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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Sep 13, 2013 |
“By investing early, we can improve school readiness, shrink the achievement gap, increase graduation rates and prepare the next generation of workers and parents. “Despite knowing all of this, Montana is one of just a handful of states without state-supported preschool. Less than a quarter of our four-year-olds are enrolled in preschool or Head Start. It is time that Montana join 40 other states that invest in universal preschool, to ensure that we are setting our children up for success.” Montana Governor Steve Bullock in an op-ed in the Great Falls Tribune, September 7, 2013
See you in Butte on Monday and Tuesday for the Montana Jobs Summit!
Parsec Data Management
Montana Economic Development Summit - 9-16/17, Butte, Montana
- Can data collection and privacy coexist? Thoughts from the growing number of data focused businesses and educational efforts in Montana - Panel on Data at the Montana Jobs Summit
"There's vast quantities of data out there, but if you don't know what to do with them, you're not going to get very far." Joe Garrett - Inteneo Systems
Next Generation Broadband in Missoula
- Montana economic summit next week will help build connections
The summit's "secret sauce" boils down to some really good old fashioned face-to-face contacts.
- Reserve your Appointment Now For One-On-One Networking with Exciting Companies at the Montana Jobs Summit
Don't miss your chance to network with some of the top businesses in the U.S.
- World Business Leaders Descend on Montana This Weekend
"For two days we'll transform Butte, Montana, into the capital of the international business world. I urge all Montanans to register today and stake their claim to a seat at the table during our biggest and best Summit yet."
- University of Montana to Host Live Simulcast of Montana Economic Development Summit's Keynotes
"Our best and our brightest, like UM's business school students, shouldn't have to leave our state to find good-paying jobs," Baucus said. "That's what our jobs summits are all about. I'm thrilled to know folks in Missoula will be joining the conversation and helping us come up with Montana solutions for Montana jobs by watching the summit live from UM's campus."
Northwestern Energy
- Municipal Broadband That Works
An abundance of examples show that government-facilitated broadband networks can pay their own way and contribute to the economic health of their communities.
PrintingForLess
- Northwestern Energy Plans Public Meetings in Great Falls and Bozeman to discuss its electric transmission system
At the meetings, the company will present the plan for meeting local area transmission needs and then open the floor for a question and answer session.
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- "The Mail Moment" From PrintingForLess.com, 9/26, Webinar
Learn about tips on attaining maximum impact during the first critical 15 seconds of the "Mail Moment"
Arrow Solutions Group
- History Hopping Around Billings, Montana
Just know that wherever your history-hop takes you, cowboy boots are always in style here.
TicketRiver.com
- Montana Career Opportunities - Project Manager, Web Interface Developer, ETL Developer, Business Intelligence Developer, C# Developer - Arrow Solutions Group
Arrow Solutions Group (ASG) is Montana's only specialized IT & engineering staffing and recruiting agency, connecting IT professionals and engineers with companies in Montana, Wyoming, North & South Dakota.
Inteneo Systems
- Survey shows Montana's outdoors big draw to small businesses
"Montana is fast becoming the next emerging technology cluster, following in the footsteps of Austin and Boulder," said Lance Trebesch, CEO of Ticket River and http://www.Ticketprinting.com, a business of 28 employees based in Bozeman and Harlowton. "Successful technology companies are being built right under the Big Sky."
Montana Business
- Study finds students learn more from non-tenure-track instructors
The authors of the study suggest that by looking at measures of student learning, and not just course or program completion, their work may provide a significant advance in understanding the impact of non-tenure-track instructors.
- How Relevant is Long-Range Strategic Planning?
Successful organizations will be those designed to create and test options, practicing "continuous deployment," doing things "fast and roughly right" rather than relying on strategic planning as we have known it.
- In Growing Field of Big Data, Jobs Go Unfilled
By 2018, the U.S. could face a shortfall of about 35 percent in the number of people with advanced training in statistics who can help companies realize the potential of digital information.
- How Data Analysis Boosts Productivity
It's no wonder companies both large and small look for ways to mitigate employee flight and increase worker efficiency.
