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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Feb 21, 2006 |
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." -- Alice Kahn
"Montana Gov. Schweitzer blasts professors over business climate findings ~ right-to-work and at-will employment. What do you think?" http://www.matr.net/article-18243.html
Montana Ambassadors
Montana Meth Project
- John Connors, former CFO of Microsoft on Making Montana global at annual Montana Ambassadors meeting
“Why doesn’t Montana set a goal to have the single best schools in the United States, period?” he asked. “People can’t move here unless they think there are good schools.”
MEDA Entrepreneur Working Group
- Burns plans to spread Montana Meth project nationwide - "Not Even Once"
Sen. Conrad Burns introduced a bill Thursday that would take the Montana Meth Project's advertising and prevention campaign nationwide.
- Montana Meth Project
I speak for every parent of every teenager in Montana – I have three. Thank you. Thank you for believing in Montana. Thank you for understanding that every single family, every community is under attack by methamphetamine. The Montana Meth Project is making a difference. -Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana
- Drug Traffickers Find Haven in Shadows of Indian Country
At the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Mont., methamphetamine addiction is rampant among the 10,000 members of the tribe, unemployment reaches 85 percent in the winter and drug-related violence is widespread.
Education
- DECA helps Wyoming students perpare for state competition
"DECA is a precursor to how to expand the business world and how to be able to survive in the business world," he said. "(Helping these kids) is like watching a flower bloom. All of a sudden it starts clicking for them."
- Business Leaders Launch Online Survey on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Enterprise Development.
The business leaders have formed a volunteer think tank to research and develop strategies for fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in Western Kentucky.
Montana Business
- Tech crazy kids learn new skills
Tech Kids coordinator and AmeriCorp Service Member Mara Baldwin said it “bridges the digital divide.”
- Idaho Senate kills math, science incentive. Some fear divisive impact of unequal pay for teachers
"I spent 35 years in the classroom and I never knew what any of my colleagues made, and I really didn't care," Lodge said. She said it's clear Idaho needs to do more to compete for math and science training with other states and other countries. "We have to get ahead of the curve."
- Meridian, Idaho grads may get chance to study at foreign schools. District looks at international baccalaureate plan
"The program is intended for students who would like a more global education," said Jan Horning, Meridian assistant superintendent of academics.
- Montana school counselor, Ginger Old Crane to spread message of hope
Old Crane was chosen from some 2,000 nominees. Recognizing that her work on the reservation is unique, she will be submitting a paper, "Counseling Methods in Crow Country."
- Montana State University-Billings College of Technology adding career program. Montana Career Clusters
Over the next few months, the college will be developing a career-cluster program in health care. The college will gather information about health-related jobs, training needed to get those jobs and what students need to do to get that training.
- Playing games in school. Using videos helps students love to learn their lessons
Video games, once criticized as a waste of time for kids, are becoming increasingly popular among teachers in such subject areas as physical education, social studies and history. n her survey of 524 fifth- through eighth-graders in Michigan and California, Heeter found that only 7 percent of girls and 3 percent of boys do not play video games on a regular basis.
- Doing What Counts. Design Principles for a Study on Teacher Incentives
The most significant factor affecting students’ learning in the classroom is the quality of their teachers.
- MAPS: Small-town kids learn big-screen skills. Media Arts in Public Schools
“The governor is very keen on bringing the film business back to Montana,” he says. “But from a practical perspective, it’s going to be very difficult to get film producers into Montana unless you have a workforce.”
- UK, US disadvantaged as world learns English. "Habla Espanol?"
Monolingual English graduates "face a bleak economic future" as multilingual competitors flood into the workforce from all corners of the globe.
Montana Economic Development
- GlaxoSmithKline to close former Corixa Seattle office
Multiple employees confirmed they were told by Glaxo officials of the closure, but could not comment further on the move or how it would impact the Hamilton facility.
- Bozeman confectionery, Béquet Gourmet up for award
"There's something about 'Gallo family award-winning' that would be very valuable to us," Béquet said. "They're a very big name in the food industry."
- 3 Rivers, Kalispell company, Auroras to offer TV service on Internet
The technology allows TV programming like that offered by cable and satellite companies to be delivered to subscribers through a broadband Internet connection. The programming can be viewed on regular TV sets.
- Dillon dietary supplement plant, NutraCea expanding
The expansion will increase the plant’s workers from 14 to 20
- Quantix (Hamilton, Montana) Wins American Advertising Federation Silver ADDY Award
”The investment in our new name and brand image is the first step towards making Quantix one of the strongest admissions/ticketing systems brands worldwide, both with regard to brand awareness and product superiority.
