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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Mar 22, 2013 |
"Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don't know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it." Sir William Haley
"This is disgraceful." In Montana, an Indian reservation's children feel the impact of sequester's cuts http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Innovation Councils Connect Governments with Entrepreneurs http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- "A Place At The Table" Presented By The Missoula Food Bank, 4/10, Missoula http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
GigaPOP in Missoula
Northwestern Energy
- Google Fiber Expanding Superfast Internet Service to Olathe, Kansas
Google says its fiber-to-the-home product provides customers with broadband Internet speeds of 1 gigabit per second -- roughly 100 times faster than the average U.S. connection -- as well as crystal clear television service.
- How Chattanooga, Bristol, and Lafayette Built the Best Broadband in America
The fastest networks in the nation are built by local governments, a new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Benton Foundation reveals
- San Jose, Calif., Launches Fast Public Wi-Fi
The new network, which cost the city about $94,000 up front, and $22,000 annually, will complement a changing atmosphere in downtown San Jose, CIO Vijay Sammeta said. The City Council recently approved curbside dining, an activity that will be greatly enhanced by the public's ability to access high-speed Internet.
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- Energy - The Basic And The New - It's not just one or the other.
There is generally broad support for enhancing the nation's electricity transmission and distribution systems to make them more resilient, to meet future demands (including capacity and ever-higher reliability), and to achieve the broader policy goals and services our customers want that together define a "smart grid."
SRS Crisafulli, Inc.
- Top 10 Western River Floats
This is one of the best-kept secrets of Montana rafting. This fork of the Flathead forms the southwestern boundary of Glacier National Park and, naturally, is glacier-cold.
Inteneo Systems
- Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen Scholarship Programs! Apply today for great scholarship opportunities!
Applications now available for the 2013 Miss Montana and Miss Montana's Outstanding Teen Scholarship Programs! Apply today for great scholarship opportunities!
Come Home Montana
- Can Big Data Crack Fraud?
If you are a state, city or county jurisdiction, you probably can't answer those questions with any degree of accuracy.
- Big Data Can Bring Patients to Water But It Can't Make Them Think
He said Aetna works with larger vendors as well, but says the smaller companies innovate more quickly and "drive things at speed."
- 5 Tactics for Better Decision Making
After digging into the research, I learned that there are no hard and fast rules for decision-making. (If only!) There are, however, a number of interesting tendencies that play into how we decide, which we should all be aware of.
- Are You Losing Out on Customer Data?
The process of collecting data is easy and relatively inexpensive, yet so few (in other words, practically nobody) does it. Why? Because so many entrepreneurs are afraid of finding out the truth.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Web & Social Media Developer - Montana Tech
Southwest Montana serves as the panoramic backdrop to Butte and Montana Tech. We're high in the Rocky Mountains, with abundant recreational activities in all directions, including state and national parks.
- Montana Career Opportunity - IT network Administrator - Calumet Montana Refining
Job entails all desktop and server set up and maintenance as well as management of back-ups, VOIP phone system, network infrastructure, HP / CISCO switches and Microsoft servers in a virtualized environment.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Organic Extractions Chemist, Chemist/Technician, Analytical Chemist - Energy Laboratories Inc.
Founded in 1952, Energy Laboratories, Inc. is a commercial analytical laboratory specializing in organic, inorganic, trace metals, microbiological and radiochemical analysis of water, waste, soil, air and petroleum product samples.
Montana Business
- State not alone in quest for venture capital
Across the nation, at least 34 states have either launched venture capital funds, created investment tax incentives or both to leverage private investments in startups and emerging companies.
Montana Economic Development
- The Montana CFAC aluminum plant - 'Glencore Has Been Playing Us'
A frustrated Senator Tester said last week he can no longer take Glencore at its word. He said the company strung him and BPA along during power contract negotiations and has proven to only care about maximizing profit, not providing jobs in a depressed area of Montana that needs them.
- Sale of Bozeman company could ramp up biofuel research
Now, under a new company, with a market for not only the biofuel but also the by-product, folks with Sustainable Oils say they're looking forward hiring more workers, gearing up research and talking with farmers about production next year.
- Montana mining company fights Schweitzer takeover
Schweitzer and the Clinton Group, a New York hedge fund, have criticized Stillwater's expansions into Argentina and Canada. They blame McAllister for a long-term share price decline, and want to oust him and install a new slate of directors, including Schweitzer.
