MATR Newsletter - Fri Dec 8, 2017 |
"We are standing at the edge of potential workforce abyss." John Cech, deputy commissioner of higher education -- http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
commonFont
Montana Department of Commerce
- Bozeman-based commonFont - Transformative Medallia Solution Design, Implementation, and Evolution
The leader in customer experience software, Medallia engages customers, frontline employees, and business leaders in a continuous cycle of feedback, action, and improvement. commonFont's expert services help clients realize the value of their technology investment and advance their customer experience goals.
Montana Technology Innovation Partnership
- Department of Commerce Announces Community Development Block Grants for 8 Montana Towns, Cities and Counties
"Montana's vibrant communities are working hard to build stronger places for their residents to live and work," said Director Haxby-Cote. "It's exciting to see their plans produce tangible results across Montana, and it's a privilege for Commerce to be part of the process."
- Does Your Community Vision Pencil Out? Part One: Under The Hood With Policy - 12/20 - Webinar
In this two-part series, Alex Joyce will provide a developer's perspective on how land use policies impact development, and how communities can support vision with market realities.
- Does Your CommunVision Pencil Out? Part Two: Strategic Investment To Shape And Incentivize Development - 01/24 - Webinar
In this two-part series, Alex Joyce will provide a developer's perspective on how land use policies impact development, and how communities can support vision with market realities.
Montana's Outdoor Recreation Economy
- Montana Technology Innovation Partnership Announcement - Receive up to $3,000 in reimbursement for your SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal submissions.
MTIP's FAST Phase 0 program is accepting applications! Receive up to $3,000 in reimbursement for your SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal submissions. Spaces are limited, click below to learn more.
PFL
- Preserve wilderness as-is
H.R. 1349, introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, would rewrite the Wilderness Act of 1964 to permit mountain bikes in America's wilderness areas, where they have been prohibited for more than a half-century. That would mean mountain bikes in the Bob Marshall, the Scapegoat, the Absaroka-Beartooth, and in Montana's 13 other wilderness areas.
- Montana Senator Daines bill would release wilderness study areas for other uses
“He’s on a single-minded mission to minimize wilderness protections everywhere in the state,” Nickas said. “This bill is a classic example of it. Just because he wore a backpack once upon a time doesn’t make him a wilderness advocate.”
Big Sky Code Academy
- Get Ready to Shine in 2018 - PFL will help you out.
2018 is almost here and that means a new opportunity to crank your marketing up. Here's PFL's hottest marketing tips for the coldest month of the year.
- PFL Presents Big Sky: Big Ideas Tech Summit - Video
Forward-thinking keynote speakers present new ideas relevant to Montana's tech innovation ecosystem.
American Prairie Reserve
- Web Development & Data Science Bootcamps Start January 2018! Apply Today!
Your future starts now!
- Governor Bullock Celebrates Computer Science Education Week
“As Code.org’s Regional Partner for Montana, we are excited that Gov. Bullock has joined the GovsForCS partnership to make Computer Science education a priority for all K-12 students,” said Devin B. Holmes, Founder of America Campaign http://www.americacampaign.org .
- GOVERNOR BULLOCK CELEBRATES COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK
- North Dakota Governor Burgum joins governors' partnership aimed at increasing access to K-12 computer science education
Our Teachers Teaching Tech http://dev-teachers-teaching-tech.pantheonsite.io/ initiative is poised to bring no-cost professional development to North Dakota’s educators and develop more opportunities for students to gain relevant 21st century skills.”
VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things
- American Prairie Reserve to Offer Bison Hunts on the Montana Prairie
The reserve for the first time next year will offer bison hunts to four people from surrounding communities, two hunts to be auctioned online and two to be given to other organizations.
- The American Prairie Reserve Announces Ken Burns American Heritage Prize 2018
In celebration of the indomitable American spirit, we are pleased to announce distinguished artist, designer, and environmentalist, Maya Lin as the 2018 recipient of the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize.
Big Sky Commerce
- A Tiny New Chip Could Secure the Next Generation of IoT
The challenge with internet of things security so far has been the cost of implementing hardened features.
- A Strategist's Guide to Blockchain
ould it replace notary publics, manual vote recounts, and the way banks manage transactions?
Energy and Climate Change
- Did you know Big Sky Commerce also serves medical facilities?
Please feel free to contact Big Sky Commerce anytime to mend your payment processing headaches.
Come Home Montana
- Bitcoin Mining Guzzles Energy--And Its Carbon Footprint Just Keeps Growing
Simply put, bitcoin is slowing the effort to achieve a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. What's more, this is just the beginning. Given its rapidly growing climate footprint, bitcoin is a malignant development, and it's getting worse.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunities - Solutions Consultant, Engagement Manager, Director Solutions Consulting - commonFont
commonFont - Reinventing Technology Solutions, Service, and the Potential of Work
- Montana Career Opportunity - AutoCAD Drafter/Assistant Project Manager - Glo European Windows
We are seeking an AutoCAD Drafter and Assistant Project Manager for our European Window Company in Missoula, Mt.
