|
|
|
| MATR Newsletter - Tue May 12, 2009 |
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." -- Yogi Berra
Gov. Schweitzer gave two excellent presentations this week in Missoula: "City Club Missoula - Gov. Brian Schweitzer discusses 2009 Montana Legislature" http://matr.net/articl ... .html --- "Governor Schweitzer: Montana has Great Opportunities in Biomass" http://matr.net/articl ... .html
Highway 12 Ventures
City Club Missoula
- The “Lifestyle” Company
While all businesses have their challenges, a main advantage of a lifestyle business is that it is yours.
The Burton K. Wheeler Center
- City Club Missoula - Gov. Brian Schweitzer discusses 2009 Montana Legislature
"No taxes went up for any Montanans we put more money in education and we passed some legislation to attract new technology companies to come to Montana."
Come Home Montana
- 'Reaching Across the 49th Parallel' Conference May 13-14 in Great Falls, Montana
Trade flows between the two countries amount to about $640 billion annually. "It's in both our interests to have close economic relationships and close trade relationships."
Montana Economic Development
- Take A Vacation in Your Own Montana Backyard - Governor Schweitzer Chooses National Tourism Week to Urge Residents to Get Out and Explore Their Home State
Tourism and recreation is one of Montana’s leading industries. In 2008, 10 million people visited Montana spending $3 billion during their stay. Over 42,000 jobs are directly and indirectly supported by nonresident travel, resulting in over $1 billion in total personal and proprietors’ income for Montana residents.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Interim Director, Bitterroot College Programs (BCP)- University of Montana
The Interim Director will serve as the primary point of contact for community input and forums related to a wide range of credit and non-credit learning services in the Bitterrot Valley.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Software Engineer - Visual Learning Systems, Inc.
A Software Engineer to work on designing, developing, testing, and deploying image analysis software.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Director of Business Development - S & K Technologies Inc.
This individual will develop, implement and maintain the continual business marketing strategy of our safety products division.
Regional Economic Development
- We all have stake in economy - We all need to help develop a plan for the future
For far too long, Missoula has allowed its economy to blow around like a leaf on the wind instead of steering its own financial future. Our future. And it's time we decided to do something about it.
- Montana's transmission-line capacity a barrier to wind-power projects
"We're currently monitoring as many as 50 projects ... and they are very much dependent on what we are able to do in providing new transmission lines or upgrading current transmission lines," said Chantel McCormick, senior energy development specialist for the Montana Department of Commerce.
- Governor Schweitzer: Montana has Great Opportunities in Biomass
“Biomass is one more leg under the table of our energy future. We will continue to find ways to use this valuable resource as we manage forests near our towns and reduce the fire threat presented by red trees,” said Governor Brian Schweitzer, who will take over as Chair of the Western Governors Association in June.
Careers
- As data centers suck up energy, money, tech industry looks to turn down the heat
Reducing energy costs has made building a greener data center the environmental grail of the tech industry.
Funding and Building your Business
- Six Ways to Beat Public Speaking Anxiety
Fear of public speaking is a common affliction, so one blog is offering six tips to help professionals beat their presentation anxiety and engage with their audience.
Montana Education Excellence
- While Your Workers Twitter, Does Your Legal Stance Fritter?
Your exposure is growing as fast as your company's Twitter usage.
- Pitching? Let Your Dashboard Do the Work
The dashboard—a single screen of key metrics and info—can give investors a better understanding of your company than slide shows or physical documents
- Working With Local Business to Take the Poo Out of Parks
Have companies sponsor bag dispensers in the city's parks.
- Starting Over—as an Entrepreneur
“I think we’re going to see a lot of businesses started by people who otherwise would not have started businesses” in better times, says Bo Fishback, vice president of entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City entrepreneurial-research organization. “Necessity-driven entrepreneurship can be a powerful motivator.”
Idaho Business
- Mountains and Minds Spring 2009 from Montana State University
MSU is a strong institution; it derives its strength neither through its buildings nor its bank accounts, but through its people. You are the strength and the spirit of this place. Geoff Gamble, MSU president
- C.M. Russell High students in Great Falls, Montana hone metal skills with new computer-driven milling machine
The district is acquiring more CAD/Cam computer drafting programs and Hogan will teach a class next fall in which welding III and advanced metal manufacturing students design and build more complex projects on milling machine.
