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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Dec 22, 2006 |
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Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836
"Introducing The Frontier Angel Fund, LLC. Frontier’s geographic investment priority is Western Montana, Montana, the Inland Pacific Northwest." http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Boomtown Institute
Come Home Montana
- Great kitchen incubators as economic development facilitators. The Agurban from Boomtown Institute
This is the last Agurban of 2006! Happy Holidays from Boomtown Institute and look for your next edition of the Agurban on Tuesday, January 9, 2007.
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Old town of Avon: Montana tradition alive and well
They may be building golfing communities in Eureka, subdivisions in Heron, condos around Flathead Lake, multiple houses on single lots in Missoula and big box stores in the Bitterroot Valley. But in places like Avon, old Montana hasn't surrendered to the new. Not yet.
- Montana Job Opportunities: Flux Corporation seeks a Java Developer, Java Support Engineer and Web Developer
Flux Corporation is a 10 person software company in Billings, Montana. We have over 300 customers in 31 countries for our Java Job Scheduler, File Transfer, Workflow, and BPM software.
Montana Education Excellence
- Reviving small towns - Resources for your town.
If you are interested in this trend in economic development, I recommend that you read Jack Schultz's BoomTown USA: The 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns
- Microsoft Idaho has trouble finding engineers
We have three highly paid positions we’ve been trying to fill for nine months. We’re interviewing in Seattle now. We’re still going to try to bring Microsoft jobs to Idaho, but this just makes it harder.
2007 Montana Legislature
- Cluster of journals publish MSU findings on common parasite
Montana State University researchers and their collaborators are gaining widespread attention for discoveries involving a common parasite that can threaten everyone from babies to AIDS patients.
- Applications open for "Montana Economics Challenge" for Montana High School Students
Teams are made up of a coach and four high school students who compete both individually and as a team. Each participant will take a multiple-choice test in microeconomics, macroeconomics, international trade and economics. Winners of the Montana event will participate in the Los Angeles regional playoffs.
- Can business be ethical? MSU and Wonderlust students find out
The Wonderlust program, part of MSU's Extended University outreach program, promotes the development and delivery of exciting learning opportunities for people who want to study with others in the Gallatin Valley.
Montana Business
- Rutger's professor, Alan Rosenthal, to address 2007 Legislature - "Thoughts on how Montana's legislators can best carry out their duties,"
"As longtime legislative leaders, we know Montana's legislators try hard to do their best in representing their constituents," Sens. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, and Vicki Cocchiarella, D-Missoula, wrote in a newspaper column Thursday. They invited Rosenthal to Montana "because we know we can always do better," they wrote.
Montana Economic Development
- Stevensville pipemaker, Poly Warehouse receives $1.5 million equity investment from InvestAmerica equity management group.
Poly Warehouse is making plans to expand further still with the help of an equity investment of $1.5 million through InvestAmerica, a private equity management group based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The national group has provided more than $100 million in financing to 120 companies since 1985, and is now adding Poly Warehouse to its portfolio.
- Underfunding of National Parks puts local economies at risk
The recently released report, commissioned by the National Parks Conservation Association and the Travel Industry Association of Montana, asserts that the national parks system is an “economic asset at risk” because of chronic underfunding.
- Blackfoot acquires Internet Connect Services
Mandeville said Blackfoot is aware of the strong attachment Montana people have to the montana.com domain address used by ICS. She said it was important to keep montana.com owned and operated in the state.
- Big Sky Airlines to fly Northeast routes for Delta
Delta says the additional flights will represent an 18 percent increase in Delta departures from Boston.
- Montana State University alumnus makes name with University of Montana video work. Chisel Industries of Bozeman (and LA...)
UM outshined hundreds of other schools in the Northwest and Canada to take the grand gold in the video and multimedia category, said Rita Munzenrider, director of University Relations. “They really get at the heart of what's special about UM,”
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Montana Main Street - An Update:
Our six designated Main Street communities recently reported their third quarter statistics. They continue to reveal the positive economic advantages of the Main Street program. The following are Main Street statistics for the first three quarters of 2006:
- State economic outlooks scheduled throughout Montana
Asia — and the economic opportunities there for Montana businesses — is the focus of this year's 32nd Economic Outlook seminar.
- Great Falls Development Authority's Regional Economic Development Summit, 1/9, Great Falls
Officials with the new businesses coming to town will discuss why they are moving to Great Falls and investing in new projects
- Report touts ties between Montana, tribes
"In many ways, we are leading the entire nation in these concepts," Schweitzer said after a meeting Wednesday of representatives from Montana tribal governments to release the new report. "We're in uncharted territory."
- Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commission OKs $49M deal
That total includes a $15 million redevelopment trust fund the county could put toward various uses such as historic preservation projects and helping developers offset extra costs incurred when developing on reclaimed mine sites.
- The Butte Local Development Corp. may sell land with incentives for job creation
“Our mission and our goal is to help businesses create jobs,”
Funding and Building your Business
- Introducing The Frontier Angel Fund, LLC. Frontier’s geographic investment priority is Western Montana, Montana, the Inland Pacific Northwest.
The Frontier Fund is a member managed, early stage fund that makes direct investment in companies.
Regional Business
- What Entrepreneurs Need to Know. Harnessing creativity to raise businesses, busting scams, saving on shipping for supplies and equipment, and more
How Does Creativity Fit Into the Venture Creation Process?
- Ten Questions with Marti Nyman - “director of global innovation networks” for Best Buy.