- Co-working space available in downtown Missoula
Mamalode is pleased to announce that we are renewing the lease on our Front Street co-working space for 2018 and we have a few spots available for part time or full time occupancy.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Machine Operator - Spika Design & Manufacturing
Spika is a global leader in the design and manufacture of work platforms and support equipment. To be the best company, we need the best people.
Hellgate Venture Network
- MSU Blackstone LaunchPad announces winners of annual Idea Challenge
"You don't have to be a business major to have a great idea," he said. "That's all it takes, one great idea. Making (it) into a reality is just details after that, but that's why the Blackstone LaunchPad is here."
- University of Montana Students Invited to Join Japan Business Study Tour
The project will send 23 UM undergraduate or graduate students and two supervisors to Japan for a weeklong guided business, culture and policy exchange program managed by the Japan International Cooperation Center.
Montana Business
- Hellgate Venture Network Christmas Party - 12/14 - Missoula
Our legendary Annual Holiday Party. Feel free to bring seasonal beverages, treats and plenty of Holiday Cheer!
Montana Economic Development
- Bozeman close to adopting new rules on building homes, businesses
Bozeman's zoning and building requirements aren't difficult, at least, not compared to building in places like Colorado and California.
- For Sale: Western Farmhouse in Montana's Scenic Bitterroot Valley
"It has over 25,000 square feet of space--there are four kitchens and 23 toilets."
- Wheat Montana and Walmart expand partnership
"Wheat Montana was chosen as a company to highlight their effort to increase American jobs," said Dean Folkvord, owner of Wheat Montana.
TED and TEDX Talks
- Lake County Community Development December Newsletter
Welcome to the LCCDC Monthly Newsletter
Careers
- Today's TED Talk - The brain benefits of deep sleep -- and how to get more of it
Find out more about how playing sounds that mirror brain waves during this stage might lead to deeper sleep -- and its potential benefits on our health, memory and ability to learn.
Business Plan Forums
- When Giving A Speech, It's All About Structure
Make sure that your point can be expressed in 40 characters or less – we’re living in the age of Twitter.
Government
- Missoula entrepreneurs practice their pitch at 1 Million Cups Missoula ahead of EPIC competition tonight
From a recreational checklist developed by a computer science major to an educational writing app created by an MFA student, the ideas came ripe for development and their practice pitch served as a beta test for things to come.
Idaho
- What would net neutrality look like in rural America? Nationwide protests scheduled for 12/7
"If rural folks do not have net neutrality, it means that they will not be guaranteed that they can reach (an) audience, that they can reach customers if they're running a business from their home, and that they will have equal access to the news and information and things they need to survive and thrive."
- Internet Discrimination Is a 'Feature,' not a Problem, Says FCC Chief - Protests scheduled today at your local Verizon store
The proposed rules help protect consumers in uncompetitive market, so rural America has a lot at stake.
- Secretary of state: Montana has no voter fraud issue
Stapleton charged in July that more than 360 illegal ballots were cast during a May 25 vote held to elect a U.S. House representative to replace now-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
- Home Depot just showed who will gain the most from corporate tax cuts
Even as lawmakers on Capitol Hill began hammering out the final version of a tax cut designed to give businesses more money to invest, Home Depot's statement was a reminder that corporate America may have other plans for that cash.
Other Economies
- Idaho launches online voter registration
"Today, Idahoans can not only find out things like where to vote, whether they are registered to vote, or whether the county has received their absentee ballot, but also register to vote online," Denney said.
- Idaho governor C.L. "Butch" Otter to remain focused on education in 2018
Otter said the key reason education remains a priority is because there are currently 24,000 jobs in Idaho that aren't filled largely due to a lack of education among the state's workforce.
- Politicians call for tax cuts, but Idaho's burden is already among lowest in U.S.
Yet Idaho politicians, including Gov. Butch Otter and all three of the leading GOP candidates to succeed him in next year's election, are calling for cutting Idaho's personal and corporate income tax rates.
- Idaho's newcomers are reinforcing its political makeup, not changing it
This (potential) clash raises the possibility that liberals from states like California and Washington are going to change Idaho as they continue to move here in large numbers, eventually making it a less conservative state.
- Coeur d'Alene tech startup Rohinni starts getting national attention
"It's a little harder to find the talent. The plus side, though, is you can find world-class talent that wants to live in this area," Gerber said. "Once you get them, it is so much easier to hang on to them because nobody is going to poach them from you."
- Intuit acquisition of TSheets for $340 Million will raise visibility of and attention to Idaho tech
Intuit, the company behind products like QuickBooks and TurboTax, today announced that it has acquired TSheets, a time-tracking service and employee scheduling app with over 35,000 customers.
Workforce Development
- San Francisco was the place to be for people in tech. Then it wasn't.
As rents skyrocket and people age, a growing number of once-zealous overachievers are leaving the city, disenfranchised by what tech has done to the area, wondering whether the industry is really doing all the good it promised.
