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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Feb 9, 2007 |
“We have great research here,” he said, “but we have not done so well with the commercialization of that science.” Dr. William H. Danforth (How much tech transfer is your University completing?)
Congratulations to Missoula's own: "Modwest named to "Top Ten Hosts" List" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Make your reservations now: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to headline economic development session in Butte April 30 and May 1." http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- (I think he may talk about education... http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html )
Come Home Montana
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Manager Grants & Contract Administration - LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Administers government contracts, responsible for project fiscal planning and reporting.
- A Letter to the People of "One Montana" from Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger
Montana is a wonderful state, because of all of the people who make up our diverse population, reaching across political lines and barriers of perception to enrich our lives as "One Montana".
- Laurel, Montana firm plans sweat-equity homes
Laurel Development Corp. is looking for families who want to build their own homes.
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Small-biz nation - Which states are the most entrepreneurial? Which have the most women-owned businesses? Here are snapshots of a few noteworthy locales.
South Dakota boasts the friendliest policy environment for entrepreneurship, according to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, which calculates its rankings based on taxes and regulatory burdens.
Montana Education Excellence
- Cool Commutes
Organizations are increasing productivity whether employees are at a primary work location, secondary, home, customer site or other remote location. Work Anywhere and Cool Commute programs get increased job results with fewer wasted hours from people trapped in gridlocked traffic.
Education
- MAPS - Media Arts in the Public Schools on NPR
Three years ago, Peter Rosten began teaching high school kids how to make movies.
Montana Business
- Rural Colleges Seek New Edge and Urbanize
Pfficials have realized that a more urbanized version of the ideal campus could attract a population well past its college years — working people and retiring baby boomers — if there is housing to suit them. And so a new concept of the college campus is taking root: a small city in the country that is not reserved for only the young.
Montana Meth Project
- Common Ground Marketing Communications specializes in Advanced Technology Companies.
Her business bridges the gap between marketing firms and advertising agencies by offering marketing data interpretation, business infrastructure evaluation, branding strategies, media evaluation & placement, creative messaging and graphic design services.
- Modwest named to "Top Ten Hosts" List
“Given that there are thousands of web hosts on the planet, being recognized as one of the top 10 is significant. It is also personally rewarding to see how our Missoula startup company has become a leading web hosting provider with a worldwide reputation for excellence.”
- Missoula company launches text-for-info ads. Goomzee.com
It’s a new advertising concept called text message marketing, and analysts are predicting it’s set to sweep the nation. Thanks to Mike Sparr and his Internet solutions company, Goomzee, Missoula is at the front of the trend.
Montana Economic Development
- World Premiere Screening Of The New HBO Documentary "Montana Meth", 5/15, Missoula, Montana
The film-airing nationally on HBO March 18th-takes an unflinching look at the devastating impact of methamphetamine use in Montana. This special screening is sponsored by HBO, and will feature a discussion with the film's award-winning director, Eames Yates.
Funding and Building your Business
- The Montana Department of Commerce Announces Montana Main Street Affiliate Program
"This new Affiliate Program will be an extraordinary tool for Montana's rural communities," said Governor Brian Schweitzer. "Many of our small towns are searching for ways to rejuvenate their downtown areas. This program will bring the community back to the heart of Main Street."
- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to headline economic development session in Butte April 30 and May 1.
"My top priority is boosting our state's economy and creating more good-paying jobs, and that's what this summit is all about — jobs, economic development," Baucus said. "The summit is about bringing people together with a variety of ideas on ways to make our state an even better place to live, work and raise a family."
Regional Business
- Restoring Trust to Your Board of Directors - Trust or Consequences
Every useful board eventually encounters considerable internal strife.
- No better time than the present to start planning an exit strategy
When you're thinking of selling something that's as vital to you as your business, it's best to have a well-developed plan firmly in place.
- Start Your Startup with TechStars -
TechStars brings aspiring technology founders to Boulder, Colorado for an intensive three month period, provides seed funding, education, and connections, and will result in the formation of ten new companies during the summer of 2007.
Regional Economic Development
- Study: Living wage jobs tough to nab in Northwest
A study by a coalition of activist groups says the Pacific Northwest is short of jobs that pay enough to live on.
- Study: Few Idaho jobs pay living wage
Idaho's surging economy has not translated into the kind of jobs that pay a living wage for a family of four, according to a study released Tuesday.
Utah Business
- Should Washington state have a business plan? Oregon does... How about your state and community?
Executive editor Executive Editor Leslie Helm travels to Portland to learn about a new business plan Oregon has put together to create jobs and increase the competitiveness of its economy.
