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| MATR Newsletter - Fri May 1, 2009 |
"Be like a duck. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath." -- Michael Caine
(Sorry for the late newsletter today but the Qwest "tubes" apparently got all clogged up and I've been talking to some very nice but frustrated techs there all day... Thanks Susan for not giving up...) I had the pleasure of attending the Missoula economic forum earlier this week. Dr. Larry Swanson provided statistics about demographics, population and the economy that are must reads for anyone interested in the economic future of Montana: " Missoula, Montana resilient during recession - At forum, statistics show city good place to live" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- At the same forum, Wolf Ametsbichler, Director of the Missoula Job Service provided information that should encourage everyone to start thinking more about our future workforce. " Emergence of Workforce Development as a Crucial Aspect of Montana's Economic Development" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Larry gave another talk that lays out the possible future of the Bitterroot Valley. " Economist, Larry Swanson, director of the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, Bitterroot Valley could recover quickly" http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Workforce Development
Idaho National Laboratory
- Emergence of Workforce Development as a Crucial Aspect of Montana's Economic Development
Wolf Ametsbichler, Director of the Missoula Job Service http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/local/missoula/ gave an outstanding presentation yesterday at the Missoula Business Forum "Missoula, Montana resilient during recession - At forum, statistics show city good place to live" http://matr.net/article-34083.html
Highway 12 Ventures
- Idaho National Laboratory announces contract to build $48-million research/office facility
The new Research and Education Laboratory will act as the "front door" to neighboring campus facilities and become the interface between the public and the INL staff.
- Prestigious Energy Research Center coming to Idaho National Laboratory
The center’s objective is to create computer models that will predict the behavior of materials in nuclear reactors and then validate those models against actual experiment results.
MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association
- Social Media and Customer Satisfaction
The conversation got me thinking about one of my big pet peeves - the customer support crisis in this country - and the impact social media is having on companies that don’t support their customers properly.
Come Home Montana
- MEDA Conference: "Providing Leadership In A Challenged Economy", 6.11-12, Fairmont Hot Springs, Montana
Conference objective: To equip Montana’s economic developers with up-to-date information on new recovery programs, new technology, and the tools necessary so they may serve as resourceful leaders in revitalizing Montana’s economy.
- May MEDA Online News
One more item: if you haven’t already, check out the dynamic MEDA conference agenda!
Montana Business
- My Town: family of 14 proud to call Winifred, Montana home by filling the school and starting a business.
"They've been very open, very giving. Anything we need, people are always asking us if we need things. It's been a wonderful place to move back to.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Professional Position Vacancies - Montana State University
These professional positions are currently being advertised by Montana State University in Bozeman.
- Academic Search Inc., of Washington, D.C. selected for Montana State University presidential search.
"We are very pleased to have a firm of Academic Search's caliber to help us with this process," said Clay Christian, who will serve as chair of the MSU presidential search committee. "Finding new executives is one of the most important jobs of the Montana Board of Regents."
- McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls, Montana adds doctor from Cornell University in New York working on brain degeneration to its staff
Dr. Teresa Gunn likes wide open spaces and friendly people. She doesn't like traffic. That makes Great Falls an ideal place for the scientist to continue her research on mice with brain degeneration.
Montana Economic Development
- Bozeman business innovates to stay alive
http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2009/04/29/news/60furniture.txt
- Thank You, Butte! Guest Opinion - Bob Rowe, President and CEO, NorthWestern Energy
I’m proud of both our Butte history and our current role in this extraordinary community. It was an honor last week to be able to share and celebrate NorthWestern Energy’s place in Butte, and especially our great people. Thanks Butte!
- PPL Montana awards grants to 13 civic organizations throughout the state
“As a company that employs more than 500 Montanans, we’re always proud to support local programs that make our state a better place to live and work,” said Lisa Perry, manager of community affairs for PPL Montana.
- Bye bye biofuels in Missoula
“After what seemed to be a lot of progress toward more acceptance and use of biodiesel, we seem to be backpedaling,”
- 25th Anniversary For Award Winning Mission Mountain Winery Puts Dayton, Montana Valley On The Map
Mission Mountain was the first winery of its kind in Montana, now offering around 12 kinds of wines each year, most of which are made from grapes grown in Montana.
- Sun Ranch for sale in Montana
It’s “one of the last remaining balanced ecosystems in North America.”
