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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Mar 9, 2007 |
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." -- John Lennon
Several noteworthy stories that warrant your attention --- "Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development Report on Activities 2005 - 2006 to Governor Brian Schweitzer and the 60th Legislative Assembly" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- "Why Teens Aren't Finding Jobs, and Why Employers Are Paying the Price. "Without widespread teen employment opportunity, the future workforce will be compromised." http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- "Club donates $$ to improve science ed in Billings High Schools" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html ---
Boomtown Institute
Come Home Montana
- The Agurban from Boomtown Institute - The Good News Is...
Boomtown Institute serves as an economic development mentor to communities across the United States, leading communities to realize their full potential.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Technical Services Supervisor, Nutritional Laboratories International, Inc.
An emerging leader in the nutritional supplement industry, Nutritional Laboratories Int'l. Inc. is seeking a Technical Services Supervisor to join it's talented, fast paced team.
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Start-Ups More Successful in Cities with Fewer High-School Dropouts
The education level of local populations can have a direct impact on business success, new research shows.
Montana Education Excellence
- Driving Stress From Your Daily Commute
Commuting can be stressful and time-consuming. Here are some ideas to make your daily commute more interesting and comfortable:
- Is a Job Move Worth It? How to Weigh Your Options
Saying yes to a job in a small town when you live in a big city -- or vice versa -- involves big changes and may require sacrifices. Weigh factors such as cultural offerings, sports and recreation opportunities, traffic and the pace of life. Even "the weather can really influence people's happiness," says Ms. Moore of Johns Hopkins. The question: Can you live with the differences?
- The desire for slower pace, more security and the ability to carry out transactions from anywhere via the internet are fueling a renewed interest in rural living.
"Before I was working so hard just to get ahead. I wasn't home enough. [We] came here and the cost of living is lower and there's more stuff we can do together."
- Rural Revival
How do you explain Bozeman’s spectacular boom? My response to this often asked question—“Why are you here?” After a moment of self-reflection, the usual answer provided is, “We decided this would be a great place to live.”
- Little Start-up on the Prairie
In the first half of the 21st century, as the nation grows from 300 toward 400 million people, Aurora and other places in the American Heartland will provide a critical outlet for the restless energies and entrepreneurial passions of its people.
Education
- University of Montana Inks Exchange Agreement with Two Italian Universities
UM has signed exchange agreements with the University of Brescia and the Catholic University of Northern Italy to promote student and faculty exchanges. In addition it will also provide opportunities for work internships and research exchanges. The agreements, signed last week, were facilitated in part by the World Trade Centers at UM and the University of Brescia.
- Four Montana robot teams qualify for nationals
Two teams from Belgrade, one from Great Falls and one from Missoula qualified for nationals during two related competitions at Montana State University.
2007 Montana Legislature
- Math plus creativity equals learning that lasts
Earlier, Bryan used real-life scenarios to breathe life into her statistics class' standard deviation problems. A student calculating how long a TV set might last learned that electronics manufacturers use the formula to determine warranty length. Another student figuring out attendance at an exhibition learned that event planners calculate the amount of food needed at conventions in the same way.
- Intel Competition Is Where Science Rules and Research Is the Key
The Intel is more than a gimmicky contest that garners publicity for its chipmaker sponsor. It genuinely prompts hundreds of students to plunge into vanguard research. This year, 1,705 students from 487 schools in 44 states entered, said Katherine Silkin, the contest’s program manager. High school seniors in the United States and its territories enter the Intel, though their research often begins years earlier.
- Bill Gates calls for higher educational standards
"The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our work force consists of people who have the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation,"
Montana Business
- GOP: Energy bills slow to come to Montana legislature
"There will be adequate time to consider (the bills), there really will be," Evan Barrett, chief economic officer for Gov. Brian Schweitzer, said this week. "We're very close to wrapping them up."
Montana Meth Project
- University of Montana Professor finds promise in poison-detecting bees. "Bee Alert"
Tarver has helped design a computer program that can analyze the buzzing of bees, and this analysis is showing that behind that buzzing is a lot more than just sound and fury.
Montana Economic Development
- Montana Meth Project to launch new ads. New campaign will highlight how drug use affects friends
"You can barely listen to this group of radio ads."
