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| MATR Newsletter - Fri May 27, 2005 |
Life is too short to learn everything by personal experience. (Rick Warren)
Hope to see you today at the Roundtable and next Wed at: ‘Angel Groups In Action: Funding Early Stage Innovation’, 6/1, University Of Montana-Missoula, TechRanch- Bozeman ------- http://www.matr.net/article-14737.html
Come Home Montana
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- A new type of frontier - Ya'll come ... and bring your kids.
Chugwater wants the world to know how wonderful it is. And please, bring your kids. Worried about getting grayer and losing its school someday, the town is offering eight home sites to new residents for $100 apiece if they agree to build a house and stay at least two years. Preference is given to families.
- Final class at Blue Sky High in Rudyard, Montana gets the attention of Gov. Schweitzer
"It is a continuous process," Schweitzer said. "Today is a step in a very long journey. With public education, you can make it all around the bases. You can make it anywhere you want to go." He said he knew some of the graduates would be leaving Montana for college, jobs or the military. He asked them to remember two things. "First, be great ambassadors," Schweitzer said. "Show them what's great about Montana. Second, after you travel across this great country, across the world - after you learn many great things, come back to Montana. We need you."
- Philipsburg, Montana- "Liveliest Ghost Town in the West!"
“Philipsburg is a perfect base for people who want to experience the best of Montana,” says Susan Jenner owner of the historic Broadway Hotel http://broadwaymontana.com , “We are halfway between Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, and in the center of fantastic recreational country.
- Featured "Come Home Montana" Community~CULBERTSON
- Montana Jobs Net - Featured Career ~ Internet Help Desk
- Montana Jobs Net Featured Talent - Desired Field: Manager
Education
- Trump's latest deal: An online university
Never mind that Donald Trump is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He says people need the street smarts and skills to achieve, and they need them fast.
Montana Business
- Harbor Method makes waves across Idaho - Teaching system spreads to new schools, attracting tax dollars and influential fans
The Idaho Statesman is examining Idaho's efforts to establish education standards and improve accountability.
- Montana’s Rural Schools Unappreciated, Need Help
Compared to rural schools in other states, Montana’s rural schools perform on average better than expected, given the challenges they face.
- To Prepare For Tech Economy, Public School System Needs Overhaul
One of the “critical skills” stressed in all my technology classes is leadership. Sadly, this is lacking in most if not all business-school curricula. People will wave their M.B.A. degrees and state that they have “all the skills”. They don’t. They need leadership, creativity, flexibility and adaptability.
- Capitalism colored green at Bainbridge MBA school
Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) is an MBA school on the island that's designed to teach environmentally friendly, socially responsible, sustainable business capitalism.
Montana Economic Development
- Missoula bacon maker purchased for $45 million - Daily's Inc.
Over the past decade, Daily's built its business and reputation by supplying premium fresh sliced and precooked bacon for retail and food service companies in the West.
- Changing face of ASiMI in Butte
New owner to focus on polysilicon manufacturing for solar energy industry
- Tortilla Tango... Tortillas in the Bitterroot?
Whiting's parents moved to Stevensville several years ago and after visiting the Bitterroot, the couple decided to pull up their New England roots and seek their fortune in Big Sky Country.
- Intrinsic Security (Missoula, MT) Adds SMS Alerting to Revolutionary AntiWorm Technology
With this update, FireBreak AntiWorm alerts can be delivered via SMS text messages directly to cell phones and other SMS capable devices, in addition to other delivery methods. FireBreak can instantly alert network and security staff to worm outbreaks.
- A4S Technologies, Inc. has filed for an Initial Public Offering of it's securities with the Securities Exchange Commission
- Bresnan workforce in Billings tops 230
"Great company, clean industry, excellent, well paying jobs, a real home run. That's what we work for in economic development," Joe McClure said.
- Fresh location, fresh approach for Wendt - New home in Great Falls, MT delights advertising agency
Peterson and other company directors said they would become more aggressive in seeking new clients, focusing on potential in neighboring states and in the agency's tourism and outdoor recreation niches.
- Neptune Aviation of Missoula cleared for takeoff
"These aviation assets are critical ... . We welcome them back,"
- Forward Focus, the quarterly newsletter of the Montana Manufacturing Center
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Onshore Outsourcing: Made In America - Startup Rural Sourcing
TCS is looking to hire about 1,000 workers in the United States this year. Once trained, some of the workers will be dispatched to TCS development centers in Missoula, Mont.; Cary, N.C.; and several other smaller communities around the country.
Montana Biotech
- Where Have All the Lead-Angel Investors Gone?
Without lead angel investors today, there will be few deals for venture capitalists to fund tomorrow.
