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| MATR Newsletter - Fri May 23, 2008 |
"Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together..." -- Carl Zwanzig
Gotta jet? "Angel Flight for Disabled Boy Needed from Montana to Baltimore/Washington D.C. in early June." http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Montana Chamber of Commerce
PrintingForLess
- Montana Chamber Of Commerce Board Meeting, 6/9-10, Sidney, Montana
“I’ve always been talking to them about what a great town Sidney is,” Beenken said. “Some of them have never been here before, so it’s good for them to see what Sidney has going.”
Making the Most of the American Prairie
- "Printing Matters" May 2008 Newsletter from PrintingForLess.com
This month we're pointing you to some tips for making R & R your mantra, so you can tear into each task refreshed, excited and renewed.
Come Home Montana
- American Prairie Foundation - May 2008 E-Newsletter
We are delighted to announce the arrival of the first bison calf of the season.
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Magazine says Billings, Montana among top cities to raise family
Editor Stephen Perrine says the magazine considered sprawl, the crime rate, median home value and the number of parks and museums in arriving at its list of the 100 best cities.
- Montana Career Opportunity - USDA Kalispell Area Director Position
The Area Director participates fully in the planning, marketing, development and implementation of Rural Development housing, business and infrastructure loan, grant and guarantee programs.
- Angel Flight Needed from Montana to Baltimore/Washington D.C. in early June.
Do you know of a corporate or private jet that would be available for this trip?
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Old-fashioned tech transfer. RightNow Technologies of Bozeman, shows that licensing isn’t the only way for industry to tap into university knowledge
It’s “highly unlikely” that the firm would be in Bozeman—a small city remote from coastal information technology centers—without the opportunity to hire MSU graduates, she said. “That source of talent is so important, especially in the computer science area. … [T]he Internet removes geography, but you still have to have a great source of human capital.”
Montana Business
- New Crop of Young Entrepreneurs Eager to Launch Their Own Start-Ups
Young techies "see the landscape and want to jump in even sooner, without getting a job in industry first," said angel investor Ron Conway, who says he has invested in 125 start-ups since 2005. "They are leaping right into the start-up world."
Montana Economic Development
- RV owners who registered in Montana convicted for tax evasion
The Revenue Department also took civil action against other Colorado residents who owned recreational vehicles registered in Montana. The state billed 122 recreational vehicle owners $2.7 million in unpaid sales taxes, penalties and interest.
- RightNow Technologies of Bozeman not opening Butte or Great Falls office
About 22 people submitted resumes. “They were hoping for 40-ish or something in that range,” Smitham said. “They just didn’t get it; it wasn’t anything in particular about Butte.” Great Falls, which was also in the running, also did not get the office.
Regional Economic Development
- Baker, Montana - No housing slump here! Developers needed!
What Baker really needs are investor/developers to come to Baker, asses the possibilities, and see if they can improve their bottom line by working in eastern Montana.
- Prospera Partners with Export-Import Bank of the United States
“We see this partnership as a great opportunity to expand our services to local companies that are engaged in exporting.
- Major company considers bringing jobs to Missoula
The possible employer is one of the nation's largest companies.
- Gazette Opinion: Child care matters to business in Montana
Dollars invested in high-quality preschools have a higher long-term return on investment than dollars invested in U.S. stocks.
Business Plan Forums
- States Take Action to Expand Access to Broadband Communication
"Governors recognize the economic and social promise broadband holds, whether for helping businesses grow, increasing access to health care or enhancing public safety."
- Pro-Environment Urbanites Go Rural For Real
Whether young, first-generation farmers constitute a flood or trickle is difficult to say. But many long-time observers of small farms say they have noticed an increase in recent years among college graduates who want to farm, even if they intern at established farms or rent tiny parcels.
Careers
- State Business Plan Competitions - Entrepreneurs are competing for the gold—and getting much more in the process
Across the country, business plan competitions are helping both early and growth-stage companies jump-start their fundraising.
- Venture Capital: The thrill of speed dating for startups
Entrepreneurs had about eight minutes to convince experts in technology, law, media and finance that their ideas were compelling business opportunities. There was a lot to consume.
Funding and Building your Business
- Famous Failures
If you've never failed, you've never lived.
- Disabled Teens Get Grant For Online IT Training
Employers help identify hiring needs so Creating Futures can tailor education and training programs to give potential hires the technical, business, and communications skills they need.
- Some college grads write own ticket
"It's a myth that it's a tough time for college grads to get jobs," said Michael Deragisch, assistant director of career services for the University of Colorado.
