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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Jul 12, 2013 |
"You may delay, but time will not." -Benjamin Franklin
Montana Department of Commerce
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
- Montana Department of Commerce Business Resources Division Finance Programs 2013-2014 Certified Partner Training Available Online
The Business Resources Division is excited to announce that new ELearning webinars for the various funding programs is available for the next period of certification/recertification between July 11, 2013 and September 13, 2013.
Northwestern Energy
- Securities and Exchange Commission Adopts Rules Allowing General Solicitation
At an open meeting this morning, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved final rules implementing one of the most important changes to securities regulation and offering practices in decades.
PrintingForLess
- City of Billings Receives $361,431 in Rebates for Energy-Efficient Lighting Projects
The benefits for the city extend beyond the rebates, as all these projects are estimated to reduce energy consumption by 242 kilowatts (kW) in monthly demand and save over 2.589 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year; an amount roughly equal to the average electric usage of 3,450 homes for a month.
- Commission likes utility building plan for NorthWestern Energy
The proposed NorthWestern Energy building will be energy efficient and feature details consistent with historic Uptown Butte, its designer told the historic preservation commission Tuesday.
- Wind at Spion Kop wind farm 'phenomenal'
"We're getting more energy produced here on a unit basis than any of our other contracts that we signed for wind in recent memory."
- NorthWestern Energy inks new electricity contracts at 'substantially lower' prices
NorthWestern Energy, the state's largest electric utility, has signed several new power contracts it says will eventually provide electricity to Montana customers at "substantially lower" costs than current contracts.
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- PrintingForLess.com Says It's Gonna Be Hot Hot Hot!
We've put together a new IDEA PACKET to heat up your summer marketing plans.
Inteneo Systems
- July Montana Office of Tourism Update
$500,000 Available for TIIP Grants - Application Deadline August 1
- Celebrating Summer, Montana-Style
This summer, every hometown throws a bash or five--from traditional fairs and farmer's markets to quirky festivals celebrating everything from hay bales to mountain men. Ready to road trip?
Come Home Montana
- Five Use Cases Driving Big Data Adoption
"Part of this is providing self-service capabilities to everyone in your organization in order to be more data driven," says Suh. This type of data access allows employees to create a connected picture, and can be used for everything from new product research, researching customer profiles, pricing optimizations, etc.
- Big Data: Where and How Insurers Are Investing
Large insurers are more likely to currently employ big data practices, Novarica found, but insurers of all sizes currently are planning to expand big data practices in the next 12 months.
- Hospitals Prescribe Big Data to Track Doctors at Work
Tracking doctors' performance is "absolutely key" to the future.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Digital Designer - The Missoulian
This is a great opportunity for a graphic designer who is a recent graduate or with a couple of years of experience
- High-Tech Challengers to Silicon Valley - Missoula, Montana is a big fat dot on the map
"[There is a] migration out of Silicon Valley to places where people really want to live."
Hellgate Venture Network
- Can Cities Do Anything to Promote Startups?
There are certain qualities that entrepreneurial cities share
Montana Business
- Hellgate Venture Network - Melissa Picoli "How To Work With Friends", 7/18, Missoula, Montana
Melissa will talk about "how to work with friends" a challenge that many small and start-up businesses find themselves facing!
Montana Economic Development
- TerraEchos® Announces First Commercial Technology and Invites User Development
TrueStream CVEMâ„¢, bringing together the world of social media and streaming video into one outlet, allows users a unique opportunity to watch their video; socialize with friends; and interact with the video, all inside the same frame.
The Missoula Economic Partnership
- Governor Bullock Leads Economic Development Roundtable in Kalispell
"Montana businesses know better than anyone what it takes to succeed," Bullock said in his opening remarks. "If you're a business that is looking to expand, you create a business plan, but as a state we've never done that."
- Expanded Manufacturing Site Announced for Evergreen
Flathead County Economic Development Authority was recently awarded $62,580 on behalf of ACI from the Montana Department of Commerce's Big Sky Trust Fund.
