|
|
|
| MATR Newsletter - Fri Oct 9, 2015 |
MATR would appreciate your ideas on how it can be improved. http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Early Edge Montana
Montana Data Focused Business Cluster
- Does Pre-K Make Any Difference?
An early evaluation showed that, as you'd expect, youngsters who attended pre-K made substantial gains in math, language and reading. But, startlingly, the gains had evaporated by the end of kindergarten.
Montana Ambassadors
- Amazon Will Disrupt Business Intelligence, Analytics Markets
Get ready for AWS business intelligence (BI): it's real and it packs a punch!
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- All Are Invited - Northwest Montana Ambassadors Event, 10/30, Kalispell, Montana
Please come and join Montana Ambassadors to discuss the business climate in Northwest Montana and nominate businesses for the Annual Montana Ambassadors business awards.
Great Falls Development Authority
- How visitors get hooked on the "miracle drug" of the West
"We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope."
- New map offers suggestions on places to visit, things to do in SE Montana
"We really wanted to get places that are not as well-known because those other places are already highlighted," said Mark Good of the Montana Wilderness Association.
- Montana tourism headed for record-breaking year
"Across the board, we are looking at a record-breaking year, as of this point in the year compared to 2014," said communications officer Daniel Iverson, of the Office of Tourism & Business Development.
Come Home Montana
- GFDA CEO Forum: How To Niche Thyself With Greg Thayer Of Montana Milling, 10/27, Great Falls, MT
Greg Thayer, CEO of Montana Milling in Great Falls, will help us understand how strategic growth can be attained by understanding customer and market needs.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Cash Operations Supervisor - The Helena Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
The position requires overseeing cash operations and staff, providing quality service to customers, and ensuring work is completed efficiently and effectively in an advanced control environment.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Communications Specialist - The Montana Cooperative Development Center (MCDC)
The Communications Specialist will be responsible for developing and executing an integrated communications plan that effectively tells the story of MCDC's work and that of its sister trade organization, the Montana Council of Cooperatives (MCOC).
Hellgate Venture Network
- The Native American Development Corporation (NADC), North Billings, Montana Awarded $100,000 to Support Native American Small Businesses
The program emphasizes entrepreneurial education, counseling, and training resources to help these firms succeed in federal, state, and local government markets for goods and services, and also as subcontractors to government prime contractors.
- Strategies: Why the world (and your community) needs entrepreneurs
"Whether in Silicon Valley or Nigeria, women put 90% of their income back in to their community. Men put only 35-40% back in," she said. "The day women open their business they start to think about their triple bottom line (people, planet, profits)."
Montana Business
- Hellgate Venture Network Next Meeting - Rod Austin, Dotmos, 10/15, Missoula
Dotmos - A new Missoula-based web search, discovery and curation platform
Montana Economic Development
- dotmos - A new Missoula-based web search, discovery and curation platform
Interesting new platform for searching the web, showing more than a list of links.
- Missoula chemical company Rivertop Renewables takes important step toward goal of going global
"The sky's the limit," Mike Knauf, Rivertop's CEO
- Hoplite Armor, LLC - Kalispell engineer designs a new system of body armor for military and law enforcement
"The response has been overwhelming." Lyman Bishop
- West Paw Design celebrates Montana's recognition of 'benefits corporation'
On Thursday afternoon, they invited local businesses to celebrate Montana becoming the 29th state to legally recognize benefits corporations with local lawmakers and Gov. Steve Bullock. The party was packed.
TEDx Events in Montana
- Economic Development in Montana: Founded on Partnerships
A recent trip to Montana underscored close partnerships as I visited several communities across the north central portion of the state.
- Does Bozeman need to step up its economic development game? Mayoral candidate says yes
"Misplaced priorities have allowed our population growth to exceed our economic growth," Potter has said. He also argues that the $340,000 annual budget for the two-man city economic development department -- which Andrus helped approve this summer -- is inadequate.
- Manufacturing consortium seeks to grow businesses at tech center south of Butte, Montana
MSE has six business tenants spread throughout five buildings, but it's looking for more businesses of all shapes and sizes.
- MATR would like to get your ideas on how it can be improved.
After over 15 years, MATR is getting ready to redo the website and we'd like your ideas on how it can be improved.
