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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Apr 23, 2013 |
"This bill forces small businesses across the country to spend time and resources they should be using to create jobs, jumping through new bureaucratic hoops. In Montana, it forces our small businesses to play tax collector for other states - with absolutely no benefit to them. Instead of slapping more red tape on our small businesses, we need to be supporting their work to create jobs and get our economy going. Sen. Max Baucus http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Senator Baucus Throws Down the Gauntlet in Fight Against Online Sales Tax Bill http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Western Montana's Largest Career Fair, 4/25, Missoula, Montana http://www.matr.net/ev ... =4553 ---
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Montana Department of Commerce
- Why Technology Training Matters to Business
Here are five reasons why business today should be knocking down the training door for quality IT certification classes.
2013 Montana Legislature
- Northwest Montana Small Business Development Center Receives National Award for Innovation and Excellence
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosted at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell has been honored with the SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Region VIII.
Northwestern Energy
- Statement of Governor Steve Bullock at the Press Conference on Medicaid Expansion
But no matter what anyone says, the winners aren't a handful of folks in this building. The real winners are the residents of New Jersey and Arizona who will now get to use Montana taxpayer dollars to improve the care of people in their states, while we get nothing.
- Two films shot in Montana make it into Cannes Festival - SB-282 ELIMINATES A TAX REBATE and kills any chance we have in landing future movie projects to be shot in Montana.
"Having two films that were shot in our state featured in the world's most prestigious film festival is a testament not only to Montana as a wonderful shooting location but to the men and women who make up our cast and crew base." Montana Film commissioner Deny Staggs
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- NorthWestern Energy announces new $23 Million Butte building
The new building would be five stories tall and 110,000 square feet. NorthWestern Energy officials say it would be constructed to blend in with its historic surroundings.
Inteneo Systems
- Montana Department of Commerce Tourism Industry News
2013 Montana Tourism Conference Presentations On-line
Come Home Montana
- Scientists Save Healthcare (But They're Not From Med School)
According to the McKinsey Global Institute, using data to better predict the healthcare needs of the U.S. population could save between $300 and $450 billion.
- A physician's checklist for preparing for data gathering under the Sunshine Act
While pharmaceutical and medical device companies have the heaviest weight to carry when it comes to collecting data under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (PDF) beginning August 1, there are a few steps physicians can also take to prepare for the implementation of the rule.
- How a CIO Can Save an Incompetent CEO - Hint: It's the Data
The way to save yourself, and your company, is to invest in the analytics technology that gives the CEO the data necessary to make smart business decisions.
- Finding Value in Data-Driven Decisions
The CIO, much like others in the C-suite, now has the opportunity to create more value and increase the return for the enterprise by leveraging big data.
- Wired and Weird in Austin - Transparency Gains Momentum
The move toward publishing city data online represented a signficant culture shift, as it requires a commitment from department-level staff who must spend time preparing the information in standardized formats. The city's goal is to make their data as useful as possible to three primary groups: average citizens, researchers and application developers.
- Big Data/Business Intelligence helps hiring become more a science and less subjective
“This is absolutely the way forward. Most companies have been flying completely blind.”
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Oracle Instructor - The School of Extended & Lifelong Learning at UM
These are the skills/experience required from a potential instructor to teach Oracle classes.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Manager of Fund Administration - UM Foundation
This position is responsible for the administration and coordination of all funds established at the UM Foundation, provides supervision to the fund coordinator, and works closely with the director of gift planning in orchestrating planned gift administration and management.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Accounting Analyst - Blackfoot Telecommunications
Responsibilities include accounts payable, general ledger maintenance and reconciliation, report preparation, audit preparation and support, and so much more.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Insurance Account Manager - ALPS
Are you a seasoned insurance professional? Do you want to learn the insurance business from the best?