Incubators and R&D
- IRS Provides Relief for Unintentional Operational Violations of Section 409A
Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code covers a wide range of nonqualified deferred compensation plans and arrangements and imposes a number of strict requirements on such plans and arrangements for participants to avoid premature taxation, an additional 20% federal income tax, and an interest-charge tax.
- The Psychology of Entrepreneurial Misjudgment, part 1: Biases 1-6
In this series of blog posts, I will walk through all 25 of the biases Mr. Munger identifies, and then adapt them for the modern entrepreneur.
- Startup demand for debt on the rise, lender says
"Our pipeline is very very large and growing," Labe says. "Definitely, demand for equity is more competitive than ever.
- Dissed Online? How To Fix Your Brand's Rep
"My company builds and sells custom computers. Recently we've received some negative comments on consumer sites. How can we handle this hit to our reputation?"
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Patent protection isn't only option
A friend who has invented numerous items told me that patents were not worth the time and cost. Do you agree?
Montana Education Excellence
- Nonprofit Offers Invention and Innovation Grants to Universities
NCIIA works with “colleges and universities to build collaborative experiential learning programs that help nurture a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs with strong technical and business skills and the tools and intention to make the world a better place.”
- Utah Scientists Believe Brazilian Beetles Hold Key to Faster Computers
By using the scales as a semiconductor mold, researchers hope to finally build the perfect photonic crystal.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Montana University System Names Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe Deputy Commissioner for Two-Year Education
“I want to ensure that all Montana citizens, businesses, and communities have access to the benefits of two-year education and, more importantly, that they make use of that access.”
University TechTransfer
- Hamilton High School construction class project builds 28th affordable home in Ravalli County
Corky Pigman was impressed with the group of boys and how they worked with the company’s subcontractors. “We are very proud of them,” she said. “They paid attention and listened and had a lot of communication with our subs. They were well-behaved and we haven’t had complaints in the neighborhood, so it was a good thing for the community.”
Idaho Business
- University Tech Transfer: Have I Got A Business Idea For You
In 2006, the university pulled in $56.2 million in licensing fees and royalties, placing it fourth among U.S. universities ranked by licensing income.
Utah Business
- WaterCooler Business Incubator project opens in Downtown Boise. With 8 small businesses already in the building, the developer may expand the project to other sites.
"It is a huge milestone for Boise," Rivers said. "It sends a message to the rest of the world that Boise is open for business when it comes to innovation and creativity."
Education
- 8 Utah companies are honored for technology innovations
Eight companies and their technology innovations were honored this week in the sixth annual Utah Innovation Awards program.
Other Economies
- New 'Plus 50 Initiative' by community colleges reaches out to baby boomers
As 78 million baby boomers approach retirement, their attention is turning to staying active and re-focusing their careers - and they're about to get some help from America's community colleges, thanks to a new "Plus 50 Initiative."
- Washington State University to cut 20 percent of its courses to focus on its highest priorities.
A widespread effort to sharpen the university’s focus on its highest priorities, rather than trying to be all things to all people.
- Reports Detail Metrics of States’ Community Colleges, Collaborations with One-Stop Centers
The network of community colleges throughout the U.S. has an integral and increasing role in preparing the nation’s workforce for career and technical training.
Community
- Audacity is the key to securing our prosperity
We need to invest in the upskilling of our people as the basis for recovery in the short term and sustained prosperity long-term.
Connectivity & CommunicationsEnergy
- NSF and the Birth of the Internet
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when the world was not connected. But then a small group of visionaries created the Internet. And changed the world. This is their story.
- Cell phone users may get break on fees
The government is quietly negotiating to help cell phone customers avoid expensive fees when they cancel contracts with wireless companies.
- Next-gen Internet will create bigger digital divide
While access to cable and phone-line broadband has spread to cover perhaps 90% of the U.S. in the space of a decade, next-generation Internet access looks set to create a much smaller group of "haves" and a larger group of "have nots."
Government Technology
- Firms honored for green ingenuity and commitment - Companies prosper while doing good for the planet
"We cast a wide net looking for innovations that are good for business, good for the environment and have the potential to be implemented right now by a broad range of companies."
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Michigan Releases Strategic Plan for Technology
"This 2008 iteration of Michigan's strategic plan for information technology builds on all that we have learned in the past and enhances our vision for the future," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "It lays out how technology will enable us to build a better state government and fulfill our priority areas: jobs, education, communities, health care and better government."
- Montana Museum of Art and Culture May 2008 Newsletter
A new book on the life of Montana Architect A.J. Gibson, published by The University of Montana Press in partnership with the Montana Museum of Art & Culture is due out in mid-July, 2008.
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