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| MATR Newsletter - Tue May 3, 2011 |
"Quite simply, education creates ideas, ideas spur innovation, and innovation is cornerstone to a growing economy. Our education system creates curious, disciplined and hard-working citizens who plug into our economy. If we want to create jobs, we need to accept that fact that we need to invest in the driver of jobs - our public school system." Conrad Anker http://www.bozemandail ... .html
Today is the deadline for dropping off MCPS election ballots - Please Vote YES!! http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html ---
Globalization Partners International
Missoula Schools Excellence
- What to consider for Mobile Application Localization
An area that often is overlooked in any of these app stores is vetting of localized applications beyond the source language.
PrintingForLess
- Missoula business community supports school levies - The Missoula Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
The Missoula Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously supports our K-12 public school systems - and the upcoming funding levies.
- Today is the deadline for dropping off MCPS election ballots - Please Vote YES!!
The deadline to get your Missoula County school-election ballot into the hands of election officials is Tuesday at 8 p.m. - so don't bother mailing it.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- PrintingForLess.com Wins WhatTheyThink Environmental Innovation Award
"Not only does PrintingForLess generate 100% of its power from a nearby wind farm, but their facility has been custom-designed to reduce energy and water consumption, as well as ensure the health and safety of its workers," states Cary Sherburne WhatTheyThink Senior Editor.
Workforce Development
- Health Science Connection for K-12 Educators - Preparing Montana's Students for Careers in Healthcare
Ask a student, "What are your plans for next year?" What will he or she answer?
- Science Careers
Becoming a scientist is a noble goal, and science careers can be satisfying and fulfilling.
- "Training From the Back of the Room" 65 Ways to Get Out of the Way and Let Them Learn.
Want to talk less while participants learn more?
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
- 5 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Hire Interns
Experience Is The Teacher
MSU Leadership Institute
- Avoiding Mistakes with Independent Contractors
A video on employment issues involving the use of independent contractors.
Visit Montana
- Montana State University senior and member of the MSU Leadership Institute, Griffin Stevens receives national prize for serving global, local communities
Griffin Stevens, of Bozeman, majoring in mechanical engineering and the University Honors Program, was one of 20 students across the country to receive a 2011 Pearson Prize National Fellowship.
Come Home Montana
- Fossils fuel a drive to Montana's dino sites
Montana's dinosaur trail is all mapped out
MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association
- Montana Career Opportunity - Civil engineer - WGM Group Inc.
CIVIL ENGINEER PE with specialized design skills in sewer, water, and storm drainage.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- MEDA Spring Conference Summary - photos and presentation files
To the 107 members and partners that were able to attend the conference, thank you! Your presence made it a success. For those of you that could not attend, you were missed.
Montana Business
- Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial spirit takes on world's vexing problems
It is not unusual for pet projects of the entrepreneurially-inclined to grow into self-sustaining enterprises that are for-profit and for the greater good.
- Your community needs a startup culture
New York may be the city that never sleeps, but it was clear that Palo Alto is the community that never stops networking.
Montana Economic Development
- Whitefish, Montana inventor, Timothy Carolin looks to patent electric bike
"This allows anyone to turn any mountain bike into an electric bike," Carolin said during a recent demonstration.
- Bigfork, Montana businesses get web savvy - Bigfork Web Development, Inc.
"What surprises people the most when I sit down with them is not that Google is the No. 1 search engine, but that YouTube is the No. 2 search engine. If you have the personality to be on video, that's your niche."
- Kalispell's Chamber of Commerce Pushes Focus To Canadian Tourism
"Every dollar spent generates another two dollars in this valley. That puts people back to work."
- Growing on both ends: Pharmaceutical manufacturer expanding by 33K square feet in Billings, Montana
"We're worldwide. We do a lot of business in the United Kingdom plus most industrialized nations.
- RightNow Technologies gets national attention, plans to expand in Bozeman, Montana
The Bozeman-based RightNow Technologies is working on a 25,000 square foot expansion to its Bozeman campus, and the new building is expected to accommodate 120 employees that will be hired over time, according to Greg Gianforte, the company's CEO.
Regional Economic Development
- Great Falls, Billings and Missoula, Montana listed in 2011 Best Cities For Job Growth
The methodology for the 2011 rankings largely corresponds to that used last year, which emphasizes the robustness of a region's growth both recently and over time.
Bill Payne
- Competitiveness of state and local business taxes on new investment Ranking states by tax burden on new investment
State and local business tax policy is an important element of this policy discussion, and legislators want to know how a state's current business tax system compares to other states considered to be competitors for jobs and investment.
- Site Selector from Missoula, Montana based GCS Research Stimulates Economic Growth
Tool Combines Sleek Interface with Analytical Power of a GIS to Provide Users with the Best Opportunities for Economic and Business Development in their Area
Careers
- Angel-Fundable Startup Companies - What do angels look for in new investments?
Here are ten characteristics of startup ventures that investors consider when looking at deals.
Economic Gardening
- Are You Making What You Should? Startup Guarantees a Raise
GetRaised tells you what you should be making and shows you how to ask for a raise.
- Chicago's companies offer incentives to attract technology talent
The tech growth means new jobs with salaries averaging 64 percent higher than other private-sector wages -- $82,000 versus $50,400 -- with the highest-ranking positions going for upward of $300,000.
Funding and Building your Business
- Breaking the "glass ceiling" with economic gardening
I've heard Chris several times before, but this interview especially captured my attention. And I hope you find Economic Gardening as fascinating as I do.
