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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Jul 7, 2006 |
“Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.” - George Burns
"Angel tax credit program getting wings in Arizona thanks to Gov. Janet Napolitano" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html I hope Montana's elected officials can move legislation forward to develop an Angel Tax Credit program in our state. Our entrepreneurs and Angel investors deserve to be in an entrepreneurial and funding environment that's competitive with other states.
Come Home Montana
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Destination Lewistown! New Web site http://www.destinationlewistown.com highlights Central Montana’s many attributes
“We had discussions in the visioning process about our external identity and how to get people to thinking of Lewistown as a destination – as a place to stay for a day, for a while or for a lifetime,” said Chalmers.
Education
- More retirees opting to launch startups
Baby boomers aren't just heading to the links - they are starting new businesses in record numbers.
Montana Business
- New DVD program intended to help teach Montana history
The program is for use by teachers in middle and high schools statewide.
- Maine's Laptop program extended 4 years. Provides a laptop for every middle school student in the state.
Maine's laptop program dates back six years to when former Gov. Angus King announced plans to put a laptop in the hands of every public middle school teacher and student in the state. A year later the Legislature committed $37 million for a four-year program that has become an international model and enjoys broad support in Maine.
- Fees Reduced for Montana Student Loan Borrowers
Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corporation (MHESAC) recently announced that it will offer a zero-fee, federal Stafford loan product for Montana students for the upcoming 2006-2007 academic year beginning July 1, 2006.
- SAF Study Shows Montana High School Students Value Higher Education But Need Information and Assistance to Get There
"There are many organizations and hundreds of people working to help Montana students succeed in higher education," Chapman said. "The support and information is out there, and we're working to help students and parents navigate the road to success in higher education."
- College Summit Comes to North Central Montana
Although Montana students graduate high school at a high percentage, the majority do not move on to higher education. On average, of a group of 100 Montana ninth graders, 36 will be immediately lost in the transition from high school to college, 58 will never go to college and 26 who enroll in college will not finish. Only 16 of 100 Montana ninth graders will go on to graduate from college, one of the lowest rates nationally.
- $500K Funding Helps University of Montana Prepare for Health Care Careers
“This award allows us to help ensure that students, no matter what their economic background, get the education they need to get them on the road to successful careers in health care with less loan debt that needs to be repaid,”
Montana Economic Development
- Exploring the power of social and business consensus building of Grūps with Grupthink.com of Missoula.
Grupthink’s social and interactive nature makes it very different from traditional surveys, and on the other hand, we know that Grupthink can still be valuable to businesses who want to learn more about their customers.
- Invizeon Corp. of Missoula, MT. - Challenging the limits of communication - One preparedness step at a time.
The Missoula-based technology company had been working to build coalitions of state and county public health, emergency response and health care communities using the CHAIN (Community Health Alert and Information Network) program it had developed.
- Project Vote Smart of Philipsburg, MT to expand at the University of Arizona. U of M apparently not interested in assisting with expansion plans.
Kimball said he approached the University of Montana in Missoula a few years ago about a partnership with the nonprofit voter education group, but was rebuffed. "They just never had any interest in us at all," he said. "They just got kind of nasty." He said Montana does not have the kinds of community resources and technical support needed to back up their expansion.
- Filling the gap. Flathead businesses bring in foreign workers
While some employers have knowingly or unknowingly hired illegal immigrants to fill vacant positions, other valley businesses are increasingly hiring foreign students on temporary work visas.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Rural center gives western Montana high marks for ‘amenities'
“In terms of long-term economic growth,” she said, “it's real important to be talking about these things.”
- Montana Alberta transmission line projected to stimulate $1 billion in wind farm development.
Mayor Joni Stewart welcomed MATL to the Cut Bank area. “We are a strong advocate for having you here,” she stated and urged officials to call upon the City of Cut Bank for any assistance it could provide.
- Meetings this week in Bozeman, MT to focus on digital health care
The public is welcome to attend the free meetings.
Montana Biotech
- The Capital Formation Institute presents an audio blog: "Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Act of 2006"
Hear the synopsis of this new Congressional bill that could result in dramatic increases in start-up capital available for new companies.
- Angel tax credit program getting wings in Arizona thanks to Gov. Janet Napolitano
Companies in Arizona traditionally have struggled to find funding, and the popular belief is that the first stage of funding -- often an angel investment -- can be the most critical step toward growing successful firms.
Funding and Building your Business
- LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals Awarded an Additional $2.3M Department of Defense Contract to Continue the Preclinical Development of Their 3rd Generation, Mucosal Anthrax Vaccine
The new vaccine provided 100% protection from an inhaled anthrax challenge in an animal study at Battelle Memorial Institute. "Our vaccine not only prevented death in all of the immunized animals, but it also reduced the morbidity, preventing the sickness caused by an infection," said Dr. Susan Wimer-Mackin, LigoCyte's Director of Molecular Biology and the lead scientist on the anthrax vaccine project.
Legislative Newsletters
- Building Value, Driving Profits. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a solution through its 3 day innovative business simulation program.
“Building Value and Driving Profits” packs five “years” of experience into three days, simulating the complex level of planning, tactics, decision-making and trouble-shooting involved in running a multimillion-dollar enterprise. During each virtual year, participants see how their decisions impact their customers, market share and the bottom line.
- The Art of the Layoff
So you need to set, or re-emphasize, goals, explain what everyone needs to do to get there, and get going because the best way to move beyond a layoff is to get back to work.
