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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Sep 23, 2005 |
"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary." -- Thomas Carruthers
Hope you can join us next Wed. MATR Gathering - LA Ad Executive , UM Grad - Mario Schulzke - - "Business Development From An Ad Man’s Perspective" 9/28, Missoula http://www.matr.net/article-16012.html
Education
Montana Business
- BYU's MBA program among best
For the second consecutive year, the Journal also ranked BYU second for recruiting students with integrity. BYU finished behind Yale both times. The accounting school also moved up a spot from fifth last year to fourth this year.
- Montana school funding plan outlined
"It may look expensive, but, very frankly, it looks expensive because the state's share of funding for schools has dropped 17 percent behind inflation over the past 10 years," he said. "That's part of the problem. We need to act now."
- A letter from Gov. Schweitzer to Montana Educators
I want to share with you my thoughts on several school related matters:
- Michigan Governor Mitt Romney proposes giving laptops to most students - Plan would affect 500,000 in state
Governor Mitt Romney yesterday proposed taking advantage of newly developed $100 laptops and giving one to every student in public middle and high schools.
Montana Economic Development
- Conrad, MT business, Intercontinental Truck Body has contract to build Air Force tractors
The Conrad business landed a $29 million, five-year contract to build the tractors for the Air Force earlier this year. Workers and plant officials have been scrambling to ramp up the operation to begin producing the tractors this fall.
- Sage Spa Salon’s Jobs By Design Program Expands to Billings, Montana
Sage, the Job Service, the YWCA, the HRDC and the Adult Education offices in Billings expand the Jobs By Design Program offering complimentary Sage makeovers to their Clients
- Goomzee Launches MissoulaCandy.com
New babies, graduations, weddings, birthdays and even corporate gifts are available online so no matter where one’s family and friends are, they can show they care by purchasing a Candy Bouquet custom gift basket.
- 20% of state businesses in Montana face worker shortages, survey finds
About one out of five Montana businesses faced a shortage of workers in the last year, which may create training opportunities for the state's two-year colleges, the state Board of Regents was told Thursday.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Groups still working to finish oilseed plant sale - Goal is to convert vegetable oils to biodiesel fuel.
With the current energy price run-up for fuels of all kinds, it gives the project added incentive, Miller said.
- For starters, it's not a public utility - Private utility created by cities could give Montanans less say over their energy future.
While the cities tout their proposal as the way to create a public utility more responsive to Montanans, in fact, the utility they seek to create would be private, not public. Perversely, the new utility would be even less accountable to the public than NorthWestern is.
- Microsoft, Google Millionaires Bulldoze a New Aspen in Montana
``There's nothing of the Old West in those places, and you see lots of fur coats and Rolls-Royces,'' says John Connors, a Montana native and former chief financial officer of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp., who's building a ski house on Big Mountain on a lot just shy of a half acre that he and his wife bought this year for $575,000. ``What you see in Whitefish in the wintertime are four- wheel-drive pickups,'' says Connors, 46. And the occasional Hummer, he says. Connors, who used to ski on Big Mountain while a student at the University of Montana, is part owner of a cattle ranch and a trustee of the Nature Conservancy's Montana chapter.
- Montana Sen. Conrad Burns Announces Funds to Develop Red Lodge, MT Tourism
"Red Lodge and the neighboring communities are open for business," said Burns, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "We here in Montana know it, but we need to get the word out to the tourists coming in both this year and next: Even though the Beartooth Highway is undergoing repair, there's still plenty to do and see in this beautiful part of our country.
- State job training effort due for major overhaul in Montana
The governor's new Workforce Investment Board has voted to overhaul how workplace training is operated in the state, eliminating a partnership with a nonprofit group that some have complained only created more bureaucracy.
- Montana hoping promotion with outdoor retailer, The North Face will boost winter tourism
Teaming up with gear and clothing maker The North Face and one of its most visible sponsored athletes, Bozeman-based Conrad Anker, the tourism wing of the Department of Commerce is offering a week-long trip for two to Montana this winter, with a day climbing or skiing (depending upon the winners' abilities) with Anker thrown in as an extra perk.
- Institute Plans Conference to Bring Medical Research to Montana
Over the past decade or so some very successful research endeavors have emerged in the state, including some profitable business ventures doing medical research. They are indicative of what's possible.
Funding and Building your BusinessRegional Economic Development
- How Do Venture Capitalists Value Your Business?
As the saying goes, valuation is an art, not a science.
- The Nine Rules of Buzz
At Yahoo, we focus on innovative buzz marketing, creating Nine Rules of Buzz Marketing. (Ten rules would be expected, but one of the first things about buzz marketing is that the unexpected is what makes a difference.)
- 'Optimize' Rankings At Your Own Risk
"I did not realize their methods were frowned upon,"
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Establish basics for teaming up with friends
"Success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone."
Utah Economic Development
- Outsourcing to Rural America - Watford City, ND is a town of 1,435 people. It is nearly 50 miles from the closest stoplight and you'll have to drive 47 miles for a Big Mac. So why are people moving here?
"it doesn't matter where you are anymore."
- Higher Education as ED Strategy
“How many small towns can say they have a law school and a pharmacy school?” Even more impressive…how many can boost of having started both in the past ten years? And in a town of 1,105!!!!!
- N. Dakota town tries to re-invent itself with land giveaway, Crosby, North Dakota
It is ironic that land once thought of as the "great American desert" was sold to immigrants and the landless a century ago, went through good and bad times, and is now trying to re-create itself as a place to live, by giving away land.
