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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Jan 9, 2009 |
"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps." -- Emo Phillips
Here's your opportunity to have an impact on the economic development future of Montana: "Montana Legislative Alert - Call to Action on 2010 Montana Economic Development Programs !!!! Your Support is Needed! " http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html -- The calendar is getting busy. Are you participating in these beneficial events? http://matr.net/events.phtml
Idaho National Laboratory
Montana World Trade Center
- Idaho Lab's New Energy Research Center - The Center for Advanced Energy Studies
The Center for Advanced Energy Studies is a public-private partnership
Three Cups of Tea - The Central Asia Institute
- Seeking Nominations: Montana Governor's Excellence in Exporting Award - (District Export Council)
This award will recognize a firm or individual that has made a significant contribution to the economy through export activities.
2009 Montana Legislature
- 6 Legislators nominate Greg Mortensen ("Three Cups of Tea")of Bozeman for Nobel Peace Prize
"The Nobel Peace Prize recognizes individuals who have worked tirelessly to promote peace and prosperity in countries around the world...Greg Mortensen's work advancing children's education in volatile countries encompasses these values. I can think of no one more deserving of this award," said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Come Home Montana
- Montana Legislative Alert - Call to Action on 2010 Montana Economic Development Programs !!!! Your Support is Needed!
If these programs go away, it will be extremely difficult to reconstruct the current framework of economic development programs in Montana.
- Montana Gov. Schweitzer: Corporation Lobbyists a ‘Row of Vultures’
Gov. Schweitzer urged more than a dozen environmental activists and lobbyists to keep up the work they do, especially beating back what he characterized as self-serving bills meant to enrich corporations. "They have an agenda that is probably not in tune with Montanans in most cases"
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Montana Career Opportunity – Data Center Supervisor – iConnect Montana LLC
The person in this position will participate in the development, implementation, sustainment and optimization of data center facilities that provide high-quality, cost-effective services to iConnect’s customers and contribute to achieving iConnect’s business goals and objectives.
Montana Biotech
- Moving to Flyover Country
Lost in the discussions of the decline has been the continuation of a seemingly inexorable secular trend: the continued migration to the “Flyover County” that many of the coastal urban elites tend to dismiss as insignificant and even unlivable. What residents of Elitia reject, millions are embracing.
- How the city hurts your brain (so move to a rural community!)
While it's long been recognized that city life is exhausting -- that's why Picasso left Paris -- this new research suggests that cities actually dull our thinking, sometimes dramatically so.
- Small firms begin to see advantage of telecommuting
"Today's economy is becoming an impetus for this growing workforce. It is ideal for the knowledge-based information industry, but even other industries will shift to this in the near future. Look at the e-commerce shift that has taken place,"
Montana Business
- News from Montana BioScience Alliance
Happiest of holidays to our members and friends! Here's to a prosperous 2009.
- Invest Northwest CEO And Investor Forum, 3/17-18, Seattle, WA - LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Bozeman, Montana based private, biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative vaccine products based on the company’s proprietary virus-like particle platform technology.
Montana Economic Development
- Lance Trebesch, CEO of TicketPrinting.com Joins the Board of the Better Business Bureau
“We very much look forward to having Lance join the Board of the Better Business Bureau. He brings a wealth of tech startup and online business experience to the Board. Building trust and accountability in online businesses is a significant part of the BBB’s focus,” said Jan Quintrall, CEO of the Better Business Bureau.
- Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network celebrates 15 year anniversary
“(EMTN) has grown to a nationally recognized network serving thousands of patients yearly across Montana and Wyoming,” Glendive Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Scott Duke said.
- St. Vincent Healthcare joins Green Directory Montana
"It works very much like a telephone book or Yellow Pages, except it's green pages," said Kim Rees, a biomedical environment of care specialist for St. Vincent.
- Web developer needed in the Darby- Hamilton area
Just had a call from someone looking for a local web developer that they can work with face to face. Client is located in Darby, Montana.
Regional Economic Development
- Act to make Richland County, Montana a better place to live at the “State of the Community” County-wide Conference on Jan. 23
At this year’s conference, organizations will have the opportunity to set up informational booths as well as participate in the discussion sessions to get out the word about what is being done in Richland County.
- Montana Has $3.1 Billion in Eco-Stimulus Projects on the Burner, if Congress Passes Plan
These projects could potentially create more than 100,000 jobs, the administration said.
- Kalispell Chamber of Commerce January 2009 Newsletter
Moving and changing at a speedy pace, the rapidly-growing world economy will bring increasing business opportunities to Montanans over the next few years.
