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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Jul 21, 2015 |
Why Montana is a great place to do business - "From humble beginnings, we began competing in the $91 billion global market of eLearning. In this fast growing and intensely competitive market, our small company at the base of Bozeman’s trail system has grown 100 percent per year and we are routinely winning contracts over larger $1 billion tech competitors. My team is living proof that tech innovation can be different and better because of its rural roots, not in spite of them." - http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Montana Team at Sunburst Sensors Takes Home Both Top Prizes and $1.5 Million In $2 Million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html -- Senator Tester hails $30 million for Triangle Telephone to improve broadband in central Montana http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
2014 Montana Politics & 2015 Legislature
Montana Data Focused Business Cluster
- Montana Chamber of Commerce releases legislative "score card"
"As always, we don't get everything that we want for business and the economy but we felt it was a good session overall." Webb Brown, the Chamber's CEO
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- United Airlines awards 'bug bounty': Is it getting cybersecurity savvy?
Is the company's adoption of a scheme tech companies have been using for years a sign it's catching up with the times?
Come Home Montana
- Rolling forward: Riding the Hiawatha on handcycles
For the past four years, Community Medical Center has brought members of its spinal cord injury support group to ride the trail, which is located along the Montana-Idaho border near Lookout Pass Ski Area.
- Protecting One of Glacier National Park's Greatest Resources
If anyone needs proof that protecting Glacier National Park's dark sky is a worthy cause, all they have to do is look at John Ashley's photos.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Software Developer/Programmer - Montana Department of Labor and Industry
We are looking for someone who is self-motivated, communicates effectively and professionally, and is able to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Montana Career Opportunities - General Manager/CEO, Marketing Supervisor, Mobile Sales Specialist, RF Optimization Engineer - Triangle Communications
Triangle Communications and Hill County Electric employees fill diverse roles, ranging from information technology, telecommunications, electrical, marketing and customer service, engineering and operations, construction, sales, administration and computer aided drafting, to name a few.
Montana Business
- 10 Reasons For Joining The New Startup Wave Now
I believe the days of the "job work" mentality are thankfully waning, with more people looking to get satisfaction by making the world a better place, rather than just tolerating brain-numbing work to fund enjoyment elsewhere.
Montana Economic Development
- The Aging Revolution
As baby boomers stress an already challenged long-term care system, a collection of Missoula caregivers look for new and radical ways to change how we think of older people.
- Why Montana is a great place to do business
In this fast growing and intensely competitive market, our small company at the base of Bozeman's trail system has grown 100 percent per year and we are routinely winning contracts over larger $1 billion tech competitors. My team is living proof that tech innovation can be different and better because of its rural roots, not in spite of them.
- Glacier Sotheby's International Realty's vacation rental business on the rise in Northwest Montana
Glacier Sotheby's International Realty's http://www.glaciersir.com/ Managing Broker Jay Wolfe says that Vacation Rentals by Owners is a place where owners and investors can rent properties - which is a new method that's growing in Northwest Montana.
- Bozeman-based investment firm Next Frontier Capital invests in Bozeman pharmacy startup SiteOne Therapeutics
The investment firm was established to promote growth in Montana, specifically in Bozeman's high-tech industries. It closed its first $20 million fund, intended to provide funding for technology entrepreneurs, in late May.
- Missoula Workforce & Business Growth Survey 2015 - Please Participate
Please help us gather information about business growth and job creation in the Missoula area by answering 3 brief questions about your company.
- Montana's manufacturing employment grows faster than national manufacturing employment
There are now 3,262 manufacturing companies in Montana.
- The YC Fellowship is an experiment to help more people start startups using Montana's Submittable for submissions
Pretty excited to see them using software made in #Montana for the application process. Submittable! https://www.facebook.com/submishmash
- Montana Team at Sunburst Sensors Takes Home Both Top Prizes and $1.5 Million In $2 Million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE
Especially impressive because they come from Montana! They had to import ocean water!
Careers
- Senator Tester hosts 15th Small Business Opportunity Workshop for Montana entrepreneurs
Montanans learn from experts how to take their business to the next level
- Senator Tester hosts 15th small business workshop in Missoula
"This one's about start-ups and how we can move them to the next level, really be all they can be," explained Tester.