- Thinking like a region
What lies at the core of the emergence of regionalism in the eight Western states that stretch along the Rocky Mountains
Government Technology
- First $500,000 rebate from Utah film commission goes to Hopkins flick- Incentive program part of pilot to draw filmmakers to Utah
Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the state's Office of Tourism, and Aaron Lee Syrett, director of the Utah Film Commission explained the way the incentives work. The state has one million dollars in incentives to award each year. No one project may get more than $500,000. "The World's Fastest Indian" was actually reimbursed before the new law went into effect, as part of a pilot program to demonstrate to the legislature how the 10 percent incentive would work.
- Action sought on model for economy of small Utah communities — not 'dust'
Desire for Beaver or some other community to be a "poster child" for economic development programs so that other rural communities could better know what programs and projects work.
- Utah tourism co-op program seeks funding applicants
Nonprofit entities are eligible to apply for $2 million appropriated by the Legislature for the current fiscal year.
Idaho Business
- Replacement of crippled Montana tax computer system nearly complete
“The rest of the world operates on a monthly billing system,” said Bucks. “In November, the Montana Department of Revenue will be joining the rest of the world.”
- Michigan Teams with Dell to 'Retire' State-Owned Computers
Dell initially will collect more than 2,000 systems the state is currently storing, and run a destructive data overwrite on hard drives before refurbishing or recycling them.
Wyoming Business
- Hilex Poly makes it official - Jerome, ID company sees rapid growth
"When we were looking for a new site, we never thought we'd end up in the state of Idaho," Hilex Chairman Leon Farahnik said. "When we came here people welcomed us with open arms. It has been a great decision."
Incubators and R&D
- Wyoming tourism revenue tops $2 billion
Travel spending in Wyoming in 2004 amounted to about $5.5 million per day, according to a report compiled by an Oregon firm hired by the Wyoming Business Council. Adjusted for inflation, spending has increased 2.2 percent each year since 1997 within Wyoming's second-largest industry.
University TechTransfer
- Idaho lab creates new shotgun
"It's a very unique design," said Sven Evers, president of proSWAT Inc., the Boise-based weapons manufacturer that has an exclusive license to produce and sell the Breaching Shotgun. "Definitely the first of its kind."
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Arizona universities push tech-transfer growth
University and high-tech leaders are increasingly pinning hopes on it as a way to boost university finances and spur fresh growth in Arizona's technology economy.
- Montana Universities' patents helping Montana businesses
Tom McCoy, MSU vice president for research, told the regents that MSU has issued 102 patents, and has another 124 patents pending based on discoveries and inventions made at the Bozeman campus. That's three times as many patents as MSU reported for 2002.
Careers
- Group reaches out to help schools - The Sidney Community Education Foundation
"We have a real desire as a board to accumulate funding to help do things in the school buildings themselves to help educate our children," Averett said. "They are the most precious resource we have."
Non-Profit News
- Missoulian Hosts Virtual Job Fair. Great Opportunities
Take some time to browse thru the listed employers by clicking on their logos below. You should have a window popup containing the following information about each employer.
- Ten Survival Tactics for Your First Year on the Job - And how to position yourself to move mountains in year two.
Do you hit the ground blazing or take little steps? Do you make your entrance with a hatchet or a carrot? Much depends on whether you’re inheriting a high-performance organization or turning around something messy.
Energy
- Info Central: How to Start a Nonprofit
We hope the following information is helpful to you as think about starting a new organization.
Hydrogen News
- Before the oil runs out: the search for alternatives - Other fossil resources, like coal, rather than green energy, may have the inside track.
How did Hitler do it? With coal.
Connectivity & Communications
- University of Denmark Scientists Develop Hydrogen Tablet
“Should you drive a car 600 km using gaseous hydrogen at normal pressure, it would require a fuel tank with a size of nine cars. With our technology, the same amount of hydrogen can be stored in a normal gasoline tank”
Leadership Montana
- Google Moves Into WiFi Arena
A WiFi service, which offers a high-speed connection to the internet, would take Google even further from its search roots and move it into the fiercely competitive world of internet access providers and telecommunications companies.
- Rural areas go it alone on high-speed Internet - Small towns giving up waiting for providers to install service
"There are several communities that don't have what they need for services," said David Evertsen, a consultant with Municipal Solutions, which specializes in rural telecommunications development. "Some communities are just off the superhighway."
- Defyng Big Carriers With Municipal Fiber - Utopia's active optical network leads to significant cost savings
The decision by a municipality to build its own fiber network can represent a direct challenge to large carriers.
- Verizon set to announce launch of its own TV service to compete with cable
Verizon Communications Inc. is set to announce that its new television service will be launched in Texas as soon as next week, opening a fresh era of direct competition between the cable TV and telephone industries.
- From the Lab: Information Technology Long-Distance Wi-Fi - Protocol extends the range of wireless networks
In a simulation of a mesh network with nodes at least seven kilometers apart, the researchers achieved data transmission speeds 20 times as high as those possible with Wi-Fi's existing protocol.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- An Update from Leadership Montana….
The 46-member Leadership Montana Class of 2006 began their journey across Montana on September 7 at Big Sky. It comes as no surprise that this group of Montanans is excited, passionate and committed.
- The 'Masculine' and 'Feminine' Sides of Leadership and Culture: Perception vs. Reality
"The notion of what makes an effective leader is changing, and you will find both [traditionally defined] 'masculine' and 'feminine' components,"
- A host of companies are launching products at this week's DEMOfall conference.
Chris Shipley, DEMO’s long-time executive producer, corralled a mix of 65 companies with impressive range.
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