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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Mar 4, 2008 |
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." -- Sir Winston Churchill
I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my request for experts on bio-cellulose ethanol. It's wonderful to hear of so many who are active in this area in Montana. Here's the event. If you're interested, hope you'll register today: "The Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy Invites You to Discuss: Climate Change In Montana: Impacts & Opportunities For Agriculture And Energy , 5/12-13, Bozeman" http://matr.net/articl ... .html ---Noteworthy development: "Montana Department of Commerce Launches Website for Technology Transfer from Montana Universities and Business Development Resources" http://matr.net/articl ... .html
Come Home Montana
Idaho National Laboratory
- Montana Career Opportunity - Executive Director - Helena Public Schools
The Executive Director is responsible for the implementation of the Educational Foundation mission and is accountable for financial management, operations and program/project development.
- Italian brothers find middle of Montana is a great place to start a global business - Bottega Montana in Lima, Montana
Their tables, which the Gillias are marketing for upwards of $16,000, use a unique system of wood joints that require no hardware and can be taken apart in minutes. Their woodworking business, Bottega Montana, is a success story of how two Italian guys ended up in the middle of nowhere yet sell their works throughout the world.
Funding and Building your Business
- Idaho National Laboratory Technology Available for Licensing - Control Systems Cyber Security Self-Assessment Tool (CS2SAT)
CS2SAT is a desktop software tool which guides users through a step-by-step process to collect facility specific control system information and then makes appropriate recommendations for improving the system’s cyber security posture.
- Idaho National Laboratory to build $5M radiochemistry lab. INL researchers gear up for full-scale hydrogen plant
Some of the research at the lab will support the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative, developing ways to reduce the volume spent nuclear fuel waste requiring repository disposal.
MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association
- Wow, Venture Capital in the Rockies, it gets better every year.
I am looking forward to next year's Venture Capital in the Rockies 2009 and I can only imagine the view getting better from here.
- Managers who are too nice often make the workplace worse
Avoiding an unpleasant confrontation now can lead to bigger problems in the future
- Memo to human resources: New ways to get great candidates
Here are five of my favorite ways companies can hire people without focusing on the job listing itself.
- Workplace Coach: Leading change is never easy
Today, a mere 1 percent of businesses surveyed say they anticipate no change in their future.
- Apple tutorial classes help create bond with customers
It's all part of the carefully cultivated Apple experience, one of the reasons the company's customers tend to be loyal.
- Executives Must Realize and Learn the Power of Social Media
Revolutionaries Pull Ahead of the Wait-and-Sees
- Marketing Your Way Through a Recession
Companies should bear eight factors in mind when making their marketing plans for 2008 and 2009:
- Dot-Commitment. Young Entrepreneur Learns Ups and Downs of Building a Web Start-Up
"The challenge that he and other early entrepreneurs face is: How much control are they willing to give up both financially and intellectually?"
Education
- March MEDA Online News
Thanks to David Young, Professor, Community Resource Specialist Extension Service & College of Nursing, MSU, MEDA has more access to community grant information. You can bet we will have links from David in every newsletter.
Montana Meth Project
- BYU cheers its No. 7 business school ranking
This is the third consecutive year the school has made the Top 10.
- Top 10 Amazing Chemistry Videos
Fiery explosions, beautiful reactions, and hilarious music videos are great reasons to be excited about chemistry. Here are some of our favorites.
- Teacher under fire for showing Gore film without rebuttal
"We may be contributing 1 percent to global warming. It's largely due to solar activity, and there's not a thing we can do about it," Colley said. "The polar caps on Mars are melting, and there's not an SUV or smokestack in sight."
- Technology Brings Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to Classrooms Nationwide
Students will explore in real time one of the planet's most spectacular and most important biodiversity hotspots, California's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
University Business Plan Competitions
- Montana Conference explores meth's impact
Kathryn Wells said she has heard parents say they are better parents when they are using Meth because they are more alert and attentive.
Connectivity & Communications
- Moot Corp Competition - "the Super Bowl of world business plan competition."
It was the first competition of its kind for MBA students and is still considered the most prestigious in the world.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- iPhone jailbreak tools updated to open firmware 1.1.4
The latest version of iPhone activation, jailbreaking and unlocking tool, ZiPhone, has been released. The tool promises full access to Apple's handset in under five minutes.
- YouTube Live Video Coming This Year
With Google's financial backing, Steve Chen is optimistic about offering real-time streaming on the Web this year.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- IBM Network Prototype Promises 1-Second Movie Downloads
The technology uses photons of light, instead of electrons, to transmit information at 8 trillion bits per second.
Montana Business
- Fly High With Angel Investors
Active angel investors are a mix of the working wealthy and the retired rich. Some dabble in these private investments, while others manage their money full time. Like the businesses they invest in, angels come in all shapes and sizes.
