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| MATR Newsletter - Tue May 26, 2009 |
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton
Modwest
Come Home Montana
- Modwest shows how the pros handle a problem: Storage Server Issue: What Happened
Storage problem fixed. Daemons have been tamed for now. Wheels whir down Broadway.
Developing Tech Jobs in Rural Communities
- Thanks to those who are supporting MATR through their advertising. Could your company or organization benefit from increased visibility?
We'd like to thank the companies and organizations who advertise on MATR. Please consider becoming an advertiser to the growing MATR community.
- University of Montana launches e-magazine on Crown of the Continent research
Directly north of The University of Montana in Missoula, lie the scenic peaks, glaciated valleys and postcard-perfect scenery that constitute the Crown of the Continent ecosystem - what some call “The Backbone of the World.”
- Entrepreneurs: Farmer takes advantage of Red Lodge, Montana relocation. The Lavender Bundle
"As time went on I became less and less happy working away from my land and yearned to do something more with it," she said. "I realized I could lose many hours working in my gardens and making products from my plants. For me, it was pure bliss.'
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- High-Tech Start-Ups Put Down Roots in New Soil
High-tech start-ups are increasingly setting up shop in places previously not known for attracting high-tech firms.
Montana Business
- Ravalli County Economic Development Authority’s new Entrepreneurship Center moving forward
“It’s really exciting,” said Julie Foster, executive director of the Economic Development Authority. ”It’s a sense of accomplishment and pride in something positive that involves so many people who don’t always think the same but who worked together.”
Montana Economic Development
- Small Business Association salutes 10 Montanans
The SBA award is as much about recognizing Lighter's willingness to advise and mentor other budding entrepreneurs.
- Jim Palmer Trucking in Missoula, Montana emerges from bankruptcy leaner and optimistic
Jim Palmer Trucking, which employees about 360 people, is one of the few such businesses that have successfully emerged on the other side of Chapter 11.
- iWallFlower World Art Project Is iTunes App Store Staff Favorite
"This is a great honor," says company co-founder Glenn Kreisel, "There are zillions of applications on the store, and this is the second App of ours that has made it front and center to the 'Staff Favorites' area.
Regional Economic Development
- Montana Goes to China in 2010
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Montanans to get a perspective of China,” said Webb Brown, Montana Chamber President/CEO. “We know that China is already an important trading partner, and will be even more so in the future.”
- Conservation effort engages Montana hotel guests
A new program invites innkeepers to make ever-so-subtle pitches for small sums that will help pay landowners who agree to sign conservation easements, which are binding agreements that limit development of property. In some cases, easements may make it financially workable for a ranch to remain in agricultural use rather than being sold for residential lots or other development.
- Department of Energy Selects Montana for Wind Energy Program
“Montana has developed wind energy faster than any other state in the nation over the last four years,” Governor Brian Schweitzer said. “We intend to continue leading the way for this clean, green resource to help meet the goal of 20% wind energy by 2030.”
- Karen Byrnes, Butte-Silver Bow Community Development director, is a Butte, Montana gal
"I've got a great staff, and without them I wouldn't be able to get anything done." Byrnes is often the first contact for developers who are interested in learning about Butte and possibly locating their businesses here.
Funding and Building your Business
- Economic Development Officials look to Fairfield, Iowa for Inspiration
Fairfield (population 9,500) has attracted $280 million in venture capital, one-third of the total in Iowa over the past 20 years, resulting in nearly 4,000 new jobs spread over 160 companies.
- Small Town Sustainability: Economic, Social, and Environmental Innovation
When small towns focus on their specific characteristics and take advantage of their opportunities, they can become stable niches within regional, national, and global economies and take on an important role in shaping a sustainable future.
Montana Education Excellence
- On the Job: Author: Science dispels management myths - "Management Rewired: Why Feedback Doesn't Work and Other Surprising Lessons from the Latest Brain Science"
Goal-setting doesn't produce results
- Location is the next mobile revolution
The ability of a new generation of smart-phones to pinpoint a user's location through the global positioning system or wireless networks has unleashed a wave of innovation in mobile computing.