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- Agreement between Positron and Idaho State University could make Idaho a nuclear pharmacy
“We’ve been discussing the possibility of building a partnership for medical isotope production… with the goal of commercial production of Molybdenum-99, which is one of the medical isotopes currently used in medical treatment,” said ISU Vice President of Research Pam Crowell. “The current supply is looking like it may not last, so there’s great urgency for a new supply.”
- Boise, Idaho - Free Fall’s Over, but Where Are We Landing?
Can programs aimed at reinvigorating the financial system make money flow, allowing companies to expand and hire? Will federal spending amount to something like a piñata at a children’s birthday party, with the proceeds scattered willy-nilly? Or will that money help catalyze a genuine economic renewal? BOISE, a metropolitan area of 600,000 people set in the high desert, is as good a place as any to try to figure this out. In many respects, the local economy presents a microcosm of the recent American experience, making it a useful laboratory.
- As Boom Town Busts, a Brief Political Movement Fades Away - Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, Idaho and
Even as they hope Tamarack will reopen one day, some of the elected officials have been forced to look for jobs in other cities and states, potentially ending their ability to hold office.
Washington State Business
- North Dakota Governor, John Hoeven signs commerce bill into law
Gov. John Hoeven: "The demand for the unmanned aerial systems is incredible throughout the military, worldwide. This is the asset that everybody wants. Not just the air force, but all the services in terms of doing their missions around the world."
Wyoming Business
- Seattle 5th on high tech cities list? Ouch
With all the ideas born and bred in this city and the starring role tech plays in our culture, it's hard to believe even East Coast juggernauts like Boston and D.C. could outrank us -- why?
Education
- New Wyoming wind energy panel forms
"We're just going to get organized enough to find out what questions to ask," he said. "We don't plan to make any decisions."
Montana Meth Project
- Stanford's startup culture stronger than ever
Even now, with the economy staggering, "The Farm" is sprouting business ideas and talent as never before — largely because it is teaching entrepreneurship as never before.
- Comprehensive Approach Key to Building a High-Quality Education Workforce
"Effective, well-trained teachers and principals are vital to the success of students in every state," said NGA Chair Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell. "To improve student achievement and outcomes, states must invest strategically in our education workforce."
- A $100 Billion Question: How Best to Fix the Schools?
If you had $100 billion to fix our schools, what would you do?
Other Economies
- Meth Mouth: Tom Siebel's Brash Anti-Crystal Campaign
Siebel is the creator, designer, and original financial backer of the Meth Project, a controversial antimeth experiment whose centerpiece is an ad campaign that has, since 2005, inundated Montana's airwaves, newspapers, and billboards with harrowing depictions of the woes wrought by meth addiction.
Community
- Austin's Secrets For Economic Success
Few places have received more accolades in recent years than Austin, the city that ranked first on our list of the best big cities for jobs.
Connectivity & Communications
- Small Towns Work to Keep Young Population
How do small towns keep more of their young?
Energy and Climate Change
- AT&T to buy 79 rural territories from Verizon, including some (most) of Montana
AT&T is getting spectrum licenses, cell towers and 1.5 million subscribers in the deal. Since AT&T phones aren't compatible with Alltel or Verizon phones, these subscribers will need new phones to use AT&T's network.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Venture Capital Firms are Shifting Their Energies
Venture capital is starting to move away from its infatuation with alternative energy and returning to one of its traditional strengths: applying information technology to improve the efficiency of energy consumption.
Government Technology
- The Grid, Our Cars and the Net: One Idea to Link Them All
“We need to get this right, right now,” Chase says. Build each of these infrastructures using open networking standards and we enable cooperative gain at the network level itself. Get it wrong and we will have paved over a generational opportunity.
- Stretchable Displays
An elastic conductor makes possible cheap, conformable displays.
Non-Profit News
- White House wants cloud computing
Cloud computing refers to an arrangement in which an organization pays a service provider to deliver applications, computing power and storage via the Web. Under the White House’s plan, several agencies could access a common application from the cloud.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation marks 25th year in Missoula, Montana
The view out the window of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation keeps changing.
Transportation
- Washington Foundation gift supports Montana Shakespeare in the Parks upcoming tour
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will perform William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" during its summer tour of 75 free performances in 59 communities in Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Idaho and western North Dakota.
- Train to Run on Sunshine?
An Arizona company is proposing a solar-powered elevated train running between Tucson and Phoenix.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the free weekly MATR newsletter, please visit our list info page
