|
|
|
| MATR Newsletter - Tue Jun 7, 2016 |
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." Mohammed Ali
Early Edge Montana
Montana Politics & Legislature
- Video: Pre-K programs grow -- but not in Idaho...or Montana
According to a new national report, states spent an additional $500 million on pre-K programs in 2014-15. Meanwhile, Idaho remains one of only a handful of states that does not pay for pre-K.
Great Falls Development Authority
- More satellite voting offices, more American Indians seeking office this election season
If American Indian candidates win all 11 of the seats in the Montana Legislature they are running for this fall, the percentage of Natives in the session would for the first time be representative of the population in the state. American Indians make up 7.4 percent of Montanans but have historically been underrepresented in the Legislature. In the 2015 session, there were eight American Indian legislators, three in the Senate and five in the House, for 5.3 percent of the 150 members.
- Montana marijuana campaigns spend big to reach ballot
To get on the November ballot, the campaigns must gather 24,175 signatures by June 17.
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- Great Falls Development Authority Quarterly Investor Letter
Results Matter. We're proud to have played key roles in making recent construction starts, business openings and announcements happen.
Come Home Montana
- Montana's Flathead Lake Named the Cleanest Lake in America!
There are many reasons Montana's geography ranks in the top of America. One would be the biggest lake west of the Mississippi, Flathead Lake. It also was just honored with another great title!
Montana Business
- Montana Career Opportunities - Talent Needed to support the surge in technology companies in the photonics and optics economic cluster in Montana's Gallatin Valley
"Our photonics companies in the county contacted us and said we really need some technicians to help them grow and develop their businesses," said Stephanie Gray Program Development manager.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Software Developer, Sales Development, Marketing Manager, Manager of Software Development, Customer Implementation Manager - Printing For Less
We understand that great work comes from a great workplace, where employees succeed together and leaders lead from the field instead of the stands. We've seen incredible success stories unfold from our employees, and we're always looking to add dynamite talent to our crew.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Senior IT Consultant - Alter Enterprise
AE is a small, locally owned and operated IT firm. We provide computer support, maintenance and consulting services
- Montana Career Opportunities - Agile Project Manager Internship, Cloud Operations Engineer, Senior Software Engineer - Reliability, Senior Front End Engineer and more.. - Workiva
We started with an idea: make complex collaboration easy.
- Montana Career Opportunity - DevOps Engineer - Goomzee
If you are excited by taking on new challenges, competing on a national level, establishing new standards in technology, software engineering, and customer service then Goomzee may be just for you.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Scrum Product Owner, .Net Programmer/Developer, Software Development Project Manager and more... - Arrow Solutions Group
Arrow Solutions is dedicated to the relationships with our team members, resources and clients. We care about people and we value the connections and trust put in us by our clients and resources.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Business Development Manager - Montana & Idaho CDC Bozeman, MT
The ideal candidate will have a passion for helping business owners succeed, be fluent in the vernacular of lending, and have a fantastic track record in building high-value, long-lasting partnerships.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Applications Technical Analyst - Northwestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy is committed to providing excellent service for our customers.
Careers
- Living Montanably: 34-year-old female entrepreneur boasts two small businesses and Montana pride
Shannon Alt-Olsson says she is proud to be a Montanan.
- Chupl -shoes with real soul - Helena native finds new use for old tires to benefit Himalayan Hope Children's Home
Chupl, the Hindi word for a flip-flop sandal, is the brainchild of the Sebastian's son Tim, who now lives in India, but grew up playing in the stacks of tires at Eagle.
- Adelos (part of the S&K Technologies, Inc. family of companies) awarded Rapid Innovation Fund contract with USAF
"We're also happy to have the unit manufactured locally by another small business, S&K Electronics, Inc. http://www.skecorp.com/ , one of our original partners on the project."
Come Home Idaho
- Why the CFO Job Is So Much Better Than It Used to Be
A 2010 Ernst & Young study found that "73% of CFOs see their role as a destination in its own right and only 10% harbor an ambition to be the CEO."
- The Spiffy Hawaiian Shirt Is Back for Summer
Aloha shirts are no longer the punch line to a bad joke.
- Career Coach: Staying calm under pressure tells a lot about a leader
Recently, a colleague reminded me of a fundamental lesson when selecting and evaluating leaders.
- Billy Crystal's Muhammad Ali tribute - 15 Rounds (1979)
Amazing
- Graduating and Looking for Your Passion? Just Be Patient
It takes time to develop a direction that feels so in-the-bones right that you never want to veer from it.
- Mindfulness Coaching: Start with Your Own Journey
With these practical techniques in her mental toolkit, she was able to recognize that her clenched jaw and raised shoulders meant stress and how to shift out of that.
- 7 Resume Mistakes That Make You Look Really Unprofessional
Ever wondered why you never heard back from that dream position?
Rural Communities
- Idaho Career Opportunity - Remote Sensing Analyst, Technical - Idaho Department of Lands
We strive for a culture where leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our missions.
Government
- Rural counties have lost out in recovery, study finds
"In the vast majority of communities across the country, the seeds are simply not being planted for an entire generation of new industries and good paying jobs."
Idaho Business
- Cost of Tax Breaks for States, Localities May Be Exposed
If approved, a new rule would make it easier for groups to challenge the tax exemptions that state and local governments get from the feds.
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- Governor Otter decries talent gap in Idaho work force
He said Idaho needs to press on to produce more college-educated adults -- restating the state's goal to get 60 percent of its 25- to 34-year-olds to hold a college degree or certificate by 2020.