Careers
- Today's TED Talk Siddhartha Mukherjee: Soon we'll cure diseases with a cell, not a pill
Current medical treatment boils down to six words: Have disease, take pill, kill something. But physician Siddhartha Mukherjee points to a future of medicine that will transform the way we heal.
- Today's TED Talk is Amazing! - Neri Oxman: Design at the intersection of technology and biology
Working at the intersection of computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering and synthetic biology, her lab is pioneering a new age of symbiosis between microorganisms, our bodies, our products and even our buildings.
Rural Communities
- 100 Best Workplaces for Women
Rankings were determined by employee surveys and the representation of women within the organizations.
- Trucking Industry Will Need 890,000 New Drivers in Next Decade
Nearly half the hires will be needed to replace retiring drivers in an aging workforce, the American Trucking Associations says
- Today's TED Talk - Sandrine Thuret: You can grow new brain cells. Here's how
Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis--improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.
- A shakeup in an antiquated part of health care: How we train doctors
U.S. health care is in a revolution that is starting to shake up one of the most conservative parts of medicine: its antiquated model for training doctors.
Government
- New study shows western wildfires to become more frequent, extreme
The Rocky Mountains should brace for more, bigger fires, if history is any indication.
Idaho Business
- Gov. Jerry Brown signs Fair Pay Act for women workers
The law is being touted as the strongest in the country and will require employers to pay men and women the same for "substantially similar work" unless there are differences based on productivity, merit and seniority.
- President Obama signs law preventing premium hikes under health law
The new law keeps the small business definition at 50 workers but allows states to increase the number if they choose.
Incubators and R&D
- Founders of BoiseCodeWorks say graduates will help fill Valley's need for tech talent
"We give them a base," he said. "They take it and make it dance."
- Idaho Commerce director tells lawmakers not to cut taxes
Sayer, a Gov. Butch Otter appointee who is resigning at the end of the year, instead urged lawmakers to invest in work force development, infrastructure and education to lure job-creating businesses and industry.
Regional Economic Development
- University of Montana's Rural Institute gets $2.5 million grant to help people with disabilities
"This grant builds upon the 20 years of research that initiated in the 'Living Well with a Disability' program, and it's a sign of the continued success of the Rural Institute and the researchers here and the capacity of the institute to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities in rural America," said Tracy Boehm, director of knowledge translation for the Rural Institute.
- Idaho nuclear lab director Mark Peters eyes new generation of scientists
Peters said he's optimistic about combining knowledge at the lab in new ways that could bring in additional funding "to create this great ecosystem to make Idaho and the Mountain West a center for research and development."
- Biomimicry
Biomimicry, the practice of looking deeply into nature for solutions to engineering, design and other challenges, has inspired a film about it's ground-breaking vision for creating a long-term, sustainable world.
University Business Plan Competitions
- How advancing women's equality can add $12 trillion to global growth
Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge.
Washington State Business
- Montana University Students - Join Us For Our Fall Kick-Off Event!!! John Ruffatto Business Startup Challenge, 10/9, Missoula
The Business Startup Challenge is Montana's premiere opportunity for students attending any college or university across Montana to present exciting new businesses and/or social entrepreneurship venture ideas for adjudication... and win big money!!!
Workforce Development
- Glowforge hits $1 million pre-order mark for its 3-D laser printer in the first 12 hours.
The small machine uses a laser to cut through pretty much any type of material and engrave on surfaces -- even on laptops.
- Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul
Leaders in Seattle are looking to the Bay Area as a different sort of model: a cautionary tale.
Wyoming Business
- Missoula College Culinary Arts Program responds to local industry demands
"It was just kind of a pipe dream that I had that maybe we could start offering it," said Elliott, who noticed a lack of local workers in Montana's booming tourism industry.
Education
- Wyoming Considers Bill to Help Fund Tech-Based Startups
The Legislature's Joint Subcommittee on Economic Development voted to recommend a bill that would provide up to $250,000 for technology-based startups in the state.
Montana Education Excellence
- Why Student Debtors Go Unrescued
Loan servicing companies have been failing borrowers and need more oversight.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- MSU-Northern awarded $1.9m grant to assist Native American students
"MSU-Northern has the highest percentage rate of Native students of any University in the Montana University system at 12%," said Chancellor Greg Kegel. "We would like to see it grow to 20%."
