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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Dec 23, 2005 |
MATR
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"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys". ~Charles Dickens
"The Gift" to You and Yours on this Most Joyous of Holiday Seasons. Russ --- http://www.matr.net/gift/
Come Home Montana
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Employers, cities entice the young and the restless not companies looking to relocate
"Most economic development in the past has been about recruiting businesses to a region," Coletta says. "But we are entering new territory – where we will have to recruit people instead."
- Local coalition wants to establish community foundation in Dawson County, Montana
“The time is now to set up a foundation if we want to capture some of that wealth over the next 15 years,” said Peggy Iba.
- "The Gift" to You and Yours on this Most Joyous of Holiday Seasons
"The Gift" was created by a Missoula artist who did it for its pure joy and wishes to remain anonomyous. We hope that this is the first in a series of "Gifts" to Montana and the World..
- Featured "Come Home Montana" Community~GLASGOW
- Montana-Jobs.net Featured Career - Territory sales manager
MEDA Entrepreneur Working Group
- MSU-Billings student, Troy Fix wins International Business Simulation Contest
The challenge gives students a virtual business to manage, and they must use marketing, research, production and finance skills to succeed.
- Montana Department of Commerce NxLeveL Entrepreneur Classroom Sites 2006
Each session will cover specific topics; for example, marketing, management and legal structure, financial overview and planning, managing growth.
Education
- Young entrepreneurs at Lolo Middle School learn the ins and outs of running a business
Entrepreneurship education promotes understanding of the American free-enterprise system, including competition and the profit incentive. Involving students in entrepreneurship by having them run their own business allows them to explore all the academic disciplines associated with business and marketing education.
- Encouraging Women Entrepreneurship
There is a great need for women to network and to know that they have support, but many women do not make this a priority
- Students seek OK to manage $1 million Wyoming state investment fund
"It was phenomenal," state auditor Max Maxfield said of the students' presentation. "They were so poised and professional in their approach. It made you proud they were University of Wyoming students."
Montana Business
- Find the true value of higher education
Few colleges are actually exhibiting the introspection and discipline needed to assess customer satisfaction and success through the eyes of students, parents, and employers.
- Where are the voices of college presidents?
"Anyone who refuses to speak out off campus does not deserve to be listened to on campus."
Montana Economic Development
- Great Falls lands Calgary-based aviation firm Avmax
"After an extensive search of locations, we found Great Falls to be the best location for our expansion into the U.S.," said Don Parkin, Avmax executive vice president.
- Rattlesnake vineyard in Missoula, Montana selects new name: Ten Spoons
Ten Spoons. Roll that around on your tongue and taste it. It's the new name from the vintners formerly known as Rattlesnake Creek.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- MSU and Bozeman businessess slated for millions in defense funding
Amounts going to Bozeman-area businesses and MSU range from $2.8 million to $5.95 million.
- The Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology is accepting proposals for funding. Proposals are due March 1, 2006.
The emphasis of the program is on projects that lead to marketable products or processes.
Funding and Building your Business
- A shot in the arm for venture capital: state governments to the rescue. What is Montana doing?
Several case studies have attempted to de-mystify the elements of the raging economic success - only to lead to a simplistic answer. Every region needs a healthy mix of capital, entrepreneurs and research - similar to a food pyramid
- The Northwest Energy Angel Group is Accepting Applications from Angel Investors in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana) and two Canadian provinces (B.C. and Alberta)
The Northwest Energy Angel Group will be a membership organization of successful entrepreneurs, retired executives, and other business leaders in the Pacific Northwest, who provide investment capital, strategic advice and mentoring to early-stage companies or companies embarking on major expansion efforts to help them achieve market leadership. The Northwest Energy Angel Group is unique in that it focuses only on the energy industry, including alternative sources of energy, improved distribution, or efficient transmission.
Regional Economic Development
- Ten Survival Strategies for Entrepreneurs
Two: Network, and Keep On Networking
- Outsourcing some tasks can keep you focused on your business
Outsourcing can save money, but that's not the only reason to do it.
- 10 Best Press Release Quotes
"More Than 19 Percent of Men and 36 Percent of Women Worldwide Would Rather Give Birth than Experience Poor Customer Service, a Recent Survey Reports'
- How to Conduct a Background Investigation on the Cheap
Let’s look at some of the problems with the Google-only strategy.