- Sen. Baucus leads fight against amendment that would require Montana employers to spend their hard-earned dollars to enforce sales taxes in other states, with absolutely nothing in return.
Senator Jon Tester joined Baucus in opposing the provision
Careers
- Helping Business Take the Next Step - MCFC newsletter March 2013 Volume 4, Issue 9
Check it out for current interest rates and other information!
- Health care, energy jobs will be in big demand in future, experts say
"'Steve, it's all about the workforce,'" Arveschoug said, quoting Nelson. "'I need to make sure I have the best people that I can get working at the Northern Hotel. Anything you can do to help us have a quality workforce is the key to success of the Northern.'"
- Senators Baucus and Tester Recommend Tony Preite to USDA Rural Development Post
"Tony's a great candidate because he's focused on good-paying jobs and he's dedicated to public service," said Baucus. "Tony knows how important it is to be proactive about economic development and I hope the President moves forward quickly on his appointment."
Government
- 5 Steps To Uncovering Your True Work Passion
For businesses, profit is important. But for the people who work in those businesses and the people who buy from them, profit isn't enough.
Idaho Business
- "This is disgraceful." In Montana, an Indian reservation's children feel the impact of sequester's cuts
And in a school system where five children recently committed suicide in a single year -- and 20 more made the attempt -- plans to hire a second guidance counselor at the high school have been scrapped, leaving one person to advise some 200 students.
- Innovation Councils Connect Governments with Entrepreneurs
"We want to create a relationship that could have tech leaders advising us about where things are moving in the world -- how we can continuously improve as a city."
Other Economies
- Boise Attracts Startups Seeking Quality of Life
Entrepreneurs who set up shop in Boise, Idaho, say it's not just a city... it's a sweet spot.
- Idaho's software labor shortage and economic development
If Idaho can't attract or keep capital or talented workers here, then that's an issue. So let's find a way to create a sound, predictable business environment where capital isn't afraid to come, stay and grow in Idaho.
Regional Economic Development
- San Francisco, San Jose team up to keep tech companies
"We've got much bigger competition for companies that are expanding to other states and countries instead of keeping their growth in Silicon Valley."
Washington State Business
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming may give electric car owners a place to charge their vehicles
The hope is that the stations will encourage commuters and Jackson Hole's 4 million annual visitors to consider using more electric transportation.
- Speak Your Piece: 'Rural' and Housing
The chief concern expressed by many is whether small communities, particularly those with 10,000 or fewer residents, will lose funding if they have to compete with bigger ones.
- Foreign citizens making big investments in U.S. in exchange for green cards
"If you get highly skilled, highly talented immigrants with money, who are paying and committing to things that are positive, I'm inclined to think it's terrific," former Treasury secretary Lawrence H. Summers said.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Hedging by utilities cost Washington ratepayers $800 million, state says
The attorney general's office is recommending that officials place a moratorium on companies from entering into new hedging arrangements.
Bill Payne
- Incubator middle school in L.A. will teach students how to launch a business in addition to academics
"Don't just play games, make them."
- How New Jersey Expanded Early Education and Narrowed the Achievement Gap
"We're not going to close achievement gaps for poor kids in poor districts, not just in Massachusetts but across the country, unless every child has high-quality pre-k like this."
- Occupational therapy for special-needs students moves online
"We don't have enough [occupational therapists] overall," says PresenceLearning co-founder Clay Whitehead. And that's especially true in rural areas, Whitehead adds, where OTs or the students they serve might have to travel hundreds of miles to complete face-to-face sessions.
- Student app developers win national prize
Thanks to six students at Emory H. Markle Intermediate School in Pennsylvania, students nationwide soon will have access to a smart-phone app that takes note-taking to a new level.
- Utah Lawmakers Prioritize STEM Education; Other States May Follow Suit
Perhaps Utah's dedication to STEM initiatives will set the tone for other states with similar proposals still hanging in the balance.
Community
- Due Diligence Is A Two-Way Street
A component of the investment process often overlooked by entrepreneurs is the importance of due diligence on investors.
Funding and Building your Business
- Downtown Venues for Rent in Missoula
Looking for a place to hold a meeting in Missoula?
- Missoula takes down Grand Rapids to make social media's Final Four
Missoula will take on Branson, Missouri next week so please get ready to vote and to ask everyone you know to vote for Missoula!
