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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Jan 13, 2009 |
"Whatever you do, think about what you really value. If you're an entrepreneur, the time you spend thinking about your values will help you build a better company. If you're going to work for someone else, the time you spend understanding your values will help you find the right kind of company or institution to work for, and when you find it, to do a better job." by Tim O'Reilly http://matr.net/articl ... .html
Entrepreneurship and Energy - Montana is enjoying a wealth of talent and expertise that wants to contribute to the success of the state ---- City Club Missoula Hosts the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation - "Young Entrepreneurs of the World Unite" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Governor Schweitzer and Montana Ambassadors bringing T. Boone Pickens to Montana http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html (This event is open to the public so make your reservations today) ---- 2009 Montana Ambassadors Annual Conference, 2/26-27, Helena http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer: Energy efficiency projects should top economic-stimulus list http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
2009 Montana Legislature
Boomtown Institute
- Montana State legislature posts social calendars online
"We want to make sure this (legislative session) is a transparent process."
City Club Missoula
- Boomtown Institute - Things that I would do in every town (How many of these are in your community?
With this being my last year of doing talks, I wanted to share with you those things that I would do in every town, if I had a magic wand to be able to do so.
- Boomtown Institute - Top Ten Things I'd Do in Every Town - Responses
Now, for those additional suggestions:
MAPS™ : Media Arts in the Public Schools
- City Club Missoula Hosts the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation - "Young Entrepreneurs of the World Unite"
"I learned a lot in the Depression. None of that is taught in any school district. We stress the value of owning your own business and the financial freedom that affords." Warren Miller
Modwest
- With eyes on Legislature, Media Arts in the Public Schools Media Institute (MAPS) recruits noted Montana journalist, Ian Marquand
“Montana needs economic development,” Rosten said, pointing to the long-term potential of media industry work as a source. “We should encourage growing a media savvy workforce and MAPS is an example of what has been done in the past and what can be done in the future, which is to train a well-educated workforce.”
Montana Ambassadors
- New: Visit the Modwest Feedback Community
I'm writing to invite you to join me, Marianne, inside a new We created this unique discussion area especially for Modwest customers to help give you a voice and shape our services around you.
Come Home Montana
- Governor Schweitzer and Montana Ambassadors bringing T. Boone Pickens to Montana
Montana is particularly well-suited to Pickens’ pledge being one of the nation’s top ranking in wind power potential, oil and gas reserves and Governor Schweitzer’s strong support for new energy development.
- 2009 Montana Ambassadors Annual Conference, 2/26-27, Helena
Highlights include a 25th Anniversary Celebration and Reunion, Presentations by 2008 Annual Award Winners, Governor's Social and Awards Dinner, T. Boone Pickens - Keynote Speaker, Legislative Leaders Update and Energy Jobs for Montana Panel.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Superintendent of Schools - Butte School District No. 1
Butte School District No. 1 is looking for an individual to serve as the Superintendent of Schools beginning July 1, 2009. Salary Range: $95,000-102,000 DOE.
- Montana Career Opportunity - IT Department Network Administrator - Yellowstone County
Provides technical expertise for a County department installing, integrating, and maintaining network hardware, software, security; connectivity with internal and external network services, software products; maintaining performance parameters; optimizing network configuration, resource utilization; and resolving complex operational problems.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Computer Operator - Glacier Bancorp
Publicly traded company seeking motivated professional in our data processing center. Information Systems Associate's degree & banking exp preferred.
- Montana Career Opportunity - IT Specialist - Farmers State Bank
Duties include safeguarding customer information, Active Directory , Group Policy, maintenance of Windows servers and desktops, and patch management.
- Joel Jewett, Founder of Guitar Hero III developer credits Great Falls for successes
Jewett's Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Neversoft Entertainment http://www.neversoft.com/ has made billions of dollars in the gaming industry and changed the way video games are played around the world. Jewett is quick to attribute all of his success to the ingenuity he picked up while growing up in Great Falls.
- Montana Career Opportunity - City Attorney - City of Bozeman
Bozeman, home to MSU-Bozeman, is located in SW MT with a pop. of 38,500. Just 1 hour N. of Yellowstone & Big Sky Ski Resort. Bozeman's location and climate make this an ideal place to reside, recreate and work!
- Civic-minded transplants form Kalispell Neighbors
Neither Robert nor Krystal Herrick had ever been in Montana prior to 2007. But she researched the state and Kalispell on the Internet, and they fell in love with the area.
Montana Business
- How Montana Stacks Up Among States for Friendliness to Entrepreneurs
Montana ranks 33rd in terms of entrepreneurship viability, which means one-third of the states in the nation are more welcoming to small business survivability than is Montana – that at least is the conclusion of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council’s (SBEC) Small Business Survival Index for 2008.
Montana Economic Development
- Landlord sues Portlock Software in Butte for alleged failure to pay rent and taxes
Uptown Ventures filed the complaint this week against Hanley and his software company and is seeking about $20,000 in money the landlord claims he owes.