- Tech To Obama: Invest In Innovation, Not Bridges
"I think it’s great that they want to build more highways and bridges, but if you really want to invest in long-term job viability you need to invest in the innovation economy."
- Great Falls Development Authority doles out last of loan funds
America's economic slump is taking its toll in the heartland, Brett Doney told the Great Falls City Commission on Tuesday night.
- Energizing the northcentral Montana workforce. Meeting on Jan. 17th in Havre
“Business owners, entrepreneurs, civic and tribal leadership, as well as motivated residents, will receive valuable information,”
Careers
- Yellowstone-Teton Region’s Prosperity Will Require Cross-Boundary Collaboration. Yellowstone Business Partnership
Communities in the Yellowstone-Teton region have much to gain from greater cross-boundary collaboration, according to a business group whose members are located in 25 Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming counties that surround Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
- Broadband's a Start. But What's For Rural America in Stimulus Plans? Boosting the middle class must include rural America
The discussion of how rural America fits into any federal stimulus plan won't end with broadband. Several powerful members of Congress this week talked about how rural communities needed to be fully included in any stimulus package. But the first concrete mention of spending in rural America came from the President-elect and it was about broadband.
- Do Film Incentive Programs Work?
States around the country have delivered big tax breaks to film companies to shoot in their area, but do they pay off? A recent study in New Mexico says no.
Funding and Building your Business
- 25 Web Resources To Help You Get Your LinkedIn Game On
25 tips for putting LinkedIn to work
Incubators and R&D
- 8 Key Factors to Consider When Pursuing Mobile Marketing - Goomzee.com of Missoula
Today’s marketplace is rife with mobile technology solutions, both good and bad. So how does one differentiate within this vast catalog?
- CEOs Need Mentors, Not Yes-Men (That Means You!)
Behind every successful business person is a mentor or two. We all need them in our inexorable climb to the top. But if you think it stops there, you’re wrong. The top job actually requires the most mentoring, not the least.
- Lean product development workshop to be offered in Missoula on Jan. 14
The course is intended for product designers and others involved with product development and will teach how to apply lean manufacturing techniques to the development process.
- Avoid These 7 Partnership Killers
Pitfalls abound when entrepreneurs decide to become partners. Know what they are ahead of time so you can set up guidelines that allow people to walk away if things go wrong.
- We Don't Need No Stinkin' Web Sites
Many of the people shouting how absolutely critical it is for a small business to have a Web site are -- drum roll, please -- in the business of helping small businesses create Web sites. Surprise!
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Minimizing the pain from a failing business
The purpose of this column is to emphasize that a failed business doesn't have to be a wrecking ball of pain and decimate an entrepreneur's financial and emotional well-being.
- How Would You Like to Make $6 Million Sitting on Your Couch?
Recessions can be a great time to start your own business. Thanks to the Web and a variety of other resources, it's cheaper and easier than ever to start one at home.
Montana Education Excellence
- Half of world's population could face climate-induced food crisis by 2100
"The stresses on global food production from temperature alone are going to be huge, and that doesn't take into account water supplies stressed by the higher temperatures," said David Battisti, a University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor.
Regional Business
- Fiber optics project will upgrade Montana State University, University of Montana - The Northern Tier Project
The fiber optics project will put the two flagship campuses in the fast lane of the information superhighway. “We want to set the tone for innovation of the next big thing,” Ray Ford
- University of Montana Alumni Association Seeks Scholarship Applications
It is available to students who have a parent or grandparent who attended UM.
- University of Montana VISION Research and Development Magazine - 2008
This University, amidst this natural laboratory, is a special place. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into ideas taking flight from here.
- Montana University officials seek cut of federal stimulus proposal
When it comes to Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s $3.1 billion list of “shovel ready” projects submitted to the new presidential administration as ways to help kick-start the economy, Montana’s universities and colleges didn’t quite make the cut.
- Montana High schoolers get hands-on look at career paths - Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology
For the past 11 years, Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology has invited area high-school students to the school during their winter break to give the students a glimpse of the career paths offered at the two-year school.
University Business Plan Competitions
- When the House Bubble Burst, Rural Prices Kept Steady - "Is Rural America Facing a Home Price Bust?"
The country is going into contortions to deal with the collapse of the housing market. The collapse took place in the cities, not in rural communities.
Idaho Business
- College Entrepreneurs - Getting attention (and cash) from VCs and angel investors - (Montana - John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition)
Many college students and recent graduates are starting their own businesses these days, whether the reason is their Generation Y entrepreneurial spirit or the sluggish job market.