Q: But what are the odds that a product from “two guys in a garage” is going to make it onto a Best Buy shelf? A: Very tricky question. If those “two guys” have a great idea, that has real benefit and a unique value proposition, and they have a solid understanding on who the customer is, the odds are getting better.
- “Attracting Investors to Your Start-up – Building the Great Company”
In this session Mr. Gerschick cuts through the chatter and explains clearly why some business ideas are better than others in attracting an investor's interest and money in a company.
- Inside Entrepreneurship: It's good business to do good deeds
The notion of entrepreneurs doing good does not have to wait until we sell our companies and can write large checks to favorite charities. And we don't have to be altruistic social entrepreneurs in the sense that our businesses fulfill a specific community need.
Regional Economic Development
- CTA Architects Engineers among best places to work in the nation.
CTA Architects Engineers was selected as one of the top 25 architectural firms in the nation for employee satisfaction.
Idaho Business
- Ten Principles of Post-Peak Planning. The end of plentiful and inexpensive fossil fuels is something cities need to consider in their long-term planning.
When that cheap energy is gone, the assumptions and the principles of planning are going to be turned on their ear.
- Applications for the 2007 Rural People, Rural Policy Cohort are Now Being Accepted.
Rural People, Rural Policy, a multi-year national initiative, is based on the premise that rural America has abundant assets and that the brightest potential for rural America emerges when a critical mass of rural people are stronger, more organized policy actors. Rural People, Rural Policy builds and strengthens skilled networks and organizations to advocate and act in the rural policy arena.
Oregon Economic Development
- Cable One buys more cable operations in Idaho
"We just don't have anything clustered very close to those communities to make it effective to run it the way we wanted to run it," Lamont said. "Technologically it makes more sense if you have cable systems clustered in a common geographic area."
Washington State Business
- Oregon Sets Sights on Innovation Plan
The Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC), which spent a year reviewing how best to expand the state’s economy by leveraging industry-supported initiatives with public investments, may get to see the toils of its labor come to fruition.
University TechTransfer
- Verdiem: Energy-Saving Software Sales Boom as Corporate America Goes Green
It makes software that - wait for it - manages corporate personal computer networks to lower energy usage.
- Venture Capital: Madrona puts its money on online ads
Two of the latest startups to benefit from that strategy are small Seattle companies in the online advertising space.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Biotechnology for producing more tolerant immune system available for licensing from Montana State University
To date, MSU has licensed 111 technologies developed by faculty, Zelver said. Seventy of those licenses are with Montana companies. To access these and other MSU technologies, visit: http://tto.montana.edu/technologies
Small Diameter Timber Utilization
- The University of Montana College of Technology in Missoula offers Lab Tech Certification
Western Montana is the state’s biotechnology and medical science corridor, and numerous companies and government agencies are looking for job applicants who possess basic laboratory skills and knowledge.
Non-Profit News
- School district 13's biomass will wait a year
"I would hate to rush it," said board chairman Frank Dierman. He agreed that it would be better to take the time to make sure that everything was in place.
Connectivity & Communications
- Starting a Nonprofit Business
If you have a passion for a cause, starting a nonprofit could be for you.
- The Montana Nonprofit Association has an agenda for the 2007 Montana Legislative Session including extending the Montana Charitable Endowment Tax Credit
The credit makes some gifts to nonprofits for endowments tax-deductible. In the 10 years the tax credit has been on the books in Montana, it has helped charitable nonprofits add $100 million in permanent assets, Magee said. "It's been enormously successful,"
- Montana Nonprofit Day, 1/16, Helena, MT
It's a great day for MNA! Now nearly 400 nonprofits strong and growing, MNA is poised to speak with one voice about our vision for the future and the vital role that nonprofits play in community and civic life. After a year of conversation with our members, we are ready to release our public policy agenda. Now is the time!
Community
- Milpitas, Calif., Kicks off Municipal Wireless Network Today - Anchorage invites bids for Wireless Network
"Anchorage is one of America's most computer-literate cities, so it makes sense to take the next giant step toward a wireless city,"
- Digital Inclusion: Wireless Initiatives
Thanks to the hard work of civic-minded activists and policymakers, wireless initiatives in cities like Philadelphia and Minneapolis are creating new lines of revenue to support digital inclusion.
- Former Glendive resident plays important role in Oregon rescue through cell phone tracking
A former Glendive resident relied on his Montana upbringing, his instincts, and his skills with cell phone technology in assisting with the rescue of a missing San Francisco woman and her two children.
- FCC proposal may aid Qwest in TV market
Qwest Communications and other other telephone companies may have an easier time entering the television market after Wednesday's passage of a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission.
- Geoff Feiss, General Manager- Montana Telecommunications Association Comments on Video Competition
The FCC found that in many instances local franchising authorities make it difficult for new cable TV entities to enter markets by unreasonably refusing to award competitive franchises.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- New German community models car-free living
With gas prices well above $6 per gallon across much of the continent, Vauban is striking a chord in Western Europe as communities encourage people to be less car-dependent.
- America's Great New Towns: Gift to a Nation
By belief and action, the Ranneys and Turner provide a gift for us all -- evidence that America's communities can be more social, more beautiful, more environmentally friendly than standard development, yet still work economically.
- Shock Waves Can Save Hearts
A team of Japanese researchers found that blasting the heart with shock waves helps patients grow new blood vessels and increase blood flow.
- IBM Breakthrough Paves Way For Optical Computers
IBM engineers say they have found a way to harness photons, a breakthrough that could pave the way for ultrafast computers that use light instead of electrons to process information.
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