- What VCs Are Investing In
Financial conditions for technology startups have been cool, to say the least, since the economic crisis began. But now, buoyed by two recent public offerings, venture capitalists are showing a renewed interest in fledgling technology firms.
- Ready to Be the Boss?
If you're tired of leaving your career success in the hands of others and think striking out on your own is a better option, there are steps you can take to ensure that self-employment is a good fit before going too far down the entrepreneurial road.
University Business Plan Competitions
- Bozeman, Montana parents applaud turnaround in special ed
Maggee Harrison, president of the Bozeman-area Special Education Parent-Teacher Association, or SEPTA, said she was “thrilled” with Berg’s work, especially with the improved communications between parents and the school district.
University TechTransfer
- University of Washington Business Plan Competition Yields $25K Awardee, Nanocel, and Many Other Winners
From an initial field of 90 teams last month, down to 33 presenters, and the sweet 16 and finals yesterday, the business plan competition at the University of Washington has captivated us with the spirit and determination of these student innovators and their veteran advisors.
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- The University Funds(TM) Launches Business Accelerator to Commercialize Research Innovations
The company, which has recruited several experienced entrepreneurs as partners, has executed agreements with several western research institutions to develop collaborative programs to drive the identification, assessment and subsequent commercialization of high potential innovations.
- Former UGA Researcher Launches Online Resource to Educate Faculty Inventors About Tech-Transfer Procedures. IPAdvocate.org
IPAdvocate is "dedicated to bringing integrity and transparency to university technology transfer and intellectual property policies, processes, and procedures," and will "inform and equip academic inventors to face the challenges of technology transfer and the commercialization of their life’s work," according to the website.
- The University of Idaho partners with The University Funds of Bellevue, Washington to bring patents to market
“We really like their business model,” said Gene Merrell, associate vice president of research at the University of Idaho, in a statement. “We believe it will increase our chances of successfully moving University of Idaho intellectual property out into commercial use.”
Oregon Economic Development
- Loan funding to help rural North Dakota economic growth
North Dakota's congressional delegation revealed recently the U.S. Department of Agriculture is releasing $1.34 million to stimulate economic development and create jobs in rural North Dakota.
Washington State Business
- Suntech, a Chinese solar-tech company scouts Oregon sites
"Oregon's definitely on the list," said Steve Chadima, vice president of external affairs in Suntech Power Holdings Co.'s U.S. branch. "There're maybe at most half a dozen places that are on the list. Your folks have been very assertive in a very positive way."
Wyoming Business
- The New Vulcan Capital: Steve Hall and Chris Temple on Working with Paul Allen, Investing with Partners, and Banking On Seattle Innovation
The Vulcan Capital team has backed some of the most interesting early-stage startups around the country, and around Seattle—including AltaRock Energy, Evri, Gist, Redfin, and Smith & Tinker. But they’ve never been ones to talk to the press about exactly what they’re doing and why.
Education
- Green River, Wyoming considers 'brand'
Green River is the latest Wyoming municipality to seek its own particular "brand" that aims to identify and distinguish this small river community from others in southwest Wyoming and across the state.
- $4- to $6-billion Wyoming wind farm proposed by Anschutz Corp.
The near-constant wind whipping across the rugged hills and ridges of southern Wyoming could soon power one of the world's largest wind farms.
Energy and Climate Change
- Law Firms Embrace Business School 101
As Recession Bites, More Attorneys Attend Management Training and Take Mini-M.B.A. Courses
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Gov. Chris Gregoire orders state agencies in Washington to cut greenhouse-gas emissions
Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday ordered the state to reach agreement with its single largest polluter to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by half over the next 15 years.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Rumor Round-Up: Everything We’ve Heard About the Next iPhone
Here, we round up every rumor that’s appeared about Apple’s next iPhone, which many are betting will be announced June 8 at the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco.
- The Coming Superbrain - The Future of Artificial Intelligence
A.I.’s new respectability is turning the spotlight back on the question of where the technology might be heading and, more ominously, perhaps, whether computer intelligence will surpass our own, and how quickly.
- Montana mystique withstands modernity
“Those are very poignant stories,” Wyckoff said. “It was really a very, very concrete way to appreciate that change or lack of change.”
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