Montana Business
- Entrepreneurship Club Meeting With Elke Govertsen, CEO Of Mamalode, 4/24, Missoula, Montana
By learning to tell her unique story and ask for help in the right way, Elke has landed interviews with Randi Zuckerberg and Connie Chung and recruited the founders of Wired Magazine as board members. Find her at http://www.ElkeGovertsen.com.
- UM Entrepreneurship Club New Leaders' Meeting, 4/30, Missoula, Montana
The Entrepreneurship Club is leading the charge to make The University of Montana America's Most Entrepreneurial University by 2018. Want to play a part in making that happen? Come find out how you can join the E-Club leadership team. Everyone is welcome.
Montana Economic Development
- SBA Montana Announces Winners of 2013 Small Business Week Awards
The Montana District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is excited to announce this year's Small Business Week winners for Montana:
- Internet Taxation without Representation on Montana's Small Businesses
All non-sales tax states, such as Montana should be exempt from any remote sales tax legislation as they would bear the prohibitive cost of compliance with no benefits returning to the state. This also goes against the principle of representation through taxation.
- Record number of tourists, spending in Montana in 2012
The tourism and travel industry helped buoy the state through the economic downturn and keep regional economies afloat while other industries reeled from the recession, including commodities that were once staples.
- Algae Aqua-culture Technology Inc. of Whitefish, Montana turns industrial waste into electricity
The technology will help reduce the carbon footprint of polluting industries like timber and coal while providing cleaner, low-carbon energy alternatives and lucrative new revenue streams.
- The Internet Sales Tax Rush Harry Reid and Wal-Mart hope nobody will notice their online revenue raid.
You will be forced to assess the right tax (over 9,600 different rates), charge the tax to your out of state customer, and then remit the taxes for every transaction. You will then be subject to audits each year.
- Go Fish Montana Launches New Website - We Know Fish!
Our specialty rivers are the Missouri, Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Flathead, and Big Hole (and a No Tell 'Em Creek or two), but we are happy to accommodate requests for any area of Montana.
- Senator Baucus Throws Down the Gauntlet in Fight Against Online Sales Tax Bill
Baucus will continue leading the fight against this bill, known as the "Marketplace Fairness Act," as the Senate debates it this week. A final vote on the bill has not yet been scheduled.
Government
- Helena Airport seeks tax district to court aeronautics company
While Missoula was mentioned at the Airport Authority meeting as the backup - other Montana cities would also be very interested, Mercer said - Hoffman said he has not given much thought to alternative locations. He did not rank Missoula as his second choice although he declined to discuss other sites.
- State Department Funds Montana-Asia Economic Development Project Through Mansfield Center
The Professional Fellows Program supports international cooperation and builds networks of people and organizations working on critical issues worldwide. The Fellows help internationalize their U.S. host businesses and organizations. Alternately, the Montana leaders will travel to Southeast Asia to reinforce new partnerships and opportunities.
Idaho Business
- 28-Year-Old Grad Student Proves that Austerity Movement "Experts" Got It Wrong - Austerity Is No Longer the Answer, Says Barroso
The pro-austerity movement was relying on bogus information.
Regional Business
- High Country Fusion wins export award
The company topped $3.2 million in exports in 2012, about 85 percent of which went to Australia, said Steve Wilson, President and CEO.
- Idaho's best places to work revealed
For the sixth year, Idaho Business Review and Populus, a marketing and research firm, identified top Idaho employers in the annual Best Places to Work in Idaho.
Regional Economic Development
- Get a peek at the 6 best TEDMED 2013 talks (video)
Here are sneak peeks of six talks you should definitely look for.
- Nevada buses mentally ill patients out of state
"But getting rid of them altogether by busing them out of state is, I think, rare. I am shocked by these figures. It seems to be almost routine in Nevada."
- Senate bill jeopardizes tax-free online shopping
The Senate has scheduled a procedural vote Monday on the bill. If the vote is successful, the Senate could pass the bill as early as this week.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Rural Advocates Claim President's Budget Skewers Rural Development
"USDA should acknowledge that Rural Development is a low priority for the Department," said Bob Rapoza , Executive Secretary of the National Rural Housing Coalition. "And for that reason, it is obvious to me that these programs are the first on the chopping block and always available to offset increases for other programs and activities that are deemed more important."