Funding and Building your BusinessEnergy and Climate Change
- Why You Need To Let Others "In" To Your Small Business
When dealing with sensitive information, you want to be sure it is protected. At some point though, you are going to have to let others into the sensitive areas of your business and here is why.
- Silicon Valley's Most Elusive Beast
Today, the rich and powerful still lust after unicorns, only now their worth can rival the G.D.P. of a small country.
- Creating a Corporate Charter Can Keep Employees Happy
Small businesses can borrow from the giants and incorporate best practices for their own companies.
- How Ads Will Work in Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages
Search giant wants to speed up Web content on mobile
- 16z - Tomorrow's Advance Man - Marc Andreessen's plan to win the future.
"The top V.C.s want you to show them you can invent the future."
- Why unlimited vacation is basically a no-brainer for employers
Unlimited vacation policies also have another benefit for employers that gets far less attention: a financial upside. When employers stop doling out a set amount of vacation days, they no longer have to pay out unused days if workers quit or get laid off from the company.
Connectivity & Communications
- Helena offers $12,000 no interest 10 year alternative energy loans
Helena homeowners who are interested in installing alternative energy systems will be able to borrow up to $12,000 from a newly created city fund.
- California grooms utility giants to compete against Big Oil - Gov. Brown signs climate law mandating 50% renewable power by 2030
By the end of 2030, half of California's electricity will come from the wind, the sun and other renewable sources under a new law that sets one of the country's most ambitious clean-energy targets.
- City Action on Climate Change
"Population growth, urbanization, and climate change together form a powerful nexus of opportunity and threat."
- Boulder, Colorado To Serve as Pilot for MIT Climate Change Challenge
How can Boulder build community engagement and connectivity around climate change? What social infrastructure is needed to unite the city on this issue?
- Former Gov. Schweitzer publishes new book on energy revolution
Schweitzer asserts that the evolution of batteries, particularly batteries in electric cars, will not only change the way people get around, but also how they power their homes and even give them a chance to sell unused electricity.
Non-Profit News
- Universal Broadband: How Can Barriers to Access Be Overcome?
Our 10 government, industry and nonprofit representatives answer in what ways they think barriers to broadband access can be overcome.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Town Pump's foundation hopes to raise $3 million for food banks
"Town Pump's support is vital," said Kathy Griffith, of the Butte Food Bank. "We'd have a tough time keeping up with demand without the funds generated from the 'Be a Friend' campaign."
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Elon Musk: Here's why we call Apple the 'Tesla graveyard'
Apple hires engineers Tesla has fired, Musk tells German newspaper
Transportation
- Wanna dance? - DARPA's Dancing Robot
Spot, DARPA's four-legged robotic pack mule, shows off nimbler moves and a quieter drive system than its predecessor.
- TED Talks - New Bionics Let Us Run, Climb and Dance - Hugh Herr
Hugh Herr is building the next generation of bionic limbs, robotic prosthetics inspired by nature's own designs.
- '68 Mustang Fastback- 800 horsepower - 0-60 1.94 Seconds - Top Speed 174 - All Electric - Extra Underwear Not Included
With over 800 horsepower and massive torque, the Zombie 222 is the fastest electric car we've ever driven.
- Montana section of I-90 named most dangerous road in the country
Interstate 90 in Montana is the most dangerous highway in the United States, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data compiled by Avvo's Naked Law blog.
- Car Restrictions on the Rise in Cities Around the World
In many cities around the world, the car is no longer king. The Economist reports that signs abound of municipalities prioritizing pedestrians, cyclists and public transit over private vehicles.
- Bozeman airport sees 1 million passengers over 12-month period
The airport finished 2014 with a record 966,964 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state.
- Missoula and Bozeman International Airports focus on Dallas-Fort Worth, other expansions
The two Montana cities have collected roughly $2.2 million to offer as an incentive to the airline, though they're confident the new flight would stand on its own and such guarantees would not be needed.
- Changes to Montana bike laws go into effect, intend to increase safety
"I think the language changes were good because of the fact that they brought us up to the national standard, and by doing so it makes it more uniform and specific to address the issue."
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the free weekly MATR newsletter, please visit our list info page