Next Generation Broadband in Montana
- Top sales jobs: One Bay Area firm's median is $211K
Corporate and account sales workers earn an industry average of $80,000 per year, according to a recent report from Glassdoor, but some Bay Area companies are paying much more than that.
Government
- A Roadmap to Better Broadband
Communities face a lot of challenges in improving Internet access. The key is engaging stakeholders in a collaborative process.
Idaho Business
- Montana sees overall improvement in child well-being
Montana children are slightly better off this year than last, but still face significant educational and family challenges when compared to children in other states
Regional Business
- Boise-based global shoe company Telic brings manufacturing to Caldwell, Idaho
"You know, it's all good things," Kurek says, referring to the Telic shoe, a rubbery shoe in flip-flop, clog-style or slip-on designs. "They're a great price ... they're a recycled product, they're made in the U.S., and they're comfortable."
Workforce Development
- In Park City, auctions are newest trend in home sales
Increasingly, putting a property up for auction has become an enticing alternative for homeowners in the area looking to get their homes sold as fast as possible.
- Geeks on demand: Bringing tech support to your front door
So far, customers have been tickled by these startups -- particularly retired or older customers who use technology at home, are sometimes overwhelmed by it and have the cash to pay someone to fix it.
Education
- Coalition explores how to train workers for 21st century jobs
"There are (similar) coalitions in many parts of the country but this is the first real effort to have coalitions come together, meet and work with each other to learn best practices," said Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. "Different regions may be focused on different sectors, but learning how each is approaching their problems will help."
Montana Education Excellence
- White House Wants To Make Sure Schools Do A Much Better Job Of Preparing Future Teachers
Amid long-running concerns that it's too easy to become a teacher, the White House on Tuesday evening announced new draft regulations that could overhaul the way teacher preparation programs are held accountable for their graduates' performance.
Community
- Montana State University offers guide for students considering online program
The 16-page color guide includes features on what online classes are like, advice on how many classes to take, how to apply for admission, and tips for online student success.
- Flathead Valley Community College Students Can Now Earn A University of Montana Degree Without Leaving The Flathead
"We did a needs assessment with the business community and our students a couple years ago, of the programs that were most needed. And certainly education was one of those. So we have been working with the University of Montana to bring that completion program here."
- Welcome to the Montana State University Office of Activities and Engagement
The college experience is a lot more than just going to class. Take a look at how you can get involved with campus and the community through the Office of Activities and Engagement.
- Committees will help develop Montana's education requirements for arts, PE
"They're set up to ensure there's pretty broad representation of the public," Peter Donovan, executive director of the Board of Public Education, said.
Funding and Building your Business
- Deep in the heart of Butte: Special report - EPA resists calls to remove mine waste in the center of Butte
Below the center of Butte flows water tainted with poisons drawn from a mass of mining and smelting waste that has been a pollution problem for more than a century.
- 10 Things You Should Know about the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
While it's nearly 1.3 million acres ranks 17th in size for all reservations and is larger than the state of Rhode Island, their ancestral homeland was once over 20 million acres. The Hellgate Treaty of 1855 reduced that area to its present size.
- Meet The Generation Of Incredible Native American Women Fighting To Preserve Their Culture
Native Americans represent just one per cent of the US population and some languages have only one speaker left. Now a new generation is fighting to preserve the culture.
Energy and Climate Change
- At Zappos, Pushing Shoes and a Vision Through Holacracy
The goal of Holacracy is to create a dynamic workplace where everyone has a voice and bureaucracy doesn't stifle innovation.
- Coders Balk at Making Apps Searchable
The giants of the Web have been pressing developers of mobile apps to index their content so it can be parsed by search engines or linked to from other sites.
- Venture capital investing stays hot
This market is hot, and appears to be staying hot.
- Ready To Launch A Startup? Try This Unpopular Piece Of Advice First
Before you start moving fast and breaking everything, consider taking it slow and doing this first.
- 6 Surprising Insights Of Successful Employee Engagement
Leaders finally realize the importance of a fully engaged workforce. Now they should learn what practices drive and sustain happy employees.