Economic Gardening
- Missoula, Montana resilient during recession - At forum, statistics show city good place to live
“We have to establish an economic roundtable,” said Larry Swanson. “We need a group of people who regularly meet, and we need key leadership that is on top of this.”
- Economist, Larry Swanson, director of the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, Bitterroot Valley could recover quickly
If Ravalli County’s workforce once was symbolized by a logger, farmer and carpenter, its future icon likely will carry a brief case, peer through a microscope or wield a computer mouse.
Funding and Building your Business
- More capacity building needed for regional businesses
“Governments don’t create wealth, businesses creates wealth,” Dr Powell said. “There’s a lot of money going into local economic programs, but hardly any of it is finishing up helping small businesses.
- Small Town Sustainability: Prospects for Collaboration in a Global Age
There is, for example, the town of Littleton in Colorado, where locals devised a new approach to economic development. They call it economic gardening, and their efforts focus on growing the economy from the "inside-out" through the support of entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Incubators and R&D
- Twitter Connects Microsoft With IT Pros
The Tweet: "Hi, what do you guys think when we say this ... ?" returned "amazing" responses.
- The Silver Lining - Entrepreneurialism and innovation during a recession.
Now may be just the moment to turn a great idea into a lasting enterprise.
- Mark Pincus' lessons from Tribe - fail fast
Founder of social gaming powerhouse Zynga talks about his first foray into social networking
- 10 No Bull Tips on How to Lead a Team Meeting
The art of running a good staff meeting is a neglected part of even the most senior leader’s development.
- Get a Handle on Your Overhead
Technology is making it easier for you to keep tabs on your business's resources.
- Female entrepreneurs: Win a meeting with Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital. Women 2.0 announces Pitch 2009
Running a startup in beta? Looking for feedback or funding? Have at least one female cofounder?
- Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner: A Focus on Company Culture
Each speaker offers unique insight on developing company culture and the role of leadership within the organization.
- SBA Expands Eligibility for 7(a) Loans To Spur Recovery Opportunities for Small Businesses
As a result of the temporary change, more than 70,000 additional small businesses – including auto and RV dealerships, auto industry suppliers and others – could be eligible to apply for SBA 7(a) loan.
- SBA Study Finds Sole Proprietorships Pay Lowest Tax Rate of Small Businesses
When starting up a new business, entrepreneurs need to decide what legal form the company will take and how it will report for tax purposes.
- Building Your Own Business
A successful start-up needs more than a great idea.
- House Passes Credit Card Reform, But Leaves Out Small Business Cards
An amendment that would have made this change explicitly apply to cards issued to businesses with fewer than 500 employees did not make it out of committee yesterday.
- Three Things Every Startup Should Do, As Inspired by UW Business Competition
These steps may seem obvious, but it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day details of running and/or pitching a small company.
Montana Education Excellence
- State funds Montana State University-Northern’s biodiesel lab
It is Northern’s first major step in the field of university research, she added. “It’s making people look twice at Northern,” Windy Boy said.
- University of Utah Scans the Horizon for New Neuroscience Breakthroughs
Pilot imaging projects at the University of Utah (U of U) may move us closer to a world where the blind can see using artificial vision, where architectural design enhances contemplation, and where the brain changes associated with autism, bipolar disorder, and cerebral palsy are understood.
University Business Plan Competitions
- Tomorrow's inventions - Montana Tech students place in national competition
Environmental engineering students at Tech earned accolades in the annual national Environmental Design Contest in Las Cruces, N.M. The competition held this month pushes students to develop the technology to deal with environmental problems.
University TechTransfer
- University of Washington Business Plan Contest Yields 16 Finalists
Most of the proposals are based on novel technologies from the UW, but there are a few from other universities.
Idaho Business
- Washington State University, University of Arizona and other Universities to Partner with The University Funds to Speed Commercialization of Research-Based Innovations
“It is critical to the mission of WSU as a research university that we work with the commercial and capital sectors to bring the benefits derived from public investment in fundamental research at WSU to society in general.”
Oregon Economic Development
- Midvale, Idaho residents say Gov. Otter has abandoned rural Idaho
"If I had been your mother, I would have come up there and spanked your little butt," said the retiree from Indian Valley.
- From waste to wares: Boise company makes soap and biodiesel
Sustainable Growth Boise, a locally owned organic lawn-care company, uses a zero-waste process to make soap from discarded vegetable oil from area restaurants.
- ReMax office turns biz incubator in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho "Suite Solutions" for anyone looking to start a business.