- And they're off - Butte engineers from MSE Inc. headed for USS Nimitz to test new launch technology
Success would translate into a roughly $10 million project for the Butte-based MSE Inc.
- Workers needed in Montana to help handle mortgage boom
"These are good jobs at a time when our community needs jobs."
- Supply beats demand: Analysis suggests city overestimated downtown Missoula's capacity for retail
An analysis conducted in tandem with the Missoula Greater Downtown Master Plan raises the question of whether the city can sustain as much retail as it has planned.
- Great Lakes Airlines' service to rural Montana communities causing unexpected (very positive) results
Because Great Lakes Airlines is boarding so many more passengers than the previous carrier, Big Sky Airways, the Lewistown airport needs an expanded parking lot, a remodeled terminal, a new door on the large hangar, and airport management needs to hire another employee, Hershberger said.
- Yellowstone Club’s Money Woes Traced to 2005 Loan
The financial unraveling of the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club traces back more than three years, to a $375 million loan secured under club founder Tim Blixseth.
- Bresnan's Billings, Montana operations growng
"When I got here in the fall of 2005, we had about 260 people in Billings," said Sean O'Donnell, regional vice president for Bresnan. "Since then we've added pretty close to 200 people, and we've absolutely outgrown our facility."
- Northwestern Energy Outreach Effort Builds Upon Energy Summit Momentum
Citing the enthusiasm and momentum generated by the energy summit, "Realizing Montana's Energy Future," Northwestern Energy is launching a stakeholder initiative to gather input and information that will be used as part of its planning process.
Regional Economic Development
- Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer: Energy efficiency projects should top economic-stimulus list
"If you're going to be a denier (of global warming), you're not going to be a developer," the governor said. "We're not going to increase coal consumption in this country until we solve CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions."
- Gallatin County rural growth plan subject of debate
Gallatin County planners are sifting through a stack of proposed regulations that could, pending the Gallatin County Commission’s approval, limit development in the county’s rural unzoned areas to one home per 160 acres.
- Changing climate, Changing future - The Montana Climate Action Project
A guide to climate change in Montana and smart ways we can all act NOW to preserve our state for tomorrow's generations.
- Register Now for Shape Up Montana
Shape Up Montana is a fun, interactive three-month team competition from February 1 - May 1 that encourages Montanans to develop healthy physical activity and eating habits.
- Montana Homeland Security Announces $6.6 Million Grant - Eligible state, tribal and local jurisdictions invited to apply.
Applications are due by February 6, 2009.
- Supercomputer to be unveiled, but why in Butte?
Some may wonder how Butte got so lucky as to be home to the state's only supercomputer.
Funding and Building your Business
- Robots, Not RoadsThe Obama stimulus package should be spent on transformative investments, not bridges and buildings.
Yes, good roads and bridges are important. But investing in the necessary public goods to support a post-hydrocarbon, information-based economy is a much better choice than using the stimulus to patch up the old economy.
- A Broadband Stimulus Plan
Can government investments in Internet and wireless communications technology ignite a new wave of job growth?
- The Digital Road to Recovery: A Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs, Boost Productivity and Revitalize America
Spurring investment in our nation’s infrastructure is an effective strategy for getting Americans back to work during an economic downturn, particularly one that is expected to be longer than normal in duration.
- Will 'Stimulus' Starve Small Towns?
We don't want a federal economic plan that shores up cities by draining rural communities. Richard Oswald advocates replacing "can shop" with "can make" and "can do."
Incubators and R&D
- What's Your Company Worth? Ask an algorithm. - YouNoodle
YouNoodle's promise is both tantalizing and a little crazy: The company claims it can quantify the traits that make for a successful entrepreneur -- such as education, work habits, and experience -- to predict how much that person's company will be worth three years from its founding.
- Tapping young talent offers flexibility, cost savings
They found universities eager to team up with a service that would help place their students in corporate internships and jobs.
- 6 most important things
What are the six most important things you are going to do today? Do you have a plan? Did you write it down?
- Recruiting With Little or No Money - Tools and Ideas to Consider
The following is a checklist of some of those ideas that require little or no budget to implement. These approaches also work during strong economic times but they are especially appropriate during a major business downturn.
- “The question is, how do you prepare for the other side of the recession?”
The Honda ads are particularly interesting because campaigns like it — seeking to burnish a longstanding corporate image, rather than sell products in the short run — are often the first casualties when consumers slow or stop spending.
- Work on Stuff that Matters: First Principles
Whatever you do, think about what you really value. If you're an entrepreneur, the time you spend thinking about your values will help you build a better company. If you're going to work for someone else, the time you spend understanding your values will help you find the right kind of company or institution to work for, and when you find it, to do a better job.
- Dream Teams
From a songwriting duo to engineers who spawn doe-eyed robots, meet four pairs who define—and defy—the terms of a creative partnership.
Montana Education Excellence
- North Dakota researcher: Coal ash can be used safely as "green" product, used in carpet, concrete, bowling balls
An Associated Press analysis of federal Energy Department data from 2005, the most recent available, found 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to one that ruptured last month in Tennessee.
