crowd.
Government Technology
- GPS is getting an $8-billion upgrade
Improvements, including the replacement of satellites, aim to make the system more reliable, more widespread and much more accurate.
- Solving Urban Challenges With Open Data
The open data movement has made a strong case for cities to make their municipal data freely available to the public.
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