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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Apr 19, 2016 |
"Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to." Sir Richard Branson
Conversation with a CIO: Montana's Ron Baldwin Talks Affordable, Enterprise IT http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Gov. Steve Bullock
Northwestern Energy
- Governor Bullock and First Lady Award $55,000 to 18 Montana Schools to Expand School Breakfast
"To ensure the academic success of our kids, breakfast is a necessity." Governor Bullock said. "I commend each of these schools for making happy and healthy students a priority. Making sure our students are healthy puts them on a path to success, benefitting our communities and our state."
Spika Welding & Mfg Inc
- Building Operator Certification Training For Facilities Operators, 06/21, Helena
A variety of building management technologies are covered, but the emphasis in BOC training is to recognize practical, no-cost/low-cost solutions, working with existing building systems, to improve energy performance.
- NorthWestern Selects Contractor for Bozeman Solar Project
The pilot project is expected to have electrical output of about 533,000 kilowatt-hours per year and will be tied to the power grid operated by NorthWestern Energy.
Energy and Climate Change
- Spika Re-Brands with a Focus on Work Platform Design
The change reflects the company's increasing focus on structural aluminum design, particularly in the aerospace and manufacturing industries.
Come Home Montana
- Senators Tester and Daines tout Montana benefits of coming energy bills
"Investing in rural water infrastructure is critical to the health of our families, communities, and state," Tester added in an email. "These projects will strengthen rural economies while ensuring access to clean water."
- Caltech's 2500 Orbiting Solar Panels Could Provide Earth With Limitless Energy
The Space Solar Power Initiative (SSPI), a collaboration between Caltech and Northrup Grumman, has developed a system of lightweight solar power tiles which can convert solar energy to radio waves and can be placed in orbit to beam power to an energy-thirsty Earth.
- The Internet of Things gets a ledger
"It needs a way to score what's talking to what, who owes who money, and reconcile all of that."
- Montana's largest wind farm quietly develops northeast of Colstrip
Clearwater Energy is laying the groundwork for a wind farm near Forsyth with enough juice to power 300,000 homes.
- Ray Kurzweil: Here's Why Solar Will Dominate Energy Within 12 Years
Growth is exponential--just like processing power.
- Study Shows We Could Phase Out Fossil Fuels In Just One Decade
The recently published article highlights numerous examples of speedy transitions that are not usually noted by analysts.
Montana Business
- Montana Career Opportunities - Loan Portfolio Manager, Business Development Leader, Loan Officer - Great Falls Development Authority
We have three great job openings at the Great Falls Development Authority. Please pass the word to help us find some amazing new team members!
- Montana Career Opportunity - State GIS Coordinator - Montana State Library
Identify Montana's geographic information needs and priorities, and provide leadership and coordination amongst the geospatial community to meet those needs.
- Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone Magazine
Owing to sparse budgets, in order to continue producing a high quality and valuable publication, keep it on schedule, and get it to you, we are asking for your help.
Montana Economic Development
- Senator Jon Tester Successfully Pushes Obama Administration to Restore Cuts to Montana Trails
One week after Senator drills Forest Service Chief, agency restores nearly all funds for trail maintenance
- Business for Montana's Outdoors; News & Updates
In addition to ongoing outreach and communication with members, partners, and decision makers, here are some of the initiatives that BFMO has been engaged with, and some of the priorities we will continue to work on:
- Closing the wage gap between men and women in Bozeman, Montana
"The concept is fairness," said Mayor of Bozeman Carson Taylor.
- Missoula tech startup GeoFli uses location to personalize the web
Company founders Nick Shontz and Kyle Pucko built a service allowing website designers to personalize their website based on users' location.
- New Arlee, Montana company Developing Wings helps businesses compete in the Google world with virtual tours
Roxane Rinard and business partner Roxanne Duffy, both of Arlee, have launched Developing Wings to help other companies convert to the digital age and appear on Google maps.
Business Plan Forums
- Kalispell Core & Rail Redevelopment Project - New Website
This project creates opportunities for investment in a vibrant cultural center and a business park for rail-served businesses, which together will serve to attract workforce, commerce and industry to the Flathead Valley.
- A meat-processing plant in Montana? Feasibility study includes Butte, Great Falls, Billings
"Montana at one time had considerable processing infrastructure," said Bitz. "But the cattle have been sent to the corn, if you will."
- Billings Chamber traveling to Oklahoma City
The Billings Chamber of Commerce is stepping up its game to recruit new businesses to our area and one of the ways the chamber wants to give business the edge is by keeping our college graduates in the state.
Developing an Angel Network in Montana
- Entrepreneurial spirit lands Montana State University Billings students in first place in national American Indian Business Plan competition
The competition's platform encourages business and marketing students to identify culturally significant business plans to boost the economies of American Indian reservations.
Government
- Tax advantages for angel investors
IRS section 1202 allows taxpayers, other than corporations, 50 percent to 100 percent exclusion of gain from the sale or exchange of a defined qualified small business stock (QSB) held for more than five years.