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Main Street Montana Spring Edition Highlights Roosevelt County
"Historically Montana has been an agricultural exporting state," said Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly. "Today we face the challenge of growing our rural communities to reduce the exportation of our workforce."
- Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development Report on Activities 2005 - 2006 to Governor Brian Schweitzer and the 60th Legislative Assembly
If you haven't already, please send your letters of support for continued funding of economic development efforts in Montana: http://matr.net/article-22976.html
- Agriculture Department Seeking Summer Interns
The Montana Department of Agriculture is offering paid internships in several programs this summer for students who have completed two years of college course work.
Funding and Building your Business
- Can Smaller Cities Compete with the Country’s Most Successful VC Markets?
Smaller cities with significant venture capital investment often possess clusters that focus on particular industries. These clusters grow because of formal and informal linkages between individuals and business, which can attract the attention of venture firms.
Regional Economic Development
- Top 17 Startup Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make
A seasoned entrepreneur reveals the 17 most common mistakes startups make -- and how you can avoid them.
- More dads resist business travel
The concern about the impact of fathers' travel on family is a challenge for employers grappling with retention and recruitment issues.
- Becoming customer-centric isn't just about customer satisfaction
There's a trend in business today for companies to become more customer-centric. Your company's objectives should highlight the quality of your product and the support of your customers.
- Founders at Work
On raising money: “The advice I would give is to avoid it. I would say spend as little as you can because every dollar of the investors’ money you get will be taken out of your ass…”
- Passion called key to success. 'Apprentice' Rancic speaks to aspiring entrepreneurs
"The best investment I ever made was in myself; in trusting myself,"
- 14 Killer Questions to Ask in Your Next Interview
Some of the questions are very straight forward and some are tricky ones that bring out the candidates personality and behavior without directly asking them.
- Five to Help You Thrive. The five critical business relationships every entrepreneur must nurture
"Smart entrepreneurs never forget their own success is intertwined with a complex network of other people and organizations."
- Can You Really Land Venture Capital?
Our raising money expert takes a look at the current state of VC funding to give you the straight facts about your chances of attracting capital.
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Consider your board a resource, not burden
I am seeking angel funding for my business. I think it would be a good strategy to have a few board members in place to increase my credibility.
Idaho Business
- Why Teens Aren't Finding Jobs, and Why Employers Are Paying the Price. "Without widespread teen employment opportunity, the future workforce will be compromised."
Teen unemployment has hit historic lows in the last three years. Experts in the field say employers who want to ensure a quality workforce down the line should sit up and take notice.
- Fed Considers Connection between Universities, Economic Growth
Although important, university tech transfer on its own cannot drive economic growth. Local talent is the key element in growing and attracting industries, and universities are the most important means for creating a talented workforce and entrepreneurial community. In order to maximize their benefit to the community, institutions should pursue a balanced approach to economic outreach, one that includes technology transfer, strong academic programs and executive training, attraction of companies, tech parks and incubators, and targeted cluster initiatives.
- The Northwest Cooperative Development Center is looking for farmers, consumers and businesses who’ve sought to create a biofuel or biopower cooperative business in the Pacific Northwest.
By contributing information about your project, you will be conserving a place for the cooperative business model in the emerging bioenergy industry.
Washington State Business
- Washington Group wants to hire 1,000-plus
Washington Group International said March 7 that it plans a national recruiting campaign to hire more than 1,000 engineers, other professionals, and support staff.
Wyoming Business
- 220 jobs slashed at Physio-Control
Physio-Control of Redmond said Tuesday it is laying off 130 employees and accepting voluntary termination or furlough offers from an additional 90.
- More Speakers Added to the 2007 Tech Summit! Join Washington Governor Chris Gregoire and the region's technology leaders as they converge for one event — the 2007 Washington State Technology Summit.
As word spreads, more and more of the region's trendsetters in the high-tech marketplace are converging for one event — the 2007 Washington State Technology Summit on Thursday, April 12, 2007.
- Clearwire IPO nets $600 million. McCaw back in the mix with keenly awaited public offering
Investor demand was high for the offering, with one person who was familiar with the IPO saying that the deal was oversubscribed by six or seven times.