- Praise From Peers Goes a Long Way. More U.S. employers are encouraging co-workers to pat each other on the back.
Done well, consultants say, the programs are an inexpensive way to motivate and retain workers at a time when employers are handing out smaller pay raises.
- Encouraging User Communities to Become Innovation Drivers
In other words, it’s all about delivering what the customer wants, when he or she wants it.
- Intellectual Security: Patent Everything You Do, Before Someone Else Does
Under the law, patent holders have a range of options in asserting their rights, from collecting license fees from users to shutting down operations that infringe on their patents.
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Time and guidance just as valuable as money
Just about every winning entrepreneur I know can trace his or her success to a handful of individuals who stepped in during the riskiest startup days to provide capital, contacts, inspiration and guidance.
Idaho Business
- Cities must cooperate to develop jobs
The cities need to work together in the future.
Washington State Business
- Wind may be Pocatello, Idaho's future power source
City wants to further test sites showing promise
- Sporting goods giant Cabela's coming to Boise
Idaho leaders touted the opening of Cabela's as a great opportunity to draw tourists and other businesses to Boise.
Wood-Based Products Cluster
- Revenue Science of Bellevue, Washington pulls in $24 million from investors. Technology helps track consumers' online habits
Total financing in the privately held company now stands at more than $70 million. Investors include Mayfield, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Integral Capital Partners, Second Avenue Partners and others.
- The Alliance of Angels in the Puget Sound area says 20 startups raised $7 million
"It's a testament that there's better entrepreneurs and better companies and better angels more willing to make investments."
Energy
- Entrepreneurs log the unwanted urban forest
Entrepreneurs and small businesses are identifying ways to more constructively use the estimated 3.8 billion board feet of timber — about 25% of the annual hardwood lumber production in the United States every year — that is removed from cities and suburbs annually.
Connectivity & Communications
- Montana Green Power E-news -- December 2005
"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure." - John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day
Community
- The Golden Egg? Can municipal wireless networks solve economic development challenges for rural communities?
Broadband is the new foundation on which to build, and economic development efforts across the country have come to rely on communitywide broadband networks.
- Now I can watch my home TV from anywhere on Earth
In other words, I can be in L.A. and still watch the Red Sox.
- Dayton, Ohio, Tests Cisco's New Mesh System
Requiring a direct connection to a wired network has been one limiting factor for wide area Wi-Fi deployments. But wireless mesh networks need far fewer access points with wired connections.
- Simdesk: the tools for a community to compete on the world stage.
Houston launched the first citywide deployment of Simdesk's Community Computing concept. This delivers computing capabilities to any city resident regardless of income level; allows cash-strapped school districts to offer technology to all teachers, staff and students; and provides a free infrastructure to support the needs of small businesses and nonprofit groups.
- Will Mobile Broadband Kill Wi-Fi?
Albert believes mobile broadband is a bit late to the wireless party. Although mobile WiMAX backers point to early 2007 as a date when the technology will start being widely available, iPass considers 2009 a more realistic date.
- Governor Pushing Statewide Wi-Fi
"The thing about technology is that you can never rest on your laurels," said Kurt Adams, counsel to the Governor. "With how quickly technology is developing, the Governor believes we have to keep up with the pace in order to keep an advantage."
- Your Right to Be an Idiot
What to do with the free flow of information on the internet?
Leadership Montana
- Missoula in the Rearview Mirror. An exit interview with outgoing Mayor Mike Kadas and thoughts from Mayor-elect John Engen
I really believe that we’ve gone out and preserved for the community some really important places. And we’ve had our ups and downs with learning how to manage that, but by and large I think we’ve learned quite a bit and do a reasonable job with it though we have more to learn. It’s really a huge asset to the community that I think people will in 20, 30, 100 years really thank the people who got us into the open space business in the first place.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Great Falls Chamber of Commerce asks for High School Leadership program donations
"Unfortunately, the foundation has become rather dormant because we hadn't done enough to promote it," Leppien said. "We're sending letters making sure our membership knows we have a foundation to support a good program."
- Camera phone helps label snaps
The phone will allow the growing number of camera phone users to organise their digital photo albums by automatically identifying and labelling the people and places within each snap, as they are taken.
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