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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Apr 22, 2008 |
Every day is Earth Day.... If we can't survive on it, what's the alternative?
To raise awareness of Earth Day, we've posted several good stories on green efforts throughout Montana. States with a social conscience and a focus on energy conservation policies and education are much more attractive to entrepreneurs and the companies they build. Everyone can help set an example. When was the last time you rode your bike to work?
Montana World Trade Center
Boomtown Institute
- Montana World Trade Council April 2008 E-News
TRAINING PROGRAM: GLOBAL TRADE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM KICKS-OFF IN BILLINGS APRIL 24-25, 2008…STILL TIME TO REGISTER
Come Home Montana
- The Agurban from Boomtown Institute - Rural Development Left Behind in New Farm Bill Framework
We feel very strongly that rural development is crucial to the overall prosperity of this country. We wish to pass along the following article by Matthew Chase, Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations. Rural development matters!
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Montana Career Opportunity - Sustainability Director for the Sustainable Business Council
Interested in connecting business and community? Missoula’s Sustainable Business Council (SBC) is seeking a highly motivated individual to direct its programs and increase its influence.
Leadership Montana
- “Self-Employment in Rural America: The New Reality,”
The number of rural residents who are selfemployed has doubled in the last three decades.
Montana Business
- Iacocca: This is America, not the damned 'Titanic'. "Where Have All The Leaders Gone?"
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory.
Montana Economic Development
- Analyzing Montana’s modern economy
All those suits, arguing over so much money, surrounded by all that history.
- Goomzee.com of Missoula, Montana Positions to Meet Demands of Mobile Expansion
Goomzee Connect is a mobile marketing service that provides instant delivery of product and service information to mobile phones via text (SMS) messaging.
- Mentoring for success to train Montana's workforce
“The original idea was to make jobs available to people that needed skills in certain areas, but I’ve had some that have stayed with me for 10 years,”
- Montana's Two Dot Wind refurbishing turbines, including those in Martinsdale
"Just like everybody has a chicken coop, everybody will have a wind farm."
- Montana Hutterite colony pins hopes on wind power
Montana's Hutterite colonies, which are some of the state's biggest landowners, have caught the eye of wind developers scouring the state for the best wind and ideal areas to erect turbines.
- Shattering Obstacles to Glass Recycling in Montana
While New World Recycling’s beginnings were modest, the fact that Cullen attempted the business – and has been able to continue and grow since – is remarkable in a state where few glass recycling options even exist.
- Judith Gap, Montana wind farm operators: We’ll offer expanded power elsewhere in state
Operators of the Judith Gap wind-power project said Monday they’ll offer electricity from a proposed expansion to other Montana buyers, after being turned down by the state’s largest utility- Northwestern Energy.
Regional Economic Development
- Wind turbine plant is a top priority in Butte, Montana
For now, it’s just good to know the process is moving along as quickly as possible. At this point, all we can do is hope the study shows this plant to be a solid business decision with a bright future.
- The new gold rush. The power of the wind is growing across Montana
Hundreds of thousands of acres already are under lease to foreign and U.S. wind developers.
- New Community Friendly Grant Opportunities
Ten (10) new 'community-friendly' grant announcements have been made to the Extension weblink
- Gov. Schweitzer: Montana tribes can lure businesses by promoting workers
While Montana has a low overall unemployment rate, the number of people out of work on reservations can run as high as 50 percent. Schweitzer, speaking at the 2008 Tribal Leaders Summit in Helena, said he tells companies that have a hard time finding workers that reservations have ready and willing work forces.
- Bear Paw Development builds businesses, communities in Montana
Bear Paw Development Corp.'s efforts helped coordinate $15.6 million of new investment in the five-county area it serves in 2007, retain or create 84 jobs and leveraged every $1 of local government funding with $173 from outside sources.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Western Governors: Addressing the West's aging, overburdened water infrastructure essential
Addressing the West's aging and overburdened water infrastructure is essential, Western governors told Congress today, if the region is to maintain past gains in environmental quality and to meet future needs with a growing population and competing demands.
Funding and Building your Business
- How Angel Investors Get Their Wings
Studies show that the best time to start a business is when the economy is down.
Incubators and R&D
- Built to Last vs. Built to Flip
As a rule, Web start-ups simply do not thrive when snapped up by the (depressingly few) prospective acquirers like Google, Yahoo and AOL - leading to an unsustainalble cycle.
- Startup School 2008: Key Takeaways
Main take-away: Hurry Up.
- Economic deja vu hitting tech startups
Is it 2001 all over again? Or will the Web fare better this time around?
Montana Education Excellence
- Research Roundup at Montana State University (#276), Norway-bound, Coffee and the American West, Ant trails, Tough bacteria
Bacteria might be tougher than you think.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- MSU workshops offer summer learning adventures in Montana and Yellowstone Country
In its fifth consecutive season, the "Landscapes of the Mind" series offers four weekend courses taught by faculty members from the MSU College of Letters and Science. The courses are open to everyone and can be taken either for credit or no credit.
- University of Montana: Computer games don’t affect productivity. Governor orders games removed from state computers
“It’s ridiculous to us that someone would complain about not having Solitaire,” said Tammy Yedinak, assistant to the deans in the UM School of Business Administration, referring to herself and her co-workers.