- Butte Hill renewal is focus of proposed blight resolution in Uptown
The resolution says blight within the proposed district -- which extends south of Uptown Butte to the warehouse area -- has caused indecision, disinvestments and a lack of incentive to improve properties.
Rural Communities
- Missoula Economic Partnership sees Bakken benefit, commercial development
With the recession fading in the rearview mirror, leaders of the Economic Partnership told the Missoula city council Wednesday they're seeing a lot of "green lights" for the city's business outlook, with a mix of opportunities developing.
Idaho Business
- Job Loss Concentrated in Rural America
Cities have regenerated almost all the jobs they lost in the recession that started in 2007. But nonmetropolitan counties have a long way to go to get back to their pre-recession job levels.
Incubators and R&D
- Online Exclusive: Salaries of Idaho State Elected Officials
Visit Transparent Idaho's Public Records Access page for more information on public records.
- Cradlepoint adds employees, manufacturing space in Boise
After a 15 percent reduction in force at the end of 2011, a Boise maker of wireless routers has rebounded, adding about 25 workers since January and expecting 20 to 25 more hires by the end of the year.
Other Economies
- The collective brings together entrepreneurs in a shared workplace in Boise
"A group of us drank way too much coffee, because every time we got together it was at a coffee shop," she said. "Not only is it inefficient - it gets old."
- Montana Institute On Ecosystems To Host Annual EPSCoR Summit, 8/22-23, Helena, Montana
The summit will provide a science-based gathering where participants can share their knowledge gained through research and broader engagement activities.
Utah Economic Development
- New nonprofit fund will invest in state startups
"Hopefully we'll be able to vet business plans by mid-fall and invest money by early 2014."
Washington State Business
- Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce to launch young entrepreneur (grades six through 12) program
During the program, students work closely with local business leaders to cultivate and research business ideas, write a business plan, pitch their plan to a panel of investors to obtain funding, develop their brand, participate in a trade show at the end of the year, and actually launch their enterprise.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Innovate Washington loses state funding
"He told us that until there was 'meaningful dialogue' on state business climate issues between the Legislature and the governor's office, the Senate Majority Coalition saw no reason to invest in any economic development implementation."
Education
- Hillary Clinton and the Too Small to Fail Campaign
"Our country's future depends on healthy kids and loving families. They're the building blocks of a strong and prosperous society"
- TED Talk - Jack Andraka: A promising test for pancreatic cancer ... from a teenager
A paper on carbon nanotubes, a biology lecture on antibodies and a flash of insight led 15-year-old Jack Andraka to design a cheaper, more sensitive cancer detector.
Montana Education Excellence
- 3 Ways to Revamp Your University Website
Here's how universities are reorganizing their web content, integrating enterprise applications, and adapting to mobile devices.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- FVCC President Dr. Jane Karas Appointed Board Chair of American Association of Community Colleges
AACC represents the nation's almost 1,200 community colleges in Washington D.C., advocating for more resources and various policies to Congress and the White House.
- E. Broadway site for Missoula College 'promising,' study author says
"The site has pros and cons, but in all honesty, it looks promising - the building does fit," said Mark Headley of StudioFORMA. "There's nothing right now that jumps out in regards to the site itself."
- Destroying First Amendment rights doesn't make the University of Montana safer
The agreement also requires UM to investigate any alleged offensive comment about sexuality or gender and to maintain a database of incidents; it even allows UM to discipline the speaker before the investigation is complete.
Universities and Economic Development
- MRI grants at crossroad: McLaughlin Research institute a boon for students and teachers
"Here in Great Falls we have half a dozen or more students who have gone on to research careers at some pretty prestigious universities as a result of their internship at McLaughlin."
- Missoula College brings workforce training into the right-now age
"That's what we are here to do: We respond to the business community's needs," Missoula College Dean Barry Good said. "In the past, nationally speaking, programs tended to be set up at schools because the educators thought they knew what business needed. But we recognize that business knows what business needs, and we are here to respond as quickly as possible to those needs."