Legislative Newsletters
- Made in Montana Marketplace features products made under the Big Sky
Seegers has attended the Made in Montana expo for six years. She has gotten most of her wholesale accounts through the event, she said.
- Great Falls, Montana International Airport savors string of successes. $444,866, to AvMax Montana for new jobs
"These are more than just good jobs," she said. "They pay $15.50 to $28.50 an hour, with benefits, which will create career paths that allow young Montanans to stay in the state."
- Flathead quartet accused of fraud - Style 'N Tile
If you were solicited by representatives of, or invested in, Style 'N Tile, contact the state auditor's office at 1-800-332-6148 or 444-2040.
- Mental-health services hard to find in E. Montana
Creating community-based treatment centers that would provide help as close to home as possible for everyone who needs it is a solution that would generate few objections.
- Montana issues new strategic tourism plan
To remain competitive in the tourism industry over the next five years, Montana must improve coordination within its tourism sector and find sustainable ways to manage its natural resources.
- Laurel, Montana's Wood's Powr Grip growing global sales
"These figures reflect how valuable our export commodities are in the world market," Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in a news release.
Montana Economic DevelopmentOregon Business
- Montana Lt. Governor Bohlinger & Commerce Director Present Over $444,000 in Economic Development Funds to Great Falls Airport Project
"Governor Brian Schweitzer and I are extremely proud to see this type of economic development in Great Falls because it means Montana's on the move," said Lt. Governor Bohlinger. "These grants will create 74 new, good paying jobs with benefits and help expand a project that's beneficial to the airport and the Great Falls community."
- Biofuel symposium offers energy alternatives
“I’m hoping the day serves as an educational and informational setting for this community,” LaSalle said. “There’s a lot of opportunity in this county, not only for the bio-fuel industry, but also for the job market.”
- County-wide "State of the Community" conference in Richland County on March 14.
"These should be the issues that are most important to the community."
- The Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy Invites You to Discuss: Climate Change In Montana: Impacts & Opportunities For Agriculture And Energy , 5/12-13, Bozeman
The Wheeler conference will, in a non-partisan and inclusive way, explore all these issues through well-formed panels and knowledgeable speakers. Whitney MacMillan, former President of Cargill, Inc., will provide the evening keynote.
- Montana Department of Commerce Launches Website for Technology Transfer from Montana Universities and Business Development Resources
"Montana's on the move with a flourishing high tech industry," said Governor Brian Schweitzer. "The Big Sky Innovation web site is a remarkable resource that will help our technology business sector connect and continue to grow, further strengthening Montana's economy."
- AE Biofuels builds demonstration plant in Butte
The feedstocks include switch grass, straw and corn stalks, which will be used alone and in combination with a variety of starches and sugars.
Regional Economic Development
- Web site links golfers even off the course. GolfingMyWay.com started by University of Oregon business students
"We just decided to do it ourselves," said Rasmussen. "And the more we began to brainstorm potential features and ideas the more we all became excited (and) confident that this would succeed."
Utah Business
- Entrepreneurship and Urban Success: Toward a Policy Consensus
Localities and states should pursue sound "build it and they will come" policies—building strong local educational systems and institutions, and developing supporting infrastructure—because these components are important for citizens and businesses, regardless of whether they stimulate the formation or growth of new companies.
- Grading the States '08. How does your state measure up?
Information elements, in short, are key to how a state takes care of its infrastructure, plans for its financial future and deals with the dramatic changes affecting the state workforce. Governors understand this.
Utah Economic Development
- Potty training: Utah inventors hit it big with little watch. Potty Time Inc.
A Sandy couple is showing that with a little desire, some expertise and a small amount of capital, a home-grown business can be created out of almost anything - even pee and poop.
- Utah Recognized as the Best Managed State in the Nation
“Utah taxpayers are definitely getting the best bang for their buck,” Governor Huntsman said. “We continue to work like never before to cross boundaries in state government to create an infrastructure that is effective and efficient.”
Idaho Business
- Long-distance learning comes to Southern Utah
"It's like a blessing to come here."
Washington State Business
- Innovation Idaho report and map available
“We think people will be surprised at the breadth and depth of innovation occurring in our state, especially as they realize that every county has at least one innovative company.”
- $500 million development taking shape in Meridian, Idaho. Developer expects Pinebridge to attract lucrative health sciences and technical jobs to the Valley
"Health sciences is where it's at," Baker said. "And we need educated jobs. Not just call-center jobs."
- Policymakers don’t recognize importance of Boise’s knowledge economy. Idaho TechConnect
Boise owes its economic growth to the large corporations, particularly Micron and Hewlett-Packard, that have created a market for supplies and services. These large companies have also spawned smaller startups, which have kept the area growing. “These are the incubators,” Mayer said. “From there you have entrepreneurs.”