Utah Economic Development
- Montana Transportation Commission considering rule allowing digital billboards
While states like Maine, Vermont, Alaska and Hawaii don't allow any billboards, Montana does, though with strict regulations.
Workforce Development
- Utah Governor trumpets entrepreneurism to local business leaders
When your state is among the most economically prosperous in the country, all you want to do is maintain the course that has helped you reach such lofty heights.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Billings Area Employers Uncertain About Workforce Training Programs
Many Yellowstone County Employers say they "don't know" when asked to rate how well education and training providers in Billings are helping them meet their workforce needs.
American Prairie Reserve
- The 1st Fully Kinesthetic Classroom in the USA is continuing to make waves in education!!! Charleston, SC
"What we're trying to show is that more movement equals better grades, better behavior, better bodies."
Montana Education Excellence
- Today, American Prairie Reserve announces the establishment of the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize.
"As one who has been irrevocably changed by the majesty of the American West, I am inspired by American Prairie Reserve's historic mission to return a vast swath of Montana to the natural beauty first enjoyed by Native Americans and later noted by Lewis and Clark." Ken Burns
Community
- Fast little cars: Speed Devils place second at Montana Formula 1 competition
The "F1 in Schools" program is a multi-discipline challenge for students ages 9 to 19. Student teams around the world design, analyze, build, test and race miniature F1 cars made from balsa wood and propelled by compressed air cartridges.
- STEM Stars program aims to teach young girls the joys of science
STEM Stars is a new addition to Girls-n-Science (formerly Chicks in Science), which introduces girls in grades four through eight to careers in science, technology, engineering and math. This was the event's ninth year, and its major sponsor was Cloud Peak Energy.
- Community college president suggests 2-year schools offer baccalaureate degrees
"There may be some very specialized degrees that, working with the university system, we may be able to offer," Jane Karas, president and CEO of Flathead Valley Community College said in a recent interview.
- FVCC Awarded $400,000 Grant for Biotech Program
The grant, worth $424,590, will support the program TeaM SCoRE Biotechnology, which stands for Teachers in Montana Strengthening the Continuity of Rural Education in Biotechnology.
- MSU to host free STEM camp from June 26-July 1 to introduce middle-schoolers to college life
The camp, which will be held June 26-July 1, introduces students to STEM careers and role models, as well as college life, through exciting classes and evening activities.
- Can I analyze your data: UM's new data analytics masters
The one-to-two-year master's program will start fall 2016 and already has 14 students enrolled, with more in the advising process.
Funding and Building your BusinessGovernment Technology
- 7 lessons CEOs can learn from President Obama's video strategy
CEOs of companies, while dealing with challenges of different scope than that of the president, are in essence trying to achieve similar goals
- Inside the $5 Billion Company That Will Launch Your Business
You have a brilliant business idea about a problem you know how to solve, but only some of the tech chops you need to solve it.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Idaho Sells Home-Grown Unemployment System to Iowa and Vermont
Faster, smarter and cheaper. That's the name of the game for the Idaho Department of Labor's Internet Unemployment System (iUS), which launched in 2014 to quickly process unemployment taxes and benefits in a matter of hours.
- Conversation with a CIO: Montana's Ron Baldwin Talks Affordable, Enterprise IT
An example is something Gov. Steve Bullock is actually taking around the state right now: The Montana Navigator allows businesses to look up what the permits and regulations are for their type of business to do business in the state of Montana.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Got An Idea? Bring It To 'makerspace' Forum In Butte On May 12
"If you have an idea in your head, you will have access to machines to build it or make it 10 times easier."
- Art, technology and education thrive in Hamilton's Fab Lab
Dave Rygmyr and his students are invaluable resources in the Bitterroot Valley. So too, is the Fab Lab: a place where art, technology and talented people come together.
- National Parks: Ken Burns on why they were America's best idea
"You begin to have your memories or the important memories, the major signposts etched into your consciousness by the power of the national parks, and I can't think of anything else besides tragedy--and this is the opposite of tragedy--that does that so well for us." Ken Burns
HACKING AND VIRUS ALERTS
- The Night Pat Williams Had Dinner with Donald Trump
I was struck by his main passion: Donald Trump.
- National Geographic produces issue focused entirely on Yellowstone
National Geographic chose to use one author, Bozeman resident David Quammen, to pen all of the main text. It is likely the first time one person has written most of an issue in the magazine's 128-year history.
Transportation
- Windows users: Uninstall Apple's QuickTime now
Trend Micro reported finding two "critical vulnerabilities" in the program, which Apple will no longer be providing security updates for.
- Watch a Tesla Model S autopilot take over and save driver from near collision
When Ohio-based Joshua Brown took his Tesla Model S car for a spin earlier this month, he got familiar real fast with how handy the autopilot system could be when it took over and avoided a car crash.
- Missouri DOT Recruits Idaho-based Solar Roadways for their Road to Tomorrow Initiative
What if roads could produce electricity, never develop potholes and wouldn't ice over?
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