- New Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Paul Krutko lays out job creation philosophy
Krutko said that "economic gardening" -- which favors providing services to existing business and entrepreneurs instead of throwing expensive incentives at outside companies -- is the best way to boost the economy.
Montana Education Excellence
- Could a Band of Angels Help Your Business?
It's become less of a mystery how you get in front of angels
- The Venture Capitalist's Guide To The Perfect Business Pitch
The advice is timeless.
- Fraudulent misuse of computer on job ruled a crime
An employee who misuses a company computer with fraudulent intent is guilty of a crime, a federal appeals court has ruled, dismissing claims that its reading of the law would expose millions of Americans to prosecution for everyday workplace activities.
- Ten Ways to Optimize Your Investor Pitch Time
The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points.
- 6 ways to grow through "coopetition"
Your goal is coopetition: to find a way to partner with your competitor in such a way that both parties can substantially benefit from the other's resources -- without stealing customers or damaging anyone's credibility.
- The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford--Class 7: Revenue Model
With a week to go the teams are starting to look like opening night before the big play. Teams are iterating and pivoting right and left, one team threw their entire business model out the window and did a complete restart, and another team was having a meltdown over personalities.
- Are You Planning to Sell Boxes or Hours?
It's good to understand the huge difference between service businesses and product business.
- Five Legal Traps Every Entrepreneur Should Avoid
#1 Failure to document a founder agreement at the beginning.
- The Big Break contest - Opportunity to win $20K and work with Facebook for a one-on-one social media makeover for your company.
Enter your small business for a chance to win a trip to Facebook headquarters for a one-on-one business makeover and $20,000 to grow your business with social media.
Universities and Economic Development
- 'Expanding Your Horizons' Montna girls in middle school take to science at Montana State University event
More than 200 girls from across the state attended the program. Each girl attended four workshops throughout the day, which included activities like creating a simulated whitewater kayak course, programming robots, and isolating DNA.
- Montana State University campuses to explore teaching science labs online
The MSU campuses hope that study of this model can pave the way for development of more online science courses with real-world laboratory components.
- Conrad Anker: Education is a strong investment choice
As citizens, we have the opportunity to make our will known that we support job creation at the ballot. The elementary and high school fund levy on May 3 is specifically an investment in our children and, by extension, about jobs. One may wonder, what is the connection between jobs and education?
University Business Plan Competitions
- University students help small businesses to succeed
"I think it will be incumbent for universities to take their obligations to the community more seriously, because there's not going to be support for an ivory tower. You have to show the value of an institution."
Utah Economic Development
- Smartphone Robots, Insect-Wing Wind Power, Online Video Game Tourneys & More Notes from the UW Business Plan Competition
Even though some of them didn't make the next round, or even have websites yet, we could be hearing more from these folks in the future.
Education
- Biotechnology Research Building To Grow Utah Innovation Economy
One concrete form this state support took was a $161 Million building fund, which, with a $40 Million contribution from the universities themselves, has lead to the construction of two large research facilities, one at Utah State University (Logan) and the other at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City): the Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building.
- Utah Lures Research Stars With Money and Support
As many universities that rank above it in research spending have been slashing budgets, the University of Utah has been rolling out a cushy welcome for new faculty members.
Government
- MIT is new majority owner of Bose
Founder of firm gives most of stock to his alma mater
- Harvard Gives Governor Christie's Education Plans a Warm Welcome
Mr. Christie's first ovation came when he said, "The reason I'm engaging in this battle with the teachers' union is because it's the only fight worth having."
- College campuses add language immersion programs
"To try to tell your friends about something that happened that day becomes much more personal."
Other Economies
- April DBE Newsletter - Paving the Way For Montana's Disadvantaged Business Enterprises
Do you know someone who could be a DBE?
Community
- Kansas Bioscience Authority puts shine on Venture Accelerator in Olathe
The countdown comes as unprecedented scrutiny is focused upon the authority, a 7-year-old project to funnel $581.8 million into bolstering the state's bioscience industry:
- Amazon furor already taking economic toll in North Carolina
"It's going to be harder than ever to attract people down there."
- New Jersey leadership discusses economic development policies - ChooseNJ
McDaniel lauded the governor and the lieutenant governor for establishing ChooseNJ, an organization that will align business and political leaders to make progress on the issues that stymie business growth in the state.
Connectivity & Communications
- Let's Make Homeowners a Priority
It's no fun being just a number.
Energy and Climate Change
- Shed a Tear: The Age of Broadband Caps Begins Monday
It should noted that U.S. limits are far from the world's worst.
- Google emails highlight value of location data
Larry Page's Memorial Day weekend email was terse -- "Can I get a response on this?" -- but the scramble it set off among top Google (GOOG) executives on a Saturday afternoon in 2010 illustrates the critical importance of the data smartphones use to track their location.
- Study questions federal spending on broadband
The study evaluated projects in Kansas, Minnesota and Montana.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Getting Off the Water Grid in Seattle
In one of Seattle's most urban neighborhoods, a small elementary school is trying to wean itself off the city's water grid.
- Self-Powering, Wireless Energy Sensors Join the Internet
These sensors are able to communicate via TCP/IP networks, which means that when installed, the energy use of any web-connected building can be managed from another web-connected device.
Non-Profit News
- Car Engine Powered by Lasers
"This technology could revolutionize increased efficiencies in combustion engines, producing a cleaner and more efficient ignition of the fuel."
- Research, but still support charities: Despite recent rumors, scandals, worthy nonprofits abound
Missoulians have a long, proud tradition of extending a helping hand to those in need. It's a sad fact of life that there will always be some people who, on purpose or by accident, fail to guide that generosity to those for whom it is intended.
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