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- Starting up: The ESTech Corridor is a great opportunity for the Valley and Idaho
Nothing is more exhilarating than an opportunity to help grow an economy - especially in this day and age. I'm definitely looking forward to working with these "go-getters" to help vitalize the regional economy, which will ultimately spill over to a stronger and more robust economy for Idaho and the nation.
- Micron ponders jobs for idle factories
The company tells legislators a fab in Boise and the former MPC plant could be used to make alternative energy products.
Alberta Business and Economic Development
- North Dakota governor lays out plan for $1.2 billion surplus
In his State of the State address Tuesday, the governor proposed $400 million in tax relief. Hoeven also wants the legislature to increase state spending.
- North Dakota - 2009 State of the State Address
Together, we can build a brighter future for ourselves and for our children. I look forward to working with all of you in the legislative session that begins today, to do all we can for the people of North Dakota.
Education
- Canada on Verge of Wind Energy "Breakthrough"
Canada produces just 1 per cent of its electricity from wind, but that is about to change. By the end of this year, every province will get some of its energy from wind as governments seek to cut greenhouse-gas emissions
Connectivity & Communications
- Schools tap '21st-century skills'
"For a long time there have been two worlds that we prepare our kids for.... One has been the world of academia, and the other, quite frankly, has been the real world."
- Northern Plains Eye Foundation offers health care education scholarships to students in the Northern Plains Region
For the 2009-2010 academic year, the Northern Plains Eye Foundation in Rapid City is offering a total of $11,000 in health care education scholarships for deserving students in the northern plains region, which includes all of South Dakota, northeast Wyoming, northwest Nebraska, southeast Montana and southwest North Dakota.
- A Plan to Turn the Lowly Bureaucrat Into a Cherished Public Servant
Chris Myers Asch is promoting the creation of a Public Service Academy, a sort of West Point for bureaucrats offering a free four-year education in exchange for five years of government service.
Energy
- Will Unified Communications Save Enterprise VOIP?
At my house, we still pay more for our landline voice than we do for our DSL.
- MontanaPBS announces 24/7 educational, children's programming in select Montana markets
Due to a new feature of digital television called multicasting, MontanaPBS can now make these various services available where they could previously only provide one service.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- A coal giant rethinks coal
Banks are particularly reluctant to lend money to ventures with a “massive carbon exposure”
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Video of Spider Bull 2008!!!
Lots of folks in Montana have been talking about this Elk. We finally found a video of it.
Government Technology
- Stem Cells Undo Birth Defects
Transplanted stem cells restore normal behavior in brain-damaged rodents.
- Garage Invention From Vegawatt Could Turn Restaurants Into Power Plants
At New England electricity rates, the system offsets about $2.50 worth of electricity with each gallon of waste oil poured into it.
- Pictures from 2009 Macworld Expo
These are pictures taken at the January 2009 Macworld Expo in San Francisco, California.
- Palm unveils new phone and operating system
The new device and software take their cues from Apple's popular iPhone but have features aimed at making the Pre easier to use.
Non-Profit News
- A Second Government in Second Life
The county has a down-to-earth reason for doing so, according to a Washington Post story: economic development. Business executives can get market research. County officials can do presentations to promote the region. And people can join a confab later this month on how to launch a business in Arlington. All in that other world.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- A giving recession? The downturn poses new challenges for philanthropy
Giving actually increased during the Great Depression.
- Montana Nonprofit Day - 1/14, Helena
Montana Nonprofit Day is quickly approaching and over 100 members have already signed up! You won't want to miss out on all the great activities we have planned for this year's event.
- Susan Lykes Joins Orton Family Foundation Board
Susan was born and raised in the Denver area, a third-generation Coloradan. She earned a Masters degree in Rural, Town and Regional Planning from the University of Montana and a Bachelors degree in Mathematics with a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. Susan and her husband, Mayo, live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Transportation
- Virginia City, Montana strikes gold as True Western Town
"Many of the Old West mining centers are now ghost towns - but not Virginia City," says True West Executive Editor Bob Boze Bell. "It is a living, breathing example of what people can do when they decide to preserve their heritage, and as they figure out new ways to use older buildings."
- The Ultimate Flying Machine: Sexy as a Sports Car, Portable as a Jet Ski
Meant to evoke something sporty, like a jet ski, instead of a lumbering Cessna or a tough-to-fly experimental kludge, the plane is supposed to let anyone who can afford the $139,000 price tag become a barnstormer.
- Pedaling pays off
Beginning Jan. 1, employees who regularly use bicycles to get to and from work are eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from the federal government through their employers for bicycle-related expenses.
- Air service returning to Eastern Montana
Flights resume Feb. 1 for Billings, Havre, Glasgow, Glendive and Wolf Point
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