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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Mar 17, 2009 |
It's the batteries, stupid.
See you at the Roundtable today at 2:00! http://matr.net/events ... =2688 -- Our future entrepreneurs are the key to a successful economy. I'd like to encourage you to support and attend this very worthwhile event: "Fundraiser by The University of Montana Graduate Business Student Association - Encouraging the Next Generation of Montana’s Entrepreneurs with Warren and Laurie Miller, 3/26, Missoula" http://matr.net/articl ... .html
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Montana World Trade Center
- Brand Owners and U.S. Government Tell ICANN: Domain Name Plan Will Confuse Consumers and Hurt Us – Especially in These Tough Economic Times
Even the Vatican has weighed in.
- The Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flag Rule Requires Utilities and Telecommunications Companies to Establish Identity Theft Prevention Programs by May 1, 2009
Who Must Comply?
Boomtown Institute
- Expanding Business To Asia: A Look At Exporting Opportunities In Taiwan And Vietnam, 3/31, Bozeman
Join us for this unique opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Gregory Wong, Senior Commercial Officer, American Institute in Taipei, Taiwan and Mr. Donald Nay, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on emerging business opportunities available to Montana companies.
- MWTC Newsletter - March 11, 2009
MWTC TRADE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM: GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MONTANA BUSINESSES…SIGN UP NOW!
City Club Missoula
- Boomtown Institute Moves to Twitter
After sitting out from the blogging scene for several months, I've decided to switch more of my energy from blogging to tweeting. I will continue to post some blogs when I have items that I want to expand upon. However, I've found that being able to quickly put out a number of items in one day on Twitter allows me to look at more items and is of greater interest.
- Boomtown Institute - Small Towns, Big Ideas
According to the study, seven themes emerged that offer take-away lessons for other communities hoping to learn from small towns with big ideas.
Montana Ambassadors
- Johns Hopkins Civility Project makes peace person to person, then nation to nation
We're talking about manners, courtesy, civility.
- Reservations close at noon today (3/17) for City Club stimulus forum on 3/19
An insider's look stimulus bill will be presented by Evan Barrett representing the State of Montana, Matt Jones from the office of Sen. Max Baucus, Tracy Stone-Manning from the office of Sen. Jon Tester, and Jessica Flint from the office of Cong. Denny Rehberg.
Montana Community Finance Corporation
- Montana Ambassadors Conference (with T. Boone Pickens and Gov. Schweitzer) photos, files and video
So that the momentum created during the conference can continue, special links have been made available on the Montana Ambassador website http://www.montanaambassadors.com/index.html including:
- Winners of the First Annual Montana BetterBricks Awards Announced
The BetterBricks Awards salute individuals pioneering high performance commercial buildings with an emphasis on energy efficiency in the Northwest.
The Burton K. Wheeler Center
- Morrison-Maierle, Inc. Named SBA’s Montana, Region VIII & National First Runner-up Entrepreneurial Success Award Winner
In 2008, Morrison-Maierle was ranked as one of the Nation’s “Top 25 Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For” by CE News magazine and was identified as an industry leader in providing employees with an outstanding work environment.
Come Home Montana
- Montana is poised to be a leader in energy development
If energy is to become a significant "Made in Montana" product, conference participants identified the following strategies as critical to the state's success:
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Chancellor at Montana State University-Northern
The President of Montana State University invites nominations and applications for the position of Chancellor at Montana State University-Northern with a hiring date of July 1 to August 15, 2009.
- St. Regis, Montana project looking for homeowners
Water and sewer are in place, alley has been paved, carports have been placed on the lots, all that is missing are the seven households to purchase their manufactured homes and place them upon permanent foundations.
Montana Business
- Fundraiser by The University of Montana Graduate Business Student Association - Encouraging the Next Generation of Montana’s Entrepreneurs with Warren and Laurie Miller, 3/26, Missoula
The ten-week program is aimed at giving students grades 6-12 the opportunity to start a business. This type of entrepreneurship promotes economic freedom and the rewards of succeeding through hard work, ingenuity and creativity. Warren and Laurie will be attending the event to talk about their program.
Montana Economic Development
- Study: Perception of tourism's role in Montana is changing
As Montana’s population grows, new residents may bring with them a more positive attitude about tourism — possibly because they were a tourist here before they moved to Montana.
- Butte, Montana inventor hopes to make tossing pigskin a solo sport. The Passback Football from First Base Sports LLC
"Kids are going to love this."
- Glacier National Park eyeing a decidedly uncertain future
Sure, it's still a beautiful place. But will it remain "unimpaired for future generations?" Probably not.
Funding and Building your Business
- Montana State University- Northern awarded $1M for bio-energy program
The Montana Department of Commerce awarded a $990,312.50 Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development grant to Northern to support and expand training activities at Northern’s state-of-the-art lab and testing center housed in its Applied Technology Center.
- Telepharmacies are good medicine for small Montana towns - Bear Paw Development
"Our communities have small populations spread across a broad area of land and Bear Paw brings us together so that we can effectively compete for grants so that we can provide low interest loans to businesses and matching dollars for projects in this area," Morris said. "Bear Paw staff members understand that any project that creates or retains a job is important and a benefit. They have a grasp on the issues that are involved in running a business in rural Montana."