- Workers in short supply in Great Falls
Competition for good workers is nothing new in Montana's economic hot spots — Bozeman, Missoula and the Flathead.
Montana Biotech
- Great Falls boosters say state let company, 100 jobs slip away
the state "essentially has run out of its two-year allocation of $2.6 million in workforce development training money within seven months," he said, and couldn't match the bigger incentives offered by other states.
- Babb sets retreat to develop 5-year plan to make Butte the most livable city in the state.
“This is not a pie-in-the-sky exercise,” Babb said, adding that now is the perfect time for the retreat since work is soon to begin on next year’s county budget. “If we set priorities, we must make sure the funding is there to make them happen. We can’t set goals and objectives that aren’t funded.” Once the plan is done, Babb said he will present it to commissioners.
- Thumbnail sketches of revenue picture in neighboring states
Yes, Montana’s state budget picture is looking good. But we’re not alone in that regard.
- Montana tribes awarded economic development funds. More funding available
The 59th Montana Legislature made funds available to support tribal business development projects, work-force training projects, entrepreneurial training, feasibility studies and other types of economic development projects. The program offers $400,000 annually.
- Montana Gov. Schweitzer blasts professors over business climate findings ~ right-to-work and at-will employment. Several Respond
“We've got the fastest growing economy in America, the fastest three years in (state) history and the whole world is coming to an end,” Schweitzer said in an interview. “We're doing everything wrong.”
- Grooming millionaires. Finding new business ideas involves a team of problem hunters that interviews industry leaders to discover what they need.
"If you ask what the problem is and then you come up with a solution reacting to that problem, you have a customer automatically."
Funding and Building your Business
- Non-profit aids Arizona bioscience. Bolstering research, attracting firms are goals
Science Foundation Arizona is being created to attract private and public funding for biotech and biosciences, distribute the funds to key research efforts and lure new companies.
Global Telework
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Going out on your own doesn't have to mean going it alone
This year about 1 million individuals will start a new business. Like you, they want creative control over their work without having to answer to someone else.
- Working with a spouse is very risky business
Certainly, American marriages don't need any more help falling apart.
- Fund Earmarks $50 Million for Small Businesses
CRAFund Advisors is focusing on minority entrepreneurs and communities damaged by natural disasters.
- More Ways to Get Funded Than Most Entrepreneurs Know
According to the Global Entrepreneurship Report, less than 1/10th of one percent of entrepreneurs start their businesses with funding from formal investors, i.e., angel investors and venture capitalists.
- 7 Secrets to Startup Success
Silicon Valley attorney Sam Angus discusses the biggest legal problems that startups face and ways to avoid them.
- Clean Credit It's time to give your credit report its annual checkup.
Now it's easier than ever to get the facts.
- The Weekend Entrepreneur. These weekend warriors launched successful businesses in their spare time. Find out how you can put your free hours to work, too.
Meet three entrepreneurs who used their off hours to launch and grow successful businesses--and get some tips on the dos and don'ts of starting a weekend business of your own.
- Redefining Project Completion
A project is not complete until it is working for you, rather than you working for it.
- Entrepreneurship heralds a return of the roaring 20s
"Twentysomethings have their pulse on the sweet spot of the Internet, much better than others,"
- The Name Game “How they named companies” by Guy Kawasaki
#1. Begin with letters early in the alphabet.
Regional Economic Development
- Does Distributed Development Work?
Do you believe we're entering the era of the "flat enterprise," where headquarter complexes will ultimately be replaced by webs of smaller branch offices? Or do you think the growth in branch offices is merely supplementing that in headquarters?
Utah Economic Development
- Farmer Entrepreneurship: Problems and Prospects of Growing a Business on the Farm
Entrepreneurship has become a critical component in local efforts to preserve family farms.
- 2006 HEALTHCARE COST QUOTIENT™: Healthcare Costs for Business Vary From State to State. Montana Ranks 42nd, Idaho 47th and Wyoming 48th
"Aside from our pension costs, our healthcare costs are probably the second-most significant employee-related cost that we have,"
- Oversize homes wear out welcome in the West. Here kitty, kitty, kitty...
“It's a question of growth management,” says Cindy Houben, head of community development for Pitkin County, which includes Aspen. Supersize homes, she says, require supersize staffs — everyone from maids to pool cleaners — and the county has too little affordable housing and too much traffic.