- Some companies aim to tame meetings. Standing Room Only
"This gives everyone a sense of urgency, and meetings can be steered toward being crisp and to the point."
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Bagging company investors
Someone I respect suggested that I approach corporations at the same time I approach venture funds for money. Good idea or bad idea?
Global TeleworkRegional Economic Development
- Law firms mull outsourcing Offshore
"We think some (law) firms will jump out ahead and realize some significant cost savings" through offshore outsourcing, said Michael Short, vice president in the Washington, D.C., office of legal consulting firm Hildebrandt International. "In the highly competitive world of law firms, that's going to require countermoves."
Utah Economic Development
- ETA Announces Availability of $125 Million in Grant Funds for Community-Based Job Training Grants; Emphasizes Objective of Building Capacity for Community Colleges to Train for High-Growth and High-Demand Industries
Funds will be awarded to individual community and technical colleges, community college districts, state community college systems, and One-Stop Career Centers to support or engage in a combination of capacity building and training activities for the purpose of building the capacity of community colleges to train for careers in high-growth/ high-demand industries in the local and/or regional economies.
Idaho Business
- Utah Governor appoints entrepreneur as first Utah Science Technology and Research chairman. Economic growth initiative under way
USTAR was created by lawmakers earlier this year as a government, education and business partnership with the goal of bringing $4.9 billion in new research funding and more than 123,000 high-tech jobs into Utah over the next 30 years.
Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)
- Idaho Office of Science & Technology July 2006
- Coeur d'Alene Tribe Buys Berg Integrated Systems in Coeur d'Alene, ID
"We are excited for the economic growth opportunities that Berg Integrated Systems will provide for our communities," said Chief Allan, chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.
Miscellaneous RamblingsUniversity TechTransfer
- Sweet dreams: Wealthy white women sleep best. File under "Duh": The richer you are, the better you sleep, study finds.
Someone making $16,000 a year or less takes 28 minutes longer to fall asleep, on average, than someone who earns over $100,000. The poorer person also gets 15 minutes less sleep.
Small Diameter Timber Utilization
- An Entrepreneur's Challenge: Commercializing Technology Transfer
This special program, entitled, "Technology Transfer from Invention to Marketplace," is supported by the National Science Foundation Technology Assessment Program (NSF-TAP) and is open to college and high school students. Being offered for the first time, this program will tie together entrepreneurs, professional advisers and scientists to allow knowledge transfer and education at a very new level.
Careers
- Heating Bozeman High with wood chips could save money in long run. Fuels for Schools
The annual savings from heating the high school could pay for the new boiler in 9.6 years -- or sooner, if the cost of natural gas keeps rising or if the district decided not to buy the most expensive boiler, Griffith said.
Non-Profit News
- The next job boom. New studies say everyone's out looking. "Global competition for highly skilled people is accelerating."
Bosses can't squeeze more work out of existing workers, and there aren't many new workers, particularly skilled ones, out there.
Energy
- Superior Teleconferencing option for MNA Members
MNA members save up to 70% off the regular price As a member, you can use ReadyTalk’s voice conferencing solution for 6 cents per minute per participant, and web conferencing for 10 cents per minute per participant.
- Habitat projects a top priority in Wyoming for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
In an effort to preserve and improve wildlife habitat across the state, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is helping to fund 22 projects in Wyoming this year, awarding $227,000 in grants.
Connectivity & Communications
- New Solar Technologies Fueled by Hot Markets
The booming solar-cell industry is driving investment in newer technologies that could make solar power as cheap as electricity from the grid.
- Beyond the Solar Panel. The U.S. government plans to produce a buyer's guide to power-converting roofing materials.
The government tests cars for gas mileage. Now it's testing roof tiles for wattage.
- Wildfire Increase Linked to Climate. Higher temperatures over 34 years -- rather than land-use changes -- have led to more blazes, researchers say. They're sure it's not a fluke.
More than land-use changes or forest management practices, the changing climate was the most important factor driving a four-fold increase in the average number of large wildfires in the Western United States since 1970, the researchers concluded.
- “A Real Solution: How We Can Address Global Warming”, 7/11, UM, Missoula
“People are hoping there’s a nice, easy fix to [global warming], and there isn’t an easy way but there is a way,” says Steve Nelson, who’s pitching a plan to drastically cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Transportation
- In Depth: Five Things You Must Know About VoIP
Ready to bring VoIP into your business? Getting pressure to implement it but trying to avoid it? Here's our five-point take on the state of the technology.
- Intel to Invest $600 Million in WiMAX Startup
he investment represents the biggest for Intel Capital, which funds fledgling businesses that have the potential to accelerate demand for the personal-computer chips it sells.
City Club Missoula
- Georgia Plans 23-Lane Freeway.... That's right: 23 lanes of traffic
The state's road-happy Department of Transportation played a dominant role, pushing through a definition of congestion focused almost exclusively on sheer throughput of vehicles.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- City Club Missoula - “Inside Missoula's City Parks" With Donna Gaukler, 7/21, Missoula
“Urban parks have tremendous value - hard economic value - and cities that recognize the fact do better than those that do not. Although the fiscal benefits generally do not show up at the turnstile or ticket booth, they are reflected in real estate value...retail and restaurant value...and in tourism value.”
- Catching Seizures Before They Occur. A wearable detection device could help millions of people who suffer from epilepsy.
Researchers at MIT and Harvard are preparing to carry out trials of a new device for treating epilepsy.
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