- Education data software Schoolnet not making the grade in Idaho
A software program in 57 Idaho school districts that is meant to help improve student academic performance was criticized by educators Thursday for not working properly.
Rural Communities
- Xanterra works on deal to buy Billings adventure tour company - Austin Adventures
Austin says the Montana tour company's origins date back four decades. It has about 12 full-time employees and 50 seasonal guides in Montana, Seattle and the Netherlands.
- Business For Montana's Outdoors -- Is your company a member?
If you are a business that supports the protection of our public lands, and the advocacy and education that will ensure our landscapes for this and future generations, we encourage you to add your business name to the efforts and objectives of Business for Montana's Outdoors.
- Governor Bullock meets with Montana companies on Outside magazine's 100 Best Places to Work list
Leaders from a handful of Montana small businesses recognized as some of the country's greatest places to work met with Gov. Steve Bullock on Thursday to discuss their success in using Montana's resources to create an attractive work environment.
- Pioneering Billings computer company turns 35 - Computers Unlimited
This week marks the 35th anniversary of one of the city's pioneering computer companies, and more than 200 Computers Unlimited clients from around the country are in town for conferences and a celebration.
Government and University TechTransfer
- The RURAL DATA PORTAL provides over 350 data indictors for your community.
The RURAL DATA PORTAL provides over 350 data indictors for your community.
Idaho Business
- University of Colorado tries new plan to keep research money flowing
"We're actually doing something, and the potential is enormous. It's a way to differentiate ourselves from other universities nationally."
Incubators and R&D
- Idaho Economic Development Summit set for Sept. 30-Oct. 1
The summit aims to provide leaders in Idaho business, industry, economic development and education, as well as local, tribal and state government, the chance to help shape Idaho's economic future and address community and statewide challenges and opportunities.
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- U.S. Treasury Proposal Would Allow Research Tax Credits for Prototypes
In the announcement of the new rules, Treasury notes that the changes should reduce uncertainty on the part of research-oriented business, providing an additional incentive to innovate.
Regional Economic Development
- North Dakota Commerce Department to offer entrepreneurship grant
The program is designed to grow technology based entrepreneurship in North Dakota by providing grants to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial centers in four main areas: access to capital, marketing assistance, entrepreneur infrastructure and entrepreneurial talent.
Utah Economic Development
- Why Most Economic Development Efforts Fail
Here's another fun exercise: Ask a local public official, 'What type of economic development would be best for your community?'
Workforce Development
- Utah bike trek offers Ogden unique way to sell city for economic development
After a trip to earlier this year to Taiwan, where Fishburn said 80 percent of the bikes built in the world are made, he and Caldwell decided to invite some of the people they met to Ogden so they could see how the city is building its economy around outdoor recreation.
- 3 companies announce plans to bring 1,100 new jobs to Utah
"Utah is increasingly known as the emerging Wall Street of the West," Gov. Gary Herbert said.
Wyoming Business
- Transition and Employment Projects Newsletter - The Rural Institute at the University of Montana
Welcome to the latest edition of Transition Tidbits. We hope you find the news and resources in this issue useful as you support young Montanans with disabilities in their transition to adult lives.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- California winds of change waft toward Wyoming
Wyoming state government could earn new revenue from selling more wind power to California.
- Wyoming city's Chamber of Commerce needs to practice what it preaches
It's especially insulting the Chamber's beautification committee would not have gone to extraordinary efforts to find an artist locally who could benefit by the quarter-million-dollar project. That's plenty of money to keep in the local economy.
Montana Education Excellence
- Invest in Early Education Now to Save on Incarceration Later
"My jail is filled with people who took the wrong path in life. It didn't have to be that way. Law enforcement leaders nationwide know that one of the best ways to keep young people from dropping out of school and becoming criminals is to make sure they have a foundation for success in their earliest years. We are coming out in force to support high-quality early education and care for kids today so we can lower the devastating impact and cost of crime in the years to come."
- Can Emotional Intelligence Be Taught?