- Nuclear company, Alternate Energy Holdings in talks with Idaho utilities
AEH is proposing a $4.5 billion, 1,600-megawatt merchant nuclear plant near Bruneau and is expected to begin a federal permitting process this year.
- Micron to build new plant in Boise
The expansion wouldn't add many new jobs, but would help to secure the company's existing jobs, a Micron executive said.
Government
- Governor Gregoire pledges $700,000 to keep Russell in Tacoma, Washington
The money would come out of an economic development account funded by unclaimed state lottery winnings.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- The value of performance auditing in government programs.
You need to ask the difficult question: Are results being achieved with public funds? Having the mechanism to ask the question in a targeted but variety of ways is very important. That's what we're doing here.
- There's a famous line from one of America's greatest movies, "Cool Hand Luke."
Include the public from the ground floor up.
- Government Can Benefit By Learning From Losers
Best practices are all well and good. We make a case for a center to study the worst.
Careers
- Economic Developoment "Makes The Grade" in Higher Education
The ASCU report states that this year “is likely to witness continued partnerships between states and public institutions of higher education to stimulate greater workforce development activities, research and development capacity, and business incubation.”
Non-Profit News
- On the Job: Most important job interview question. Do you fit in?
''Whether you are liked or not accounts for about 40 percent of the hiring decision,''
- Explaining the Gap in Pay Between Rural and Urban Work
Work pays less in rural places than in the cities. The surprise is that the gap is wider for college graduates than for those with high school diplomas.
Energy
- Nonprofits working to bring more money to Montana. Mountain Sky Guest Ranch
The kind of close relationship that Mountain Sky enjoys with an out-of-state funding source is rare in Montana, a state that nonprofit leaders say does not seem to exist to major foundations with big-money grants to award, like the Ford, Rockefeller and Mellon foundations.
Transportation
- Creating Ethanol from Wood More Efficiently
Bacteria in termite guts could make ethanol from noncorn sources cheaper.
- Eco-Friendly Gadgets for Your Home and Your 'Hood
Now you can cut your electric bills in high-tech ways, like installing an electricity-generating turbine in your toilet
- Weyerhaeuser, Chevron look at nonfood source for biofuels
For potential feedstocks for production of cellulosic ethanol, Catchlight will look at plants that can be grown on forestlands, such as switchgrass, and recycled paper.
- Danish wind energy firm Vestas Wind Systems brings new factory for big blades to Windsor, Colorado - could boost eco-energy
The facility and its 650 jobs mark the beginning of what economic development officials hope will become a robust industry in Colorado.
- Potential of clean energy is lost on lawmakers
One would think that living in a region with some of the best renewable energy potential in the nation would encourage western lawmakers to start looking to the future. But a vote last week in the U.S. House of Representatives shows that many including Montana’s Rep. Denny Rehberg are still mired in that old coal and petroleum mind-set.
- Studies Say Biofuels Contribute to Destruction of Cropland, Rain Forest
“When you take this into account, most of the biofuel that people are using or planning to use would probably increase greenhouse gasses substantially,”
Montana Education Excellence
- Railroad buffs see increasing support for passenger rail service through Missoula
“It just shows you that people in Montana and across the nation need another choice, and that there should be some changes to our transportation system.”
- Transportation Needs Won't Wait. Taking America's Infrastructure to the Bank
The cost of addressing our transportation infrastructure needs is growing daily. Putting it off will cost us hundreds of millions of dollars more in years to come.
Community
- Airborne Bacteria Make It Rain, MSU Researcher, David Sands Finds
The fact that bacteria could cause snow and rain was discovered almost by accident in the 1970s by study co-author David Sands, a Montana State University plant pathologist, during his research on Pseudomonas syringae, a microbe that causes ice to form on leaves.
- Reporter's notebook: Dems' attempt to put school mess on GOP doesn't make grade in Montana
Democrats have chosen to do something else that's self-serving and misleading: blame Montana Republicans for their own inaction.
- Montana regents meet to focus on building projects
The regents will talk about long-range building priorities for the entire Montana University System, which the board is now discussing for the 2011 biennium. Number one on the 17-item list of priorities is a new $32.5 million College of Technology building on UM’s South Campus, followed by a $5 million agriculture research training lab at MSU, and a new $12 million science building for MSU-Billings.
- Innovative University of Montana Online Course Trains Teachers in Indian Education
Now The University of Montana offers a new tool to help teachers and administrators enhance their Indian-based curriculum. It’s an online graduate course called Indian Education Leadership Training.
Leadership Montana
- Modeling downtown
He predicts more municipalities will turn to Google Earth. Planners, for example, could see how existing “green” or historic buildings elsewhere would fit in their cities.
- Grants Available for K-12 Youth Leadership and Engagement
The Sprint Foundation and the Sprint Ahead for Education grant program are offering grants to schools to support character education programs that promote youth leadership, youth volunteerism, school pride and a positive school culture.
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