- Stanford launches $100 million initiative to tackle energy issues
"Universities such as Stanford need to focus their full talent on the greatest challenges facing the world today," Hennessy said. "Energy is certainly one of those issues, posing a threat to our economy, to national security and, through the use of fossil fuels, to our environment. Addressing the challenge of energy will require research on a wide range of issues, from energy efficiency to development and deployment of renewable sources, to reducing the effect of fossil fuels."
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- University of Montana-Helena Offers Tuition Discount to the Unemployed
50% tuition waver for the upcoming spring semester for individuals who have recently lost their jobs.
- John Kill Eagle, the first Montana Tech graduate student supported by the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership, will defend his technical paper Monday.
The partnership addresses the national need for academically prepared American Indians who can help direct economic development and leadership in their communities and reservations.
Regional Business
- Online Educational Event Starts February 9, Encourages Team Sponsors - WorldWide IDEA’s Idita-Read.org
It’s not every sporting event that gets kids to read more.
- Business plan help available for Montana businesses - The College of Business at Montana State University Billings
Dr. Tom Hinthorne said that students in his Management 488: Business Strategy class use the experience to put their classroom theory into practice and showcase their talents.
Idaho Business
- States push to collect taxes on Internet sales
With the recession pummeling states' budgets, their governments increasingly want to fill the gaps by collecting taxes on Internet sales, which are growing even as the economy shudders.
Oregon Business
- More people left Idaho than arrived last year
Idaho joined the rust belt as a place more people were leaving than moving to in 2008.
- Idaho Power Co. proposes spending $500,000 on energy education projects in southern Idaho
Beyond the benefits to the schools and students, he said, the energy saved through the projects could be used for expanding the state's business growth and development.
- Idaho Gov. Otter targets public ed to help cut budget
Though he used some $60 million from an education reserve fund to shield education from budget holdbacks during the current year, Otter told teachers he now expects them to accept less during contract talks slated for upcoming months.
Oregon Economic Development
- SolarWorld: Germany's fastest-growing company opens plant in Oregon
SolarWorld employs more than 2,200 worldwide, including about 400 at its $440 million Hillsboro factory, which opened in October to produce solar crystals, wafers and cells. The plant, billed as the largest solar factory in the Americas, is capable of producing enough material each year to generate 100 megawatts of electricity.
South Dakota Economic Development
- Oregon Legislature's session opens with a call for tax increases
Kulongoski, who is seeking $2 billion in higher fees and taxes, listed his recession-year priorities: Provide all children with health insurance, create a skilled work force, put Oregon on the cutting edge of renewable energy technology and rebuild the state's transportation system.
Education
- 2009 South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Business Competition, 4/16, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry is hosting this competition and one for college, university and technical school students.
Other Economies
- Universities offering in-state tuition to out-of-state students
"It's something that should have been done a long time ago. This is not a gimmick. This is good public policy."
- Microsoft joins project to assess learning skills
A white paper drafted with the project says that current assessment tools are badly in need of an overhaul -- and therefore stymieing efforts at education reform.
- At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard
With physicists across the country pushing for universities to do a better job of teaching science, M.I.T. has made a striking change.
Connectivity & Communications
- California's Gold Rush Has Been Reversed
Entrepreneurs are fleeing heavy taxes in the state.
- Go East, young man? Californians look for the exit
The number of people leaving California for another state outstripped the number moving in from another state during the year ending July 1, 2008.
Energy
- Geoff Feiss Appointed to National Telecom Board of Directors
USAC is an independent, not-for-profit corporation designated by the FCC as the administrator of the federal Universal Service Fund.
- Montana Universities Lighting up Fiber - The Northern Tier Network Consortium
The Northern Tier Network will provide a high-speed optical network across multiple states, capable of delivering data at 20 gigabits per second.
Non-Profit News
- Northwest Energy Innovation Summit 2009 [Day 1]
It’s too late to do anything by 2015.Today was the kick off of the first annual Northwest Energy Innovation Summit, and it didn’t disappoint.
- Seminar Offers Training To Fund Alternative Energy Projects, 1/21, Missoula
The seminar will benefit contractors, carpenters, homeowners, electricians, plumbers, real estate agents, home-improvement retailers, architects, environmentalists and others.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation gives $500,000 for Glacier's 100th anniversary
"We are ecstatic about this wonderful gift," said Jane Ratzlaff, executive director of the Glacier National Park Fund. She said the campaign's goal is $3.5 million, so the railroad's gift is fully one-seventh of the total goal.
VIRUS ALERTS
- Man leaves $183,000 to The History Museum in Great Falls, Montana
Forsman's donation is the largest monetary gift ever received by the nonprofit museum.
- Call For Entries - 32nd Annual International Wildlife Film Festival Missoula, Montana
The International Wildlife Film Festival is the premier venue for wildlife, natural history, environmental and nature films
- Tech project finds Top 25 coding flaws that let hackers in
The list is being hailed as a major breakthrough that should gradually make the Internet much safer.
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