Other Economies
- Brazilians visit Wyoming for work
Wyoming's burgeoning economy has left a vacuum in the work force of many small businesses, particularly in the food-services industry.
Incubators and R&D
- Maine Considers Value, Impact of Public R&D Investments
Over the last 10 years, the State of Maine has invested more than $296 million into R&D – an impressive figure for a state with an average population over the decade of just over 1.3 million people.
University TechTransfer
- Undergraduate research gets renewed boost at Montana State University
"The MSU Beckman Scholars Program will continue through 2010, giving five MSU students $19,300 each to conduct research for two summers and the intervening academic year," said Steven Holmgren, director of the Undergraduate Scholars Program at MSU.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Stanford Plays Matchmaker between student entrepreneurs and VC's
In an interesting sign of the times, venture capitalists in search of big returns are no longer waiting for revolutionary ideas to come to them.
- The promise and perils of tech transfer. Universities mull industry partnerships
"This is not only good for the country, this is good for the communities around the universities,''
- Guidelines offered for responsible technology licensing
The white paper—titled "In the Public Interest: Nine Points to Consider in Licensing University Technology"—aims to encourage technology transfer agreements to facilitate broad development and dissemination of university-generated technologies. A key point is that researchers at universities across the country should be able to continue to work with intellectual property that has been licensed to commercial concerns.
Careers
- Club donates $$ to improve science ed in Billings High Schools
"Part of the organization's main goal is to make sure we're doing everything we can to get kids interested in the sciences, particularly engineering," said Adam Gollofon, a petroleum engineer for Nance Petroleum and the chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers' local chapter.
Energy
- Toyota University Opens Admissions to Outsiders
The company isn't only one of the most efficient and profitable auto makers on the planet, it also has quietly become a kind of managerial guru. At times, it has opened the doors of its in-house training center, known as the University of Toyota, and welcomed students ranging from home builders to soldiers to city cops.
Connectivity & Communications
- Venture Capitalists Want to Put Some Algae in Your Tank
The idea of replacing crude oil with algae may seem like a harebrained way to clean up the planet and bolster national security.
- EU leaders agree on ambitious plan to battle global warming
"We can avoid what could well be a human calamity,"
- Wireless, flexible solar technology gets White House backing
A company trying to harness energy from sunlight and interior light to wirelessly power everything from cell phones to signboards now has financial backing from the White House.
City Club Missoula
- Nationwide Digital Divide Program Launches First Pilot In Chicago - El Paso, Texas, Launches Digital Inclusion Initiative
EarthLink announced yesterday the launch of the EarthLink Digital Future Program, which is designed specifically to promote digital inclusion among citizens in municipalities across the country.
- Vermont Governor Showcases Economic and Social Value of Universal Broadband and Wireless
Douglas said his remarks focused on the ability of his e-state initiative to revolutionize telecommunications by making Vermont the nation's first state where quality data and cellular voice coverage and high-speed broadband Internet are available to everyone within the state's borders by 2010.
- Australian Broadband Guarantee Announced
Australians will now be able to access broadband services regardless of where they live thanks to the Australian Government's $163 million (approximately $128 million USD) Australian Broadband Guarantee
- The 10 Most Connected Cities in the World
Whether you are a webmaster, a gamer, or just an occasional online shopper, the digital world is increasingly a vital part of all of our lives. And if you're anything like us, you've come to depend on the Internet for many of your everyday needs, both work and play. But despite all the new ways to utilize connectivity in our lives, for most of us, there are still large parts of our day when we can't be connected ... or can we?
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- City Club Missoula - A Discussion With Roger Millar - Director - Missoula Office Of Planning And Grants, 3/16, Missoula
"Missoula is a unique place, but we can learn from the successes and failures of other unique places," says Millar. "Quality of life is of paramount importance to the people who live here and the people who are considering moving here."
- Connecting Your Brain to the Game
Using an EEG cap, a startup hopes to change the way people interact with video games.
- Microsoft's gadgets of the future get their day in the limelight
In many cases, elements of the research projects end up making their way into the company's products. But during a question-and-answer session Tuesday with reporters and bloggers, Microsoft Research's leaders were asked why the company hasn't been able to incorporate the research advances into its products more quickly.
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