Regional Business
- Microsoft star Doug Burgum seeks to run North Dakota
Burgum's quest might be the biggest stretch yet: a player in a glitzy, fast-paced industry becoming leader of a state where the cattle outnumber people, only about a dozen towns have a population bigger than 6,000 and many families make their livelihood in agriculture and oil.
Regional Economic Development
- Jobs Threatened by Machines: A Once 'Stupid' Concern Gains Respect
They replaced horses, didn't they?
Wyoming Business
- How Cities Attract Innovators, Entrepreneurs
Success is dependent on public-private cooperation, smart public policies, and a web of partnerships and collaborations.
- Sweetgrass Development seeking economic development input
The Sweetgrass Development Board of Directors and Strategy committee are seeking input in developing their Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy document for the five county region.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- University of Wyoming offering scholarships for laid off coal workers
The scholarship will be available to former coal industry employees to pursue an engineering degree at UW, or an engineering-related degree at one of Wyoming's community colleges.
Education
- Decoding declines in youth employment
Education requirements for good jobs are getting higher, so finishing high school and earning a post-secondary credential like two or four-year college degrees, apprenticeships, or certifications are top priorities.
- Want Smart Kids? Make Sure They Learn to Do This
There's a brain-building skill schools are teaching less and less.
Montana Education Excellence
- Five eye-opening figures from the U.S. Education Department's latest civil rights data dump
This latest installment of the Civil Rights Data Collection, from the 2013-2014 school year, offers a sobering look at the wide disparities in experience and opportunity that divide the nation's 50 million students.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Pulling Reservation Schools Back From the Brink
A program to improve American Indian high schools in Montana shows promise, but is it enough?
- Top leaders at University of Montana depart, new guard comes on board
"It's a very important time in the life of the university," Engstrom said. "We do have an opportunity here to move forward on many fronts."
Community
- Watershed Consulting Inc. partners with the city of Missoula and Sentinel High to test floating wetland islands to combat water pollution
If the floating sustainable habitats work like they're supposed to, they'll remove harmful metals and chemicals from the water and increase the biodiversity of aquatic plant and insect life in the pond.
Funding and Building your Business
- A New Smart City Model Is Emerging
Where are smart cities today, and where are we heading?
- Five year plan: Helena hears of utility, street needs topping $100 million
Despite their best efforts, time and regulations have created a backlog of maintenance and improvements that need to be addressed. These needs have been discussed in the past by city staff.
Government Technology
- What's Behind Blackstone's Investment Success?
"We must have sent out 500 letters that said, 'we're in business; let us represent you.' But nobody hired us. This was a very depressing moment."
- Google Launches Free Tool to Test Website Performance on Mobile and Desktop
Does it perform quickly on both laptops and smartphones? If not, you're probably losing customers while the pages slowly load. But if you're not sure how to make it run more smoothly, don't worry - we're here to help.
- Big government courts small startups
Some agencies are trying to change that by promising startups faster and easier access to federal capital.
- Legal briefing: New Montana law puts a unique spin on crowdfunding
The Montana Legislature, however, enacted a unique kind of Montana-based crowdfunding law in 2015.
- Every Startup Gains From An Incubator Or Accelerator
Most advisers agree that only serious and established entrepreneurs will likely qualify or survive the more rigorous accelerator programs, while first-time entrepreneurs at the idea or early implementation stage will benefit most from less demanding local incubator programs.
- Why Being Transparent About Pay Is Good for Business
Research shows sharing information about salaries makes employees work harder. Here's how to get started.
- Why I Was Wrong About Liberal-Arts Majors
Looking back at the tech teams that I've built at my companies, it's evident that individuals with liberal arts degrees are by far the sharpest, bestÂ-performing software developers and technology leaders.
- 7 Criteria To Help Startups Find The Right Investor
Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can't differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors.
Non-Profit News
- David Dill: Why Online Voting Is a Danger to Democracy
A Stanford computer scientist says Internet voting would be "a complete disaster."
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- MacArthur Foundation Will Award $100 Million for Solution to a Global Problem
The foundation said in a statement it was "placing a few big bets" that significant progress could be made on social challenges like incarceration, climate change and nuclear risk.
- Nonprofits' Tax-Exemption Battle Moves to the Courts
Legislators say that universities' record-high endowments and the corporate-like structure of nonprofit hospitals is making it harder and harder to swallow giving these institutions a tax break.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- When the robots take over, how will you spend your time?
This may sound like the beginning of a good sci-fi movie or a dystopian novel, but it's a question that Y Combinator and its president, Sam Altman, want to answer.
Transportation
- The 15 most important slides in Mary Meeker's Internet trends report
Taken together, they tell a remarkable story about how better and cheaper information technology disruption is transforming market economies, giving consumers powerful new leverage in the process.
- Even cowboy jobs may not be safe from robots
An Australian professor is developing a robot to monitor the health of grazing livestock, a development that could bring big changes to a profession that's relied largely on a low-tech approach for decades but is facing a labor shortage.
- Yes, Paris Is Banning Cars Built Before 1997
"If your car was built before 1997, don't even think about driving it into Paris after this month," proclaims a post by Feagus O'Sullivan for CityLab. "From July 1, the French capital will ban vehicles older than 19 years from driving in the city on workdays."
- Reasons to buy an electric vehicle that have nothing to do with the environment (and which portend an imminent and rapid global shift to electric vehicles)
The everyday practical reasons to choose a plugin electric car over a gas powered car are already here.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the free weekly MATR newsletter, please visit our list info page