- So You Want to Be a Venture Capitalist
"We can't really have people learning on the job anymore," Mr. Kramlich said. Two-thirds of the partners who were at N.E.A. in 1997 are no longer at the firm, he said, and then cited an internal study that went a long way in explaining why: the surviving third accounted for 85 percent of the firm's profit.
- 10 more firms qualify for investor tax credits....in Wisconsin
Investors say that the credits rarely make them more likely to invest in an individual company, but help draw more attention and money to angel and venture investment as a category.
- Microlending at Crossroads After 20 Years
The money that they lend comes from government grants and foundations, whose generosity ebbs and flows with the health of the economy. And after two decades, they still don't have enough customers to be self-sufficient.
Funding and Building your Business
- University of Montana to Break Ground on New Biomedical Research Building Addition
"It is remarkable, I think, that of the top 20 institutions receiving NIH grants and contracts in 2004, UM is the only one located in a state without a medical school," said Dean David Forbes. "Clearly, our scientists are a serious national -- even international -- force in the investigation of health issues."
Regional Economic Development
- My Own Business: Free Internet Course for Anyone Starting a Business
Welcome to the world's leading Internet business course on how to avoid failure in starting and operating your own business. This course is run by successful business owners and professionals who donate their time and experience to point out the common, avoidable pitfalls.
- Want new ideas at your company? - Google CEO says 'set the engineers free'
"The most clever ideas don't come from the leaders, but rather from the leaders listening and encouraging and kind of creating a discussion," he said. "Wander around and try to find the new ideas."
- Knowing When It's Time to Call It Quits
Maybe there's a time to admit: It wasn't such a great idea, after all. Or if it was a good idea, it isn't a good idea now.
- Guy Kawasaki answers questions from entrepreneurs
- Online Marketing for Entrepreneurs: Cracking the Code
Today, some 30 percent of small business owners don’t have a Web presence at all, while the vast majority who do are watching their sites sit stale, waiting and wanting for business. Where did things go wrong?
- Get to know the competition when looking into new ventures
Whether you are starting a new business or testing the waters for a new product, competitive analysis is essential. Here are some places to look for information on the competition in your sector.
- Ten Tips to Appeal to Angel Investors
- ‘Angel Groups In Action: Funding Early Stage Innovation’, 6/1, University Of Montana-Missoula, TechRanch- Bozeman
This will be an excellent way to learn how to “play the investing game” as well as meet new fellow entrepreneurs and local Angels. Current and potential Angel investors are also encouraged to attend as we expand the Angel Network in Missoula, Bozeman and throughout Montana.
- New, Online Instructor-Taught Classes for Small Business Owners to be Provided by the SBA and the Thomson Corporation
Small businesses and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to enroll in three of Ed2Go's most popular online educational courses at no cost.
- How a Startup Got to the Exit First
One key area that Airespace focused on was how long it took new employees -- and the majority were new -- to get up to speed. All new hires received an employee binder that spelled out exactly what was expected of them in the first 30 days on the job. Along with the usual human-resources stuff, the binder contained detailed market and product requirements for every new engineer coming aboard. "We had as much information in there as possible. Everyone knew exactly what we wanted to build and for whom. It was all written down so there was no confusion, and so they could get up to speed as fast as possible," Nahm says. "It had become a race with our competitors."
- Student's Start-Up Draws Attention and $13 Million - thefacebook.com
"It is a business that has seen tremendous underlying, organic growth and the team itself is intellectually honest and breathtakingly brilliant in terms of understanding the college student experience," Mr. Breyer said.
- License & Registration, Please - Make sure your business is legal by knowing the rules of the road.
"Many new business owners don't worry about legal issues like permits, licenses and zoning," says Alan Schlact, a business law professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. "They wait until they get started and then run into problems before they find out what they need to do."
Utah Business
- 'We're one community' now: Cass, Clay counties join development efforts - "Can't we all just get along?"
The decision to merge economic development efforts ends decades of competition, mainly between Fargo and Moorhead over jobs and business growth. "Today we become a stronger community with a brighter future," said Brian Walters, president of the corporation.
- Task Force Urges Measures to Strengthen North American Competitiveness, Expand Trade, Ensure Border Security
"We are asking the leaders of the United States, Mexico, and Canada to be bold and adopt a vision of the future that is bigger than, and beyond, the immediate problems of the present," said co-chair John P. Manley, Former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. "They could be the architects of a new community of North America, not mere custodians of the status quo."
- Rural America's Emerging Knowledge Economy
Knowledge fuels new ideas and innovations to boost productivity and creates new products, new firms, new jobs, and new wealth.
