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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Mar 17, 2006 |
"We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of others" -anonymous-
Investment Bank Pulls Out of Montana Venture Fund http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html If you'd like to participate with a group working to increase funding opportunities in MT, please contact Sen. Jeff Mangan [email protected] or Russ Fletcher [email protected]
Come Home Montana
Montana Education Excellence
- Montana Community Foundation encourages people to donate back to their communities
“Across Montana, communities know how painful it is having something they worked so hard for shut the doors because of lack of sustainable funding. Right now is an opportunity for this community to be proactive in taking advantage of this time in a visionary way by establishing an endowment to help you get through those not so good times,” Linda Reed, executive director, Montana Community Foundation, said. “An endowment can powerfully perpetuate the vitality of a community.”
- Featured "Come Home Montana" Community~HAVRE
We are proud of our community and its people. Folks who enjoy cultural history, a slower pace, and open spaces, feel at home in Havre.
- Montana-Jobs.net Featured Career ~ Small Business Development Center Director, Havre, Montana.
Bear Paw Development Corporation. http://www.bearpaw.org For over thirty-five years, we have worked hard to serve the economic and community development needs of those who live and work in this special part of Montana.
- Montana-Jobs.net Featured Talent - Technical Marketing
Education
- Spring turns into robot season for Montana students
Robots big and small are spreading across Montana, as hundreds of students build robots to compete in regional competitions this spring, according to Donna Minton, deputy director of the Montana Space Grant Consortium based at Montana State University.
- University of Montana Pharmacy School Maintains Top-10 Research Ranking
"I believe this ranking is a very strong indicator of the high quality of pharmacy faculty in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy," said Dave Forbes, dean of the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, which encompasses the UM pharmacy school. "Additionally, we are the only pharmacy school ranked in the top four schools that is not attached to a medical school."
Montana Business
- An innovative teacher turns kids into writers
"When students are able to improve upon their writing skills, it builds a kind of confidence that translates into other academic areas," says Sandra Riley, a College Board spokeswoman.
Montana Economic Development
- Big News for the Big Skies: More Direct Flights Slated for Montana this Summer
Tourism and recreation is one of Montana’s largest industries. In 2005, over 10 million people visited Montana spending $2.1 billion during their stay. Over 29,000 jobs are directly supported by nonresident travel, resulting in over $531 million in total personal income for Montana residents.
- Zoot Enterprises of Bozeman, Montana names Dennis Dixon president
The 15-year-old company has been run by founder and CEO Chris Nelson. But the company has grown so much that it now employs 150 people and handles more than 100 million credit transactions each year.
- Tech firm, Water and Environmental Technologies (WET) secures East Butte funds
“It’s a good project, and it’s something that’s needed in this area,” board member Mark Rule said.
- University of Montana Broadcast Students Feature Montana Businesses for 13th year.
This year students are featuring ten other Montana businesses: Montana Tamale Co., Diversified Plastics, Ligocyte Pharmaceuticals, Wild Rose Emu Ranch, Pasta Montana, Caramel Cookie Waffle, Garden City Fungi, All-American Pharmaceutical, Bowman’s Boots and Felco Industries. "Business: Made in Montana" will air on Montana PBS with a planned debut in August.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- A Better Way. A New Kind of Highway is Being Built in Montana - One That Respects The Land, The Animals and The People
"(The area) is a special place that makes you want to change how things are done," said Loran Frazier, Montana Department of Transportation's chief engineer. "It's finding the compromise that lets people see while leaving behind a lighter footprint."
- PPL releases findings from Montana quality-of-life poll - Longtime, transplant Montanans agree on issues
PPL commissioned the survey because the company has made a substantial investment in the state and will benefit from knowing what people think about some prominent issues, said Brad Spencer, chief operating officer. The company employs about 500 people in Montana.