- Multimedia Feature: MSU's new collaborative multimedia center opens
The studio was developed to raise awareness of the unique research and creative projects happening at MSU.
Idaho Business
- Gazette Opinion: Montana businesses invest time in schools
"The businesses that provide volunteer tutors and mentors help students learn and become connected in positive ways to their community. That's a sound investment in Billings' future.
Oregon Business
- Idaho Gov. Otter leads Mexico trade mission
Idaho already has an established trade relationship with Mexico, but state officials say a burgeoning middle class makes Mexico a prime market for future consumption of Idaho potatoes, onions, dairy products and frozen foods.
- MotivePower of Boise wins $95 million contract to make locomotives for Maryland transit authority
"This is certainly a large contract for us and represents a year backlog," said Mark Warner, vice president and general manager of MotivePower Inc.
- Idaho foundation establishes scholarship for medical students
One lucky Idaho medical student each year will soon have some extra financial help--and fewer worries about debt--thanks to the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation of Boise.
Utah Business
- Will Portland's Wi-Fi disconnect?
Web access - It was a rocky road to the city's partial system, and disputes with MetroFi Inc. could scuttle the project
Utah Economic Development
- High-paying jobs: Unwanted? The hardest slots to fill in Utah pay about $15 to $40 per hour
There were nearly 35,000 job openings in the metropolitan areas of the Wasatch Front.
Washington State Business
- Utopia: High cost, high speed in Utah
The municipality-owned network still struggles for financial footing
Wyoming Business
- Diversified economy helps Spokane home prices hold up
The area's diversified economy is in better shape than are many other parts of the nation.
- Hollister-Stier expands yet again
President and CEO Anthony Bonanzino expects Hollister-Stier will employ roughly 550 people within a year.
- World Wide Packets will remain in Spokane, WA
“Absolutely, this will be a long-term location,” says Frey, who previously was president and chief operating officer at World Wide Packets. “This is a very positive thing for the Spokane community.”
Education
- Wyoming receives $300,000 in "Smart Start" grants for the youngest children
The Smart Start initiative began in North Carolina about 15 years ago, said Dean Clifford, a consultant who is helping Wyoming set up its infrastructure for children's programs.
Other Economies
- MBAs get a taste of the real world
McCrystal runs a program in Park City to help fill the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge for future generations of Wharton MBAs.
- Technology puts more pupils in the mainstream. Disabled get an assist from electronics and software as schools face new rules
The schools are part of a movement in education to integrate technology into mainstream curriculum and general classrooms so students with disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, blindness, and dyslexia can join their peers.
- Even unpaid internships can pay off. Is your company taking advantage of this opportunity?
Employers not only are paying up for good interns, they're identifying future ones at ever-younger ages—as early as freshman and sophomore years.
- Chris Christensen: Legend of the Classroom
"How do you prepare to deal with the unexpected that's coming up? Get there early, set the place up. Read every signal you can get. So it's intuitive, but it's also systematic."
- The (Yes) Low Cost of Higher Ed
In less than five years, the entire tuition and financial aid system at the nation’s top colleges has been overhauled.
Community
- Web Companies Now Qualify for Incentives Under Nebraska Economic Development Program
"By creating a new tier of incentives that encourage companies to bring higher-paying jobs here to our state, we are increasing our competitiveness and increasing opportunities for Nebraskans, especially our young people."
- Australia 'ideas summit' maps new national path. Australians submitted 8,000 ideas. Experts picked 40.
The first-of-its-kind summit has been touted by the ruling Labour government as a way to harvest the best ideas for the future from Australians across the nation and include regular citizens in the governing process.
- Not taken for granted: A state technology project that succeeded
The universities anticipate significant efficiency improvements from the replacement of paper-based processes with the electronic and real-time tracking of documents, combined with grant-tailored reporting tools.
Connectivity & Communications
- Home Prices Drop Most in Areas with Long Commute
Some analysts see a pause in what's long been inexorable—urban sprawl.
Energy
- Facebook turns to users to translate on-site guidelines
Some say work filled with spelling, grammar mistakes
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Search and Save the Planet
Flock is donating 10% of the revenue generated by searches to a green organization. At the end of the year, users will vote for the organization that will receive the money.
- A new twist for light bulbs that conserve energy
"Any time you can make those compact fluorescent lights more easily and readily exchangeable for incandescents, the more attractive they are for consumers,"
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- How about a 1-pound personal computer that you can clip on your belt? "Oqo" is coming
This 1-pound PC is about the size of an old-fashioned paperback book. It starts at $1,300 and comes with a vivid screen, QWERTY keyboard, built-in wireless and a hard drive or flash memory for storage.
VIRUS ALERTS
- Montana Arts Council honors area folk artists
Five Northcentral Montana folk artists are the initial honorees in a program created by the Montana Arts Council with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
- ISPs' Error Page Ads Let Hackers Hijack Entire Web, Researcher Discloses
"The entire security of the internet is now dependent on some random-ass server run by some British company."
- Tech topic of the day: Someone is sending viruses or spam that appears to come "from" an address at my domain.
You may be experiencing a significant increase in spam with your trash bin filling up rather quickly. Here's a good discussion from Modwest.com on one of the contributors to this problem.
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