- Seattle is told it must rewire - Advanced broadband network needed to stay ahead, task force says
For Seattle to remain competitive, it must develop an advanced broadband Internet network that is capable of delivering voice, video and data to businesses and homes. And it must do so quickly, rolling out the high-speed system within the next 10 years.
- A series of article on northeastern Montana in the Billings Gazette:
- Best Practices In State Initiatives Spurring Market-Based Economic Development Now Available
The conference held in March featured nineteen state entrepreneurship and economic development finalists whose presentations focused on how to create environments where entrepreneurship and economic development can flourish.
- Firms throw capital pitch - 8 products showcased at Colorado venture-funding conference
Venture-capital financing is making a rebound in Colorado after a slump at the beginning of the decade.
- Celebrating 50 Companies Building the Oregon Community
"It is a testimonial to the type of entrepreneurial enterprises that we are fostering in the Pacific Northwest. They definitely understand that a healthy business environment and a healthy community are very much interdependent."
- Ireland president visits Seattle on trade mission "We had no natural resources but the brainpower of our people. That's where the investment was made."
President Mary McAleese of Ireland, visiting Seattle as head of a high-tech trade mission, yesterday presented a blueprint for how her country transformed itself into a modern success story within a single generation. "We had no natural resources but the brainpower of our people," McAleese said in a visit with The Seattle Times editorial board. "That's where the investment was made."
- Protecting Washington From Oregon's Fate - What's the cost of growth in Montana?
The measure's surprising passage in Oregon highlights the need to refocus on how growth management protects property owners here in Washington. Land-use planning must be preserved, not weakened or stripped, to ensure the quality of life that Washingtonians have come to expect.
Utah Economic Development
- Hot spots: Utah firm finds a rich niche in hospitality industry by providing wired and wireless broadband service to corporate road warriors.
Reflecting its financial and customer growth, iBAHN increased its global work force to 300 over the past year. More hiring is expected as the company's fortunes continue to climb.
- Greg Warnock Tells Utah Entrepreneurs ""There is an oversupply of investment capital"
"Our main objective is to maintain an environment where you as entrepreneurs can thrive," he said. "That is our charge, and I believe that together we can get it done."
- Sorenson Capital invests in Provo Craft
Unlike other equity funds, Sorenson Capital is a leveraged buyout fund, where money is targeted at buying small to midsize Western U.S. companies with revenues of $30 million to $300 million.
Idaho Business
- The Davis Applied Technology College launches entrepreneurial center for Utah entrepreneurs
"The main focus is on helping entrepreneurs just beginning to get their business off the ground,"
University Business Plan Competitions
- High-tech firm picks Blackfoot for office
Premier Technology was also considering potential locations in Pocatello, including one at the Pocatello Regional Airport, and in Texas and Nebraska.
Incubators and R&D
- Foundations of a Winning Business Plan - 2005 Business Plan Contest at Harvard Business School
The winning entry in this year's Business Plan Contest at Harvard Business School was unique in several aspects.
- Former University of Montana Business Student, Mario Schulzke Wins Prestigious Southern California Advertising Competition... Can you WONGDOODY?
Mario Schulzke manages business development for WONGDOODY’s Los Angeles office. During his tenure, WONGDOODY http://wongdoody.com has won so much new business that Mario now has to share his cube.
- UW business competition a good startup in itself
With $100,000 in total prize money at stake, the UW business plan competition is one of the most lucrative in the country.
University TechTransfer
- Montana Researchers Study New Disease - Can you say human granulocytic anaplasmosis
Montana scientists helped figured out how an emerging new disease spread through ticks manages to survive one of the human body's most effective disease-killing assaults.
- The Inland Northwest Space Alliance E-News May 2005 - INSA West Opens its Doors in Silicon Valley
There is now a fully furnished and functional Western branch of the Inland Northwest Space Alliance located at NASA Ames Research Park, positioned at the center of the technology world in Silicon Valley.
- The Hamilton, MT National Institute of Health's Rocky Mountain Laboratory makes brain-wasting find
"If you learn about how these infectious agents are transported, it can suggest ways of preventing that spread," Caughey said. "We're excited to finally be able to see, almost in real time, the process by which these infectious chunks of protein can invade cells."
- Whirling disease researchers find hope in Montana reservoir
Whirling disease has been hard to conquer because its complex life cycle is hard to interrupt, said Liz Galli-Noble, program director for the Whirling Disease Initiative at the Montana Water Center.
- Montana Business Incubator at the MSU-Billings College of Business and ATechBuilder™ Corporation bring new business opportunity to eastern Montana and North Dakota
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Mussels gave prof, Kaichang Li, idea for wood adhesive that is revolutionizing the wood manufacturing industry and will mean cleaner air indoors and out.