John Corcoran said it would be great for a person running a business out of their home that needs a more professional setting or someone seeking a spot to get started.
Utah Business
- Portland State University president looks to a sustainable future
Wim Wiewel rode a bicycle to work on his first day as president of Portland State University. This week, he will celebrate his inauguration with a two-day conference on creating a healthy, green regional economy.
Utah Economic Development
- Life Science CGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) Seminar, 05/19, Sandy, UT
In collaboration with USTAR and the Intermountain Biomedical Association, Salt Lake Community College’s Corporate Solutions has designed a one-day training seminar to provide employees of Life Sciences companies with the knowledge and tools to develop, audit or refine a Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) program.
Wyoming Business
- Going Hollywood: Utah sweetens incentives to lure more filming here
Utah is ready to yell "Action!" and lure back big movie productions, raising the stakes with higher state government incentives.
Education
- Wyoming Worm developer avoids prison by helping feds
"You have an amazing gift and could help millions of people."
Other Economies
- High-schoolers have made little progress since the 1970s, study says
Younger students have made some encouraging gains in math, but the lack of improvement among older students raises questions about recent education reforms.
- Business Pandemic Preparedness
There are a few things to consider relating to how the swine flu affects individuals and businesses.
- FIRST thing: Robotics in every school - Robotics offers youth in Shelby, Montana a chance to expand their learning horizons into engineering, programming
"We've seen (the program) work in thousands of schools across the country, and we know that the model works."
- "Fewer, Clearer, Higher." The Time Has Come for National Education Standards
"The most basic way to impact student achievement is to guarantee that what is being taught in classrooms in every Zip code of this nation is both rigorous and relevant.
- WSU to cut programs, jobs
Washington State University announced today it will cut about 370 jobs, eliminate some academic programs and reorganize administration to help slash $54 million from its budget.
Community
- Nevada lures small businesses away from California
True or not, the pitch is working: At least 93 companies have relocated in Nevada in the past four years, and more are coming, he said, citing Nevada government figures.
Connectivity & Communications
- The Horizons antipoverty initiative in Choteau, Montana has the potential to expand community opportunities and potential for people of all income brackets.
“We all personally know lots of great people in our community who would love this idea,” she said. “So why not ‘pay it forward’ and tell three (or more) people how wonderful the Freecycle plan is. You tell your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers” and the information just spreads.”
Energy and Climate Change
- EFRsource Helps Form LinkAMERICA Alliance To Offer States a Transparent and Comprehensive Choice for Broadband Mapping
LinkAMERICA believes that successful, shovel-ready broadband initiatives depend on the accurate and independent collection of data, a thorough analysis of deployment costs, and a focus on both the supply- and demand-side barriers to deployment.
- Universities Offer Fix for Obama's Flawed Broadband Plan
Last week, 200 universities nationwide offered a national strategy to the Obama Administration "as a first step in realizing (his) vision bringing the benefits of broadband technology to all Americans."
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- REVOLT: The Segway-maker’s next move
A Stirling can run on just about anything that creates heat, from gasoline, kerosene, and ethanol, to natural gas, propane, hydrogen, and, yes, the methane given off by animal manure.
- We count calories. Why not carbon?
If we can we list the nutritional value of a pickled egg, surely we can drive a healthier market and planet through system-cost comparison.
- “Green” is A Mirage
Because “everything connects to everything, we need to think in a new way.”
Government Technology
- Record Amount of Supercomputer Time Means New Science
“To understand the underlying physics of what’s going on in the internal combustion engines with alternative fuels,” said Chen, “we need some of the world’s largest calculations.”
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Montana computer forensics agent, Jimmy Weg of Helena “The Legend.”, honored for meritorious service
Weg is the agent in charge of the state’s computer crime unit, dealing with identity theft, an occasional murder and other online or computer crimes.
- Feds Ink Deals To Let Government Agencies Use Social Media
The agreements resolve legal concerns and conditions having to do with liability, endorsements, advertisements, freedom of information, and governing law.
- Vehicle Registration Now Available Online in Montana
"This new online service will allow citizens to conduct business whenever it is most convenient for them, even if that's at 10 p.m. or 5 a.m."
- Stand By Me -- Playing for Change
If this video doesn't bring a tear to your eyes and makes you smile for the rest of the day, you are a cold hearted bastard.
- Art Bikes With Bite - The Montana Transit Authority
Neal Fagen, a Montana transplant working in the cycling mecca of Portland, Oregon, is responsible for the Montana Transit Authority’s creations.
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