- The Montana Rural Health Initiative - A New Venture for MSU Extension Service
Successfully mining Montana's rich vein of social capital will mkae rural communities healtier by promoting healtier lifestyles through education, advocacy, prevention and intervention. One again Montana will be known as the "Treasure State" David Young
Funding and Building your Business
- Investment Bank Pulls Out of Montana Venture Fund
he legislators, regulators, entrepreneurs and potential funders need to come together and come up with a cohesive program to implement a full-fledged funding program that helps entrepreneurs develop their models and then find the best funding solutions. Without it, the ability of Montana to compete in a new economy world is going to be compromised.
Global Telework
- IP GUIDANCE FOR THE GENERAL PRACTITIONER – PART III
This newsletter is the third part of a three-part series of articles intended to provide guidance to the general practitioner concerning intellectual property issues.
- The Handbook of Financing Growth: Compliance With Securities Laws
Raising capital requires knowledge of not only the financial markets but the securities markets.
- Today's Bosses Find Mentoring Isn't Worth the Time and Risks
This new model of management -- teaching by example and offering employees intermittent feedback rather than meticulously reviewing everything they do -- is being adopted formally and informally at many companies.
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Master industry basics before seeking money
Although I appreciate that financing terminology can be tricky, learning it should be a part of your pregame preparation. You don't want to lose credibility with investors and lenders by asking for one thing, but really wanting something entirely different.
Regional Economic Development
- Working from home is working. Employee desires, quicker Net fueling telecommuting
More than 30 years after the lifestyle began inching into corporate culture, there were almost 14 million Americans telecommuting at least part time in 2004, and an additional 7 million running businesses from home, according to the Labor Department. Human resources experts believe the number will continue to climb because more workers are demanding flexibility, and because high-speed Internet connections make telecommuting easier than ever.
Utah Business
- Angel tax credit idea picks up local investor support in Oregon but needs to educate its entrepreneurs first
"This could certainly help bring people back off the sidelines who were either burned or scared off by the dotcom implosion,"
- USDA Announces Funding Opportunities under Community Connect Grant Program; Investments Designed to Benefit Economic Growth and Education in Rural Areas
The provision of broadband transmission service is vital to the economic development, education, health, and safety of rural Americans.
Utah Economic Development
- Grow Utah Ventures invests in Salt Lake-based Revinetix
Salt Lake-based Revinetix said Tuesday that private equity fund Grow Utah Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in the company "and spurred additional investment through Grow Utah's network of formal and informal angel investors throughout the state."
- Infopia of Salt Lake closes on $8 million in venture capital funding
Through two funding rounds, Infopia has raised $15 million.
Government Technology
- 2005 a 'big deal' for Entrepreneurs in Utah. Big venture capital, big mergers, big acquisitions, and big offerings boosted transaction figures
According to the Utah Deal Flow report, venture capital and private equity fundings in 2005 made up 84 deals valued at $417.3 million. The 2005 report included deals not historically categorized as venture capital, such as angel investments, so a comparison to last year's 85 venture deals valued at $399.4 million may not be valid.
Idaho Business
- Montana State IT Employees Save Montana $144,000 Per Year
"Technology has changed government forever. Twenty years ago, who would have thought you would be able to buy your hunting and fishing license from your home computer? As we grow our technology infrastructure, we need to work diligently to keep the costs in line." Gov. Brian Schweitzer
Washington State Business
- Survey shows 30% of Idaho Valley businesses will add employees... if they can find them
But while area employers may want to hire more workers, they will have to deal with a recent labor shortage that has left hundreds of jobs unfilled, said Wendie Gregory, branch manager with Manpower in Boise.
Government
- In the quest for jobs, confusion over their worth
So why doesn't Washington, a state that touts economic development as a key priority, invest more in business incentives? Why should we? Are we certain that we're not investing enough? What's a job worth anyway?
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Summit proposed to improve Montana government relationships
Supreme Court Chief Justice Carla Gray has billed the get-togethers as a way to improve relationships between the three branches of government, saying poor relations undermine public trust in government leaders.
University Business Plan Competitions
- From health hazard to humus. Innovative composting project successfully deals with valley's roadkilled deer..."There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road..."
If life throws you a lemon, you can always make lemonade. But what if life throws you more than 500 roadkilled deer?
Incubators and R&D
- Students from 13 universities compete to start a business at the Northwest Venture