- Education, not trade bans will help narrow the economic gap between low- and high-income workers, says Bernanke
The disparity in education and training is "likely the single greatest source of the long-term increase in inequality."
- Biologist Leroy Hood to join Inventors Hall of Fame
"His labs generated the protein sequencer, the DNA sequencer and a number of other groundbreaking biotechnology innovations."
Utah Economic Development
- Blue Sky program shines on five Utah projects. Rocky Mountain Power directs cash to environmentally friendly enterprises
In Utah, more than 20,000 residential and business customers buy renewable energy through the program, which purchases wind power from generators in Washington, Oregon and Wyoming. But as the customer base has grown in Utah, so has interest in seeing some of that money fund renewable projects here, said Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Jeff Hymas.
Idaho Business
- Economic summit features competition for seed money. The winner gets $100,000.
The summit is expected to draw as many as 1,500 business people from across the state. The agenda of the daylong meeting includes sessions on business innovation, law, entrepreneurship, economic development, transportation, energy, real estate and other topics.
Other Economies
- The rural/urban divide in the Idaho legislature. The value of Community Colleges and Workforce Development
“Our workforce is out there right now, doing a good job,” Barrett said. “If they weren’t they’d get fired. I think its offensive to imply we’ve got a lot of dummies out there.”
- Business booms for Hoku Materials, slated to build Pocatello, Idaho polysilicon plant
Construction on the plant is scheduled to begin later this year, and the company plans to open it in late 2008. It is expected to employ 200 people.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- 3 in 10 Michiganders expect they'll have to leave state, poll says
The state's unemployment rate -- at 7.1% in December, the second highest in the nation -- was cited by 39% of respondents as their chief economic concern. Another 31% cited the rising cost of health care.
University TechTransfer
- Wide group gained from YouTube sale. Even Harvard, Povich get part of $1.65 billion windfall, with plenty left for founders
Given the size of the return and short amount of time it took to get it, YouTube will go down in the venture capital hall of fame.
Non-Profit News
- Keeping the Fruits of Research Close to Home
“We have great research here,” he said, “but we have not done so well with the commercialization of that science.”
Energy
- O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, The University of Montana Newsletter - February - March 2007
This is another installment in our regular report to you and others here in the region on the activities of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West. We want to keep you informed about what we're doing and hope that you continue to have an interest in the Center and its work.
- Missoula Nonprofit Network Workshop “The Top 10 Nonprofit Image Blunders” , 2/20, Missoula
Fran Albrecht, M.Ed., Executive Director of Watson Children’s Shelter, will present “The Top 10 Nonprofit Image Blunders” delivering a humorous but practical message that will encourage non-profits to consider ways to avoid image-damaging errors and focus efforts towards enhancing the image of their organization.
Commuter Rail Development
- Mining heat from the earth? New technology shows promise.
New techniques could expand the capabilities of geothermal power, producing 10 percent of US electricity by 2050.
- The Nano Secret to Concrete. Researchers aim to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by shedding light on the nanostructure of cement.
Concrete is the most widely used man-made material, and the manufacture of cement--the main ingredient of concrete--accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas involved in global warming.
Leadership Montana
- Light Rail May Bring A 'There' There
With the expansion of light rail projects in Portland, Oregon, an inconspicuous town center may finally find an identity and truly become a center of activity.
City Club Missoula
- Student Leadership Conference, 3/3, University Of Montana, Missoula
The conference, sponsored by UM’s Center for Leadership Development, includes a series of panels and workshops that offer a variety of perspectives about student leadership and the importance of building future leaders.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Missoula Mayor John Engen to discuss local government, global warming at City Club Missoula on 2/16
"Many mayors of small and large cities across the United States, concerned with the slow pace of change at the federal level, have come to the conclusion that climate change is a local issue with global consequences and have committed themselves to making a difference at home and around the world," Engen said recently.
VIRUS ALERTS
- Wizardry at Harvard: Physicists Move Light
In a quantum mechanical sleight of hand, Harvard physicists have shown that they can not only bring a pulse of light, the fleetest of nature’s particles, to a complete halt, but also resuscitate the light at a different location and let it continue on its way.
- Most Significant Internet Attack Since 2002 on Feb. 6, 2007
"These zombie computers could have brought the Web to its knees, and while the resilience of the root servers should be commended, more needs to be done to tackle the root of the problem - the lax attitude of some users towards IT security," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Society is almost totally reliant on the Internet for day-to-day communication -- it's ironic that the people who depend on the Web may have been the ones whose computers were secretly trying to bring it down."
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