Wyoming Business
- East Helena receives $500K grant to launch culinary training, arts program
Local leaders gathered in East Helena Tuesday, to celebrate a grant that will pay for a program combining workforce development with arts and culture.
- The Top 5 Benefits Of A Modernized Apprenticeship Program
The need for modernization of the apprenticeship system is heightened by American industry's need to address a national talent gap crisis that threatens the country's competitive edge.
Montana Education Excellence
- 36 Hours in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Expansive wilderness, superlative skiing and a top-notch food scene await visitors to this charming, idiosyncratic town and valley.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Career classes gain popularity at Bozeman High
Student demand has grown 30 percent in the last three years for classes in the industrial career and technical education department, School Board trustees learned Tuesday during their annual lunch visit to the high school.
- University of Montana's program "prioritization" goes off the rails
The process, conducted on an expedited timeline, prompted members of the administration and the campus task force in charge of prioritization to acknowledge its limitations at the outset.
- Literacy Bitterroot celebrates 30 years thanks to support from the Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation
Literacy Bitterroot has served almost 4,000 students since it's inception in 1987, and is celebrating 30 years of programming on Friday.
Community
- MSU architecture students help Montana towns solve real problems
"There is no corner of the state of Montana that's untouched by you and your students," Smith said. "You make Montana a better place to live."
Funding and Building your Business
- More people would live in downtown Billings -- if there were affordable options, study shows
In a survey with 750 downtown workers responding, 35 percent said they'd be interested in living in or around downtown immediately or within a few years.
Connectivity & Communications
- 3 Signs It's a Smart Time to Sell Your Online Business
Running a company takes one set of skills. Fully capitalizing on beckoning opportunities requires another -- and an awareness of your market.
- 6 Trends Generate Huge Data And Startup Opportunities
It's enough to drown any business which tries to fight it or ignore it, and it's an opportunity to ride higher and faster than even the successes of Google and Facebook, for those startups that use it as their driving force.
- Sexual harassment: Survey reveals how widespread the problem is at startups
More than 50 percent of 869 startup founders who took the survey have been sexually harassed or know someone who's faced this problem in the workplace.
- How to Present a Perfect Innovative Pitch
If you want to win, you need to be smart.
Non-Profit News
- Telemedicine Could Trump Economic Development for Driving Community Broadband
Health care and telemedicine delivery can make a strong financial business case that justifies community broadband investment, and makes it easier to raise money.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- The four questions to ask when serving on a nonprofit board
If you know how to probe, nudge, and prod, you can help your board perform better.
Transportation
- Incoming! 2018 regional fly-in bound for Missoula. Airport, pilots association begin planning for thousands at national fly-in event
The nation's largest aviation organization and its sortie of private pilots will converge on Missoula next summer for its annual fly-in, an event that's expected to draw several hundred aircraft and thousands of new visitors to the Garden City.
- 3D-printed objects connect with Wi-Fi - no electricity required
Rather than use batteries to power the 3D-printed object or sensor, the researchers tapped into mechanical motion.
Events
- No hands: Missoula owner Glenn Kreisel high on Tesla's performance, lukewarm on self-driving abilities
"I let my driver's license expire when I was 21 and I didn't renew it until 2010," said Kreisel. "I was waiting for three things to happen. I needed a car made in the U.S., it had to be all-electric and it couldn't look like a nerd-mobile. This is a great, sporty car but for now, I'm calling it augmented driving."
- Flathead public transportation providers look toward the future
"We are going to plan for the future. How to be more efficient and how we move people, especially on our fixed routes. We realize we need to make it more convenient."
- Around the world, nearly 70 cities are already testing and developing automated vehicles in some capacity.
The idea of autonomous vehicles, or cars that drive themselves, has become so popular that almost four dozen cities around the world are experimenting with them.
- GM's Marketplace allows drivers to make purchases without leaving the car
Marketplace allows customers with eligible GM-branded vehicles and compatible infotainment systems to pay for fuel, pre-order their morning coffee or reserve a table at their chosen restaurant, all from the comfort of their vehicle.
- New electric car from Sweden comes with 5 years of free charging
This home charging setup would source energy from solar cells.
- Rinspeed snaps its all-electric mobility pod into CES-ready form Automotive
It's a two-part electric vehicle designed to be recycled and upgraded to keep pace with fast-moving automotive technologies.
- Anheuser-Busch Orders 40 Tesla Semi Trucks
Brewer hasn't yet decided whether to buy vehicles outright or lease them as it seeks to cut fuel costs and vehicle emissions
- Using the Lyft app in this city could get you picked up by a self-driving car
Experts predict that driverless cars will advance neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city and state by state as competing car companies gather data, refine their robots and look to grab more territory using what they've already learned. The result is likely to be a patchwork of gradual change.
- Project Management Networking - Missoula - PMI Montana Chapter, 01/16, Missoula
- Dec. Women-Owned Business Tour: Heyday + Dawn Josephine Collective - 12/13 - Bozeman
- 1 Million Cups - Christmas Celebration And Networking - 12/20 - Missoula
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