Montana Education Excellence
- How These Public School Teachers Made $4.4 Million Selling Lesson - Teachers Pay Teachers Plans Online
The online marketplace for course materials and lesson plans has attracted 1.8 million teachers, whom have collectively sold more $30 million worth of materials online.
- Miss Montana: How apps can help hack autism
"Autism doesn't define me," Wineman often says, with her trademark defiance. "I define it."
Funding and Building your Business
- University of Montana Premed Students Attain 80 Percent Acceptance Rate To Medical Schools
The key to this success is the commitment of advisers and the open nature the program takes toward working with students, said UM Director of Premedical Sciences Mark Pershouse.
Energy and Climate Change
- 5 Startup Concepts That are Not the Next Big Thing
In some cases, these are concepts that have already been done too many times, and the space is crowded. In others, the concept has been tried too many times, or no one has yet succeeded in making any money. Or both.
- Encore entrepreneurs find plenty of support for starting a business after 50
A big part of the SBA and AARP missions is to connect aspiring mid-life entrepreneurs with mentors.
- And the award for top angel investor goes to...
"He is an angel investor, founder of funds, professor and mentor to future entrepreneurs, and he has researched and written two of the most comprehensive and widely consulted reports on investments by angels in groups." Marianne Hudson, executive director of the Angel Capital Association.
- 7 Reasons to Start a Blog Before Shipping a Product
I can attest from experience that publishing a regular blog to properly showcase your offering, even before you have it, is a most cost effective approach in time and money.
- Understanding the Future Customer seminars to be held in 11 Montana cities this summer
The seminars will focus on the changing landscape of customer interactions in the marketplace.
Government Technology
- The next big utility transformation
The main obstacles to a renewably powered grid are not technological. They are cultural, political and financial. Generating nearly all of our grid power with renewables while maintaining grid stability is easy compared to crafting a new regulatory framework that will make utility investors whole during the transition.
- Google Hacks Power Regulators to Build Greener Grid
"This is a mechanism that could really allow renewable energy to be scaled much more quickly, because it would enable the purchasing of large amounts of renewable power. It also brings in many other players in to the mix and gives them access to renewable energy from utilities."
- Advancing a National Electric Grid Reliability Test Bed at Idaho National Laboratory
"We have developed an electric grid reliability test bed at INL where full-scale, cost-effective commercially sensitive testing and evaluation can occur safely and securely."
Non-Profit News
- Civic Data Challenge 2013
The Civic Data Challenge turns the raw data of 'civic health' into useful applications and visualizations that have direct impact on public decision-making.
- How California Trains Its Future Tech Leaders
The Information Technology Leadership Academy has been around in one form or another since 1990. Over the years, the program matured into an annual nine-month crash course that teaches middle managers the skills necessary to lead a technology department.
- Boston Dashboard to Help Coordinate Large-Scale Events
They were on hand to get a feel for the dashboard system's capabilities in order to evaluate its potential for event coordination.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Non Profit Organizations Creates Many Jobs and Contributes Millions of Dollars to Missoula's Economy
Missoula remains home to more nonprofits than any other Montana city with 226, or one organization per every 8.84 residents. The groups employed roughly 4,972 people and paid nearly $146 million in wages.
- TED Video: Skylar Tibbits: The emergence of "4D printing"
This emerging technology will allow us to print objects that then reshape themselves or self-assemble over time. Think: a printed cube that folds before your eyes, or a printed pipe able to sense the need to expand or contract.
- Mouth-controlled stylus makes touch devices accessible to disabled users
Much the way the Splash line of games uses special controllers to increase accessibility for disabled kids, so the Griffin MouthStick Stylus aims to provide wider access to touchscreen devices.
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