He and his research group in the Wood Sciences and Engineering Department realized they could duplicate the mussel's adhesive by blending soy flour with the amino acids that give the shellfish its astonishing grip. Columbia Forest Products helped fund the research.
- University of Pennsylvania revamps Tech Transfer program to increase the selling of inventions
In reshaping its tech-transfer strategy - already the area's most prolific in licensing patents - Penn has joined Drexel University and others in forming a 194-acre Keystone Innovation Zone in Philadelphia's University City section.
- Five finalist firms vie for first-ever Governor's Small Business Technology Transfer Award
He award's purpose is to recognize companies that bring new products to market and high-quality jobs to the state. The panel of judges includes representatives of the state's governmental, medical, educational, venture capital and biotech business sectors.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- The Power of Partnership with Colleges and Universities: Celebrating 10 Years 1994—2004 Community Outreach Partnership Centers
By collaborating with neighborhood residents, local organizations, government officials, and other stakeholders, COPC grantees have helped to improve their communities, empower residents and the organizations that serve them, and strengthen relationships between campus and community.
Careers
- 'Soul' business: "Media Arts in the Public Schools" puts Corvallis students in the movies
"We were just talking," says Don Matlock, one of nine adult actors with the Hamilton Players who have parts in the movie. "We all wish they'd had a class like this when we were in high school."
Non-Profit News
- Be proactive with networking to make it work for you
It is true that other people will put in some effort to network with you. However, you also need to actively engage with others. Networking is not a one-sided process.
Hydrogen News
- Montana Nonprofit Association Adds Brad Robinson to Staff as Member Services Director to Increase Benefits to Nonprofit Sector
Robinson brings both for-profit and non-profit work experience to this position. Robinson was a founder and manager of Big Sky Brewing Company, Montana’s largest brewery, and most recently worked as the Executive Director of the Montana Natural History Center (MNHC) in Missoula.
Connectivity & Communications
- Jump-starting hydrogen car dream
The plan concludes that California can help speed a national transition from gasoline vehicles to environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel cell cars -- whose tailpipes emit only water vapor.
Community
- World Wide Web cut down to size - Local Matters' new searches keep results near home
"They are taking local search to the next level," said Chris Sherman, president of Searchwise, a Boulder firm that analyzes Internet search technology.
- City data travels through the air in Billings
It’s not a city-wide Wi-Fi hot zone, but Billings has its own wireless system now. City facilities are communicating without wires, and the new system is working well, according to Jim Guy, information technology manager for Billings city government.
- American Cities in The Global Knowledge Economy: the Role of Broadband
"Broadband infrastructure is critical" to survival in the wake of a basic shift taking pace in the structure of the world's economy. "Its deployment is a key measure of success in the information economy and is crucial to the future growth of productivity."
- Verizon may lease Internet providers its fiber networks
The fiber network is now within reach of 1 million homes, and is on track to encompass communities with 3 million homes by the end of the year.
- Techies Ramp Up For Internet's Next Incarnation
The essential advantage of Version 6 is that it can expand to give Internet addresses not only to every cell phone, iPod and BlackBerry that will eventually come online, but also to Web-enabled sensors that will someday be scattered around our homes, cars and communities, allowing users to control more of their world through the Internet.
Leadership Montana
- Being Cool Isn't Enough, A City Needs A Soul
"The decline in the urban middle-class family - a pattern seen in both the late Roman Empire and eighteenth-century Venice - deprives urban areas of a critical source for economic and social vitality."
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- No leaders needed - Author promotes peer-based management structure
"We don't need character makeovers in our organizations," Nielsen says. "The problem is the rank-based [nature of leadership]."
- Paradigms of Leadership in the Teleworking Environment: A Qualitative Study
This paper explores those personal dimensions of leaders and followers and the teleworking environment already identified by research, and develops a tentative model for leader effectiveness in the virtual environment.
- Ten Things I Didn't Know About Google
10) If you work at Google, you may end up with an untraditional job title...such as "Spam Cowboy and Porn Cookie Guy" (and that's one employee, not two).
- Latest buzz words in science - Robot swarms
In simulations on a computer at Frontline, teams of up to 200,000 robots were shown to be able to coordinate their activities smoothly.
- UW scientists study strange material with communications and optics potential
What if the speed of light is a constant only most of the time? What if gravity sometimes pushed instead of pulled?
- Tech Visionaries Offer Ideas for New Gadgets
"The personal computer for the rest of the world isn't going to be the personal computer. It's going to be the cellphone," says John Sviokla
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