Government Technology
- Utah gets a peek at business incentives. Economic development: The process of luring businesses to the state is still far from open
The Salt Lake Tribune has filed open-records requests for details about the millions of dollars secretly offered to companies in the past year or so.
- Top Utah industry groups, The Utah Information Technology Association and the Utah Life Science Association plan to merge.
"By broadening our scope to become a full technology council, I'm confident we will become an even stronger advocate for creating many new high-paying tech jobs in Utah. We want to broaden the technology umbrella and better serve both of these extremely important technology sectors."
Idaho Business
- IT and Business Alignment
"Public sector CIOs believe they have made progress in their standing in the organization," said McDonald. IS is taken seriously, and the business relationship is positive. However, only 44 percent of those surveyed feel that IS services meet business expectations -- an "F" grade.
Washington State Business
- Idaho Governor celebrates Jayco's first anniversary in the Magic Valley
Starting with only 35 employees and one assembly line, the factory now employs 160 Magic Valley residents and produces an average eight to 10 trailers per day on its two assembly lines.
Wyoming Business
- Tacoma rescues a business lost in cyberspace. How can your community foster "Economic Gardening"?
Rather than devote energy and money to wooing a megacorporation to Tacoma, why not find local entrepreneurs who already have planted the seed of something potentially big and help it grow?
Government
- Wyoming Legislature considers tax breaks for coal gasification and liquefaction plants
No such plants have been built in Wyoming, but the state is competing with Montana and other states in the effort to lure some here.
Other Economies
- Montana Investment board reorganizing in wake of losses
"The Board of Investments, from this point forward, is going to have a spotlight shining on it like it never has before," South told board members. "The time has come when we simply need to do better."
Universities and Economic Development
- State caught in game of catch-up for skilled workers
"Economic development can't occur without a skilled labor force,"
Careers
- Ideas go from University labs to market - no bull. State univerisities team up to showcase economic development
Utah is one legislature that understands the economic development role that universities play. In many more states, legislators have difficulty with the concept.
Non-Profit News
- Interview Tip: First Impressions Now Take Shape at Warp Speed
According to a new study by researchers at Carleton University in Ottawa, people are registering likes and dislikes in as little as 1/20th of a second.
Energy
- Not your average non-profit. Student Assistant Foundation
“Our entire business model is built on a premise of finding capital outside the state of Montana to benefit Montanans,” Stipcich said. “We want to generate funds to be able to provide more scholarships and more benefits that go far beyond our wages and contracts with local vendors.”
Hydrogen News
- BP and Edison Mission Group Plan Major Hydrogen Power Project for California
The first-of-its-kind plant would be capable of producing 500 megawatts (MW) of low-carbon generation, enough power to serve 325,000 Southern California homes.
Connectivity & Communications
- Nanotubes Hold Hydrogen Future
"The carbon nanotubes offer safe storage because the hydrogen atoms are bonded to other atoms, rather than freely floating as a potentially explosive gas.
City Club Missoula
- Skype's online phone calls may give wiretappers fits
That apparently makes them impossible to snoop on, though the company leaves the issue somewhat open to question.
- Texas Gov. Perry Announces High-Speed Internet Headed to Rural Texas
"By introducing competition to video and telecommunications, we are opening the door to new investments, new services and new opportunities," Perry said. "Now rural Texans will be connected to the entire world, and the nerve center of information - the Internet - in ways never experienced before."
- It's a Wi-Fi kind of town. Chicago seeks proposals for citywide Internet access
It could also be another weapon in Chicago's battle to attract and retain businesses.
- Governor, Legislative Leaders Announce Landmark Internet Initiative for Smaller Communities
"The Texas Legislature is showing the rest of the country how good policy can expand access to new technologies more quickly."
- Gates: End to passwords in sight
Now, with Windows Vista, Gates feels he finally has the right weapons to supplant the password as a means of verifying who is who on computers and over the Internet.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- UM professor, Clem Work discusses lack of free speech during WWI at City Club Missoula. March Event will be on Electric Power Distribution
The sloganizing, demonization of the enemy, the public rhetoric and general atmosphere of fear and hysteria after the attacks recalled the days in Montana that incited a mob in Lewistown to burn German textbooks in a bonfire on Main Street.
- Toy pen is poised to rewrite Internet access. New technology behind LeapFrog's innovative tool
Write the word "Buy" on the paper, and a few words about the type of arrangement, and a voice from a miniature speaker on the pen will provide information from an online store about what kind of flowers are available and any special offers.
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