- Airbnb's next biz traveler tactic
Although the program isn't public yet, Tnooz displayed a list of standards Airbnb properties are expected to meet in order to qualify as a business-ready listing.
- Checklist To Find The Startup Partner Of Your Dreams
A great example was when Eric Schmidt, with years of experience at Sun Microsystems and Novell, joined forces with Sergey Brin and Larry Page at Google. This was a win-win in business, but not a marriage.
Connectivity & Communications
- When Climate Change Becomes a Climate Catastrophe
"Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet" http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10414.html should shift our narrative on climate change.
- Does Elon Musk's Tesla Model S 'Signal the Beginning of the End for Oil?'
Elon Musk's $5 billion Tesla "Gigafactory" in Story County, Nevada isn't just going to be big, it's going to be the biggest in the world.
- California Governor Calls for Zero-Emissions Plan for Freight Industry
That will mean big changes for freight businesses in California, one of the nation's top gateways for international trade.
- Massachusetts Town Buys 1,682 Streetlights for $1 Each, Paves Way for LED Conversion
Under the plan, the town will be able to save money and turn all the streetlights on, according to town officials.
- Study finds climate change is increasing length of wildfire seasons across globe
There have been many published papers on regional wildfire behaviors, but no previous work has put weather's effect on fire in a global context over such a long period of time.
Government Technology
- Web 2.0 (and Beyond): Developing the Next Generation of Connectivity
The Internet as we know it is imperfect -- that's why the GENI ultra-high-speed test bed is helping researchers develop technologies that will allow people to do things that are usually impossible on today's network.
- Senator Tester hails $30 million for Triangle Telephone to improve broadband in central Montana
"Triangle does a great job providing reliable service to folks in central Montana. Continued investment in broadband will keep Montana small businesses connected to the global economy and ensure that families can more quickly access the information they need."
- Minnesota's Rural Broadband Development a Game Changer
For many in rural Minnesota, the information superhighway is a gravel road.
Non-Profit News
- The poor quality of government data is probably the most important emerging trend for government.
States and localities are embracing the promise of big data. But just how good is the information they're collecting in the first place?
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Red Ants Pants marks fifth year of music in Montana cow pasture - July 23-26
The festival outside White Sulphur Springs, population 939, is expected to draw between 9,000 and 12,000 people from Thursday through Saturday.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Philanthropists creating art venue in Montana near Fishtail on 11,000 acres
"The big picture is, we want to invite really good musicians and really good sculptors, folks who are really at the top of their craft," said Alban Bassuet, Tippet Rise executive director. "But folks should not be scared of us. Yes, it will be famous people, but it's going to be small audiences, intimate."
Transportation
- The Tragedy of the Commons - Psychology professor's tricky extra credit question goes viral
"The extra credit question is analogous to any public resource in the world that we would all use like food or water or land," he says. "Again, if people are mindful of their own consumption, then it's fine, but if too many people are selfish, then we have now -- like in California -- water shortages."
- 10 Wildest Google Street View Adventures
Not content to limit its ambitions to mapping the world's cities and towns, Google's Street View team has been taking some wild adventures over the years. These are our favorites.
- Tesla's New 'Ludicrous Mode' Makes the Model S a Supercar - Zero to 60 mph in 2.8 Seconds with All-Wheel Drive
Insane is now quotidian.
- This Transit Authority is a Model of Bike-Friendliness
The Utah Transit Authority wants riders to try biking rather than driving to rail and transit stations, so they are offering $60 in giveaways to people that choose not to do so. Some stations come equipped with air pumps and repair stands.
- Hankook's airless car tires should hit the market very, very soon
We are in the midst of a generational shift towards environmentally friendly vehicles, yet there are other innovations being perfected - including non-pneumatic, or airless, tires.
- Trying to Win the Public's Trust With Autonomous Cars, at 120 M.P.H.
Markus Hoffmann, an engineer at Audi, prepared himself for a high-speed run around the Sonoma Raceway here in Northern California. But instead of grabbing the steering wheel, he clutched a button he would release only if something went awry. The car, which he called Robby, was going to negotiate the two-and-a-half-mile Nascar track by itself -- at 120 miles an hour.
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