- Great Falls summit on March 26, to weigh ideas for boosting area economy
"The recession opens opportunities for cost effective investments in Great Falls," said GFDA President Brett Doney. "The summit will provide an avenue where people can discuss why they are going forward with their projects and what opportunities they see for the future."
Montana Education Excellence
- 100 Best Companies to Work For 2009
They're hiring! They're hiring!
- A lesson in customer service (why my site was down today)
I say WTF. I can’t fix this if I can’t get to my site. And moreso, why not charge me $50 or whatever you want for going over my memory limit, a fee I’d gladly pay, instead of HAVING MY SITE DOWN AN ENTIRE DAY.
- Angel Investing 2009
In a tough economy, angel investors are more cautious than ever. But it's still possible to find funding. Here's how
- How To: Choose the Right Legal Structure
If you are starting a business, or you already run one but haven't thought strategically about its legal structure, you need to take this matter seriously.
- A no-bull-&*^(% performance-review-process
The reality is most employees don’t like getting them and most managers hate doing performance reviews.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Alternative ideas - The Bridger Alternative Program
“I wouldn’t be graduating if not for these people,” she said tearfully of Bridger’s staff and students. “I would be hungry if not for these people.”
- The Audubon Conservation Education Center promotes interactive, nature-based learning for the children of Billings, Montana
In one important respect, Billings is ahead of the curve. For more than a decade, starting long before advocates of nature-based learning came together in a national movement, thousands of elementary, high school and college students have been doing hands-on science at a former gravel pit near the Yellowstone River.
- University of Montana Professor and Nobel Winner, Dr. Steve Running In Discovery Channel Program With Tom Brokaw
The program explores some of the most promising scientific, technological and economic concepts that could potentially reverse the Earth’s warming.
- University of Montana programs to receive federal money
Three University of Montana programs are set to receive $938,000 of the over $77 million in federal money headed to the state from the U.S. Senate’s fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which President Barack Obama signed into law last Wednesday.
University Business Plan Competitions
- Benefis Health System's American Indian Nurse Internship Program
The year-long program allows Native American nurses to spend their first year on the job working at Benefis before taking jobs at Indian Health Service hospitals.
Idaho Business
- University of Oregon names finalists for business plan contest
The annual contest, in its 18th year, awards $70,000 in cash prizes -- including $25,000 for the winning team.
Oregon Business
- A Bi-Partisan Kick-in-the-Pants for Renewables
There is only one thing I've seen so far that brings the two parties in Idaho's legislature together: renewable energy.
- Hoku Scientific plant on track to start this year in Eastern Idaho
The plant is projected to produce 4,000 metric tons annually of polysilicon and employ about 200 workers.
- Business stimulus: Idaho's private sector gleens no direct funds from state’s $1.2 billion
“Spending… money for drinking water, wastewater and state highway needs is the quickest way to put the most Idahoans back to work,” the governor’s office said in a document explaining the recommendations.
- PakSense of Boise, Idaho Expands Presence in South America
“South America is strategically important to PakSense due to the shear amount of fruit and vegetable exports from the area,” said David Light, CEO at PakSense. “We look forward to serving this market with the most innovative temperature monitoring solution available on the market today.”
South Dakota Economic Development
- Electric ATV maker hopes to tap farmers market - Barefoot Motors of Ashland, Oregon
While automakers are toiling to produce electric cars that will fit the demands of American drivers, Ashland-based Barefoot Motors is on the verge of turning out heavy-duty ATVs that can go 50 miles on a charge costing about 90 cents.
Utah Economic Development
- Native-owned company touts new energy bar - The Tanka Bar
"I believe Tanka Bars are destined to become the next great energy bar/snack food," Gourmet Retailer Editor James Mellgren wrote in the Jan. 1, 2008, edition.
Community
- Huntsman: Utah energy policy to transform lives
"As we sit here 20 years from now, I think more people are going to say (renewable energy policy) was transformative in the lives of Utahns."
Energy and Climate Change
- There's Opportunity for Rural in 'Reglobalization'
The global economy is changing (and that's putting it lightly). The new world will have a place for rural places that plan, work and cooperate.
- Better Place - At least nine major car companies promise plug-in vehicles by 2013.
Better Place is working to build an electric car network, using technology available today. Its goals? Sustainable transportation, global energy independence and freedom from oil.
- Harnessing the Sun, With Help From Cities
But late last year, Mr. Clark decided to install a $62,000 solar power system because of a new municipal financing program that lent him the money and allows him to pay it back with interest over 20 years as part of his property taxes. In so doing, he joined the vanguard of a social experiment that is blossoming in California and a dozen other states.
- Scientists: Sea-level rise worse than thought - Sea level rise due to global warming poses threat to New York City - California Sea-Level Rise May Threaten $100 Billion of Property
"The northeast coast of the United States is among the most vulnerable regions to future changes in sea level and ocean circulation, especially when considering its population density and the potential socioeconomic consequences of such changes," Yin said. "The most populous states and cities of the United States and centers of economy, politics, culture and education are located along that coast."
- The Next Really Cool Thing
What if a laser-powered fusion energy power plant that would have all the reliability of coal, without the carbon dioxide, all the cleanliness of wind and solar, without having to worry about the sun not shining or the wind not blowing, and all the scale of nuclear, without all the waste, was indeed just 10 years away or less? That would be a holy cow game-changer. Are we there?
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