A strategy known as social-emotional learning, which is based on the idea that emotional skills are crucial to academic performance.
- Missoula business leaders make case for early childhood education
For every dollar that's spent on early childhood education, because it's so labor intensive, you get a dollar sixty one returned in the local economy."
- Startup Culture and the Neglected Role of Public Schools
Public schools with a reputation for innovation and high achievement provide communities with a competitive advantage in attracting companies to their regions and retaining talent.
Universities and Economic Development
- Montana State University sees record enrollment, bright future
"Great things are happening" at MSU and that's why enrollment is growing. People vote with their feet."
- Community Forums To Discuss Two Missoula College Sites, 9/19 And 9/20
President Royce Engstrom will host two public forums to hear comments about the South Campus site and the East Broadway site. Both forums will serve as scoping sessions for the two sites under consideration.
- UM Receives Grant to Improve Cyberinfrastructure for Researchers
The project will fund the procurement of high speed bandwidth for several key buildings housing active, big-data research projects.
Community
- Arizona State University Shares Its Innovative Approach to Entrepreneurship Education
ASU officials shared insights on the university's innovative approach to entrepreneurship education, particularly the way in which ASU has developed an entrepreneurial culture across the entire university by making the teaching of entrepreneurship central to the school's mission.
- Universities Take Crowdfunding into Their Own Hands
Georgia Tech's new crowdfunding site, Georgia Tech Starter, launched last week will allow science and engineering researchers an alternative source of funding in a time of restricted government grants.
Funding and Building your Business
- The 10 Happiest Countries In The World, And Why We're Not One Of Them
This year's report finds that Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden are the happiest countries, while the United States ranks 17th out of 156 countries.
Energy and Climate Change
- Why your startup needs to focus on PR: the Marissa Mayer example
Not only is PR important, it is vital for early-stage companies to survive.
- Can An Investment Bank Enhance Your Startup Future?
Unless your business is well established, and ready to sell or go public (Initial Public Offering - IPO), you should steer clear of investment banks.
- MSNBC - How to Find Your Best Business Location
- What is one critical piece to include in employee performance reviews and why?
Extraordinary company cultures don't happen by accident.
- 6 Secrets To Giving Amazing Presentations
To Inspire, Start With "Why" not "What"
Government Technology
- Harvard Business School - Teaching Climate Change to Skeptics
"We've got obesity as a problem, we've got government debt as a problem, we've got carbon as a problem," he says. "All of those things are problems in large part because we so value current consumption over future consumption. As many have observed, we are creatures of the Pleistocene who have evolved to survive in the present, and now suddenly we have to think in terms of a world that's far in the future. And that's tough.
- Research Cites Role of Warming in Extremes
Scientists performing a similar comparison for the heat wave that blanketed much of the United States in July last year estimated that such heat waves now occur four times as frequently because of the influence of greenhouse gas emissions.
- From sunlight to farm waste, small cities create energy from what's on hand
Whether looking to establish a reputation for forward-thinking to attract residents and businesses, hoping to save money on utility bills or wishing to mitigate carbon footprints while creating local jobs, cities across Minnesota are installing green-energy projects.
Non-Profit News
- Governments Benefiting from Tech Entrepreneurs: The Tables Have Turned
It is clear there is a burgeoning trend of governments, mostly municipal, that are formally harnessing innovative tech entrepreneurs and their resources to improve government operations and services.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Washington Foundation issues $50,000 challenge grant to build new Poverello in Missoula
Poverello said now through November 1, for every dollar donated, the foundation will match it through that grant.
Transportation
- Watch: Jaw-Dropping Software Makes 3-D Models From Any Photo
"Our biggest goal is still to help novice users to do this."
- 15-year-old high school student designs a flashlight that's powered entirely by body heat
The device, which she calls "hollow flashlight," uses Peltier tiles to transform hand warmth into usable -- and battery-free -- energy.
- Public transport bus can be charged wirelessly on-the-go
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed the OLEV, an electric bus designed for mass transit that can be charged wirelessly, while stationary or moving.
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