Community
- Legislature OKs bill to aid university spin-off ventures
Under RAIN, the press release said, hundreds of ideas will be moved from evaluation and company formation to supplying the needed talent and identifying investment capital.
Funding and Building your Business
- What Aging Population? How 5 Areas Are Getting Younger
In each of these areas, there's at least one primary driver shifting the demographics in the opposite direction.
Energy and Climate Change
- The JOBS Act: Will It Soon Be Legal For Startups To Advertise For Investors?
To recap, the JOBS Act of 2012 required the SEC, by last summer, to write rules to implement the lifting of the ban on general solicitation in Rule 506 offerings where all purchasers are accredited investors.
- Unlimited time off? More companies giving it a shot
No questions asked, as long as the work gets done.
- Providing feedback to rejected candidates can pay off later
Without the help of feedback explaining why they didn't rate, future positions may prove elusive for such eager applicants.
- YC-Backed Standard Treasury Aims To Make Software That Eats Commercial Banking
"The existing model for bank-enterprise relationships hasn't changed since the 1970s," Kimerling said. "Banking is really painful. We have customers that ask -- why can't banking be like Stripe or Braintree?"
- It Just Got a Whole Lot Easier to Fund Your Startup
This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved rules that will begin to open, accelerate, and more deeply systematize the process of raising money for startups.
Connectivity & Communications
- The Money Behind Fossil Fuel Exports Goldman Sachs, Berkshire Hathaway, and Bank of America.
Some of the financial sector's heaviest hitters are deeply enmeshed in fossil fuel export plans.
Government Technology
- TECH NOW: Cutting Cable, Part 3 - A guide to online video services
In Part 3 of her series on cutting your ties to cable, contributor Jennifer Jolly walks you through choices for online video streaming and downloads.
Non-Profit News
- Governments Tapping Technology to Connect With the Public
Realize that embracing new technologies may require modifications in business systems, both internally and externally.
- The real impact of Big Data/Business Intellgence for Lean and Modern Government
BI is the means of accessing and analyzing the complex data that has historically been ignored or analyzed manually.
- Is Big Data Just for Big Cities?
Small and midsize cities are behind in harnessing data to make a city run smarter. Dubuque, Iowa, is bucking that trend.
- NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
What do we want our cities to be in the Urban Century?
- A Warning for Big Data, 3 Ways to Handle Citizen Feedback, and Why "Experts" Are Often Wrong - All the public-sector management news you need to know.
"You can have all the facts you want but if you can't tell a story, people won't listen." - Shane Parrish on the Farnam Street blog.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- The Glacier Institute: Three decades of excellence
"We provide hands-on, field-based educational adventures to people all over the world here in the Crown of the Continent," said Joyce Baltz, director of Glacier Institute since 2004
Transportation
- 4 Israeli apps every college student should know about
Getting stuck behind miles of cars is no fun.
- Why public libraries should follow Chicago's lead and build maker labs
A free lab that is open to the public is a novel concept that will hopefully be a lot more common in the future.
- 3D-printed robots teach kids science
Children at a U.S. grade school are learning about technology by making inexpensive 3D-printed robots, and the courseware is available for students almost anywhere.
- Researchers Create Inner Ear from Stem Cells, Opening Potential for New Treatments
Previous attempts to "grow" inner-ear hair cells in standard cell culture systems have worked poorly.
- Idaho bicyclist rescued from pursuing wolf
If you read on you will find out how I found myself alone on my bike being chased down and attacked by a Canadian Gray Wolf.
- How Did Portland Become North America's Bicycling Capital?
For various reasons, Portland's been lucky enough to attract and retain people who've become nationally known experts on bike-friendly street design. Some of them even helped write the definitive guide to urban bikeway design and they're often asked to share their knowledge to audiences around the world.
- NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide - state-of-the-practice solutions that can help create complete streets that are safe and enjoyable for bicyclists.
The NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide is based on the experience of the best cycling cities in the world.
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