Energy and Climate Change
- How to turn job candidates into brand ambassadors
Unless you have a candidate experience calculator in your back pocket, here are some ways you can tell if your candidates are excited for new opportunities or fleeing your company:
- Could A Kickstarter For Gadgets Attract Big Brands?
Crowd Supply will cater exclusively to gadget projects.
- How Patagonia's Roving CEO Stays in the Loop
Patagonia CEO Yvon Chouinard requires his employees to spend 15 minutes a week writing up how their work week went and any ideas they have, while his managers then spend five minutes reading each report.
- University of Montana Introduces New Series of Professional Development Courses
"If you own a business or work for a company that doesn't provide training, short of going back to college, this is the best opportunity for you to learn about your rights and responsibilities as an employer, how to craft a winning proposal, how to create your own advertising and to gain other skills that you need to succeed," said Candi Merrill, UMExtended Courses program director.
- Reinventing Invention: Quirky Lets You Be a Modern-Day Edison
Everyone has an idea, so we can't speak to any one group of people because Quirky is for everyone, and we want it to be accessible to everyone.
- How to Run an Effective Social Media Program
The key is to manage your limited resources wisely.
- 7 Leadership Behaviors Startups Must Never Tolerate
Most experts agree that leadership, as perceived by people around you, is more about behavior than it is about specific skills or knowledge.
- SendGrid fires staffer after her tweet exposed sex jokes
SendGrid, a firm that develops cloud-based e-mail service, fired developer evangelist Adria Richards because it doesn't "support how she reported the conduct," CEO Jim Franklin said in a company blog post.
Legislative Newsletters
- Farewell pistons, hello jets and blades
In the race to create ever less polluting automobiles, some unconventional ideas are being tested to replace the piston engine in hybrid cars.
- Obama Energy Program Modeled on 'Race to the Top'
Under that program, state and local officials submit applications that detail how they would achieve broad goals set by the White House, and the administration then selects winners to receive funding.
- New Clean Energy Program Won't Cost Cities a Dime
A number of municipal governments are partnering with a new privately funded clean energy program to save money and help make their cities more environmentally friendly.
Connectivity & Communications
- Senator Jon Tester introduces bill to bring more medical professionals to Montana
All 56 Montana counties qualify as Health Professional Shortage Areas in some capacity, meaning that there are too few medical providers in those counties to meet the needs of the local population.
Government Technology
- Telehealth Helps Boost Access to Stroke Care in Rural Areas, Study Finds
According to the study, the telehealth programs helped increase patients' access to stroke care by 40%.
- TED Talk: Danny Hillis: The Internet could crash. We need a Plan B
tThe Internet wasn't designed for this kind of scale, and sounds a clarion call for us to develop a Plan B: a parallel system to fall back on if -- or when -- the Internet crashes.
Non-Profit News
- Asheville, N.C., Community Gets Behind Open Data
"When we launched our open data portal, all of a sudden, we're not having to fulfill as many manual open record requests because we're using open data," Feldman told Government Technology. "It's already out there - go get it."
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- "A Place At The Table" Presented By The Missoula Food Bank, 4/10, Missoula
The film, which chronicles three individuals and their own experiences with food insecurity also features insights from expert nutritionists, sociologists, and celebrity advocates Jeff Bridges and Tom Colicchio.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Governor Quinn Launches Illinois Creative Economy Initiative - It's all about the Arts.
The initiative will explore innovative strategies to grow the $2.7 billion creative economy in Illinois, which employs thousands of people and is a key driver of tourism to our state.
Transportation
- TED Talk: Elon Musk: The mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity ...
Entrepreneur Elon Musk is a man with many plans. The founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX sits down with TED curator Chris Anderson to share details about his visionary projects, which include a mass-marketed electric car, a solar energy leasing company and a fully reusable rocket.
- 3-D printing is revolutionizing product development
New printing technology significantly reduces the time corporations spend prototyping fresh designs and now consumer-level machines could make engineers of us all.
- PhaseSpace's plan to upend Hollywood shows the potential of Silicon Valley technology
McSheery says he can make feature films for pennies on the dollar by creating digital prototypes of films and aggressively crowd sourcing them before spending the big bucks on big-name actors and fancy sets and locations.
- Ex-Apple Director Promises Detroit-Built Electric Sports Car
The plan is to release an electric sports car - again, likely based on the Lotus Elise - that showcases the company's powertrain technology, with production set to begin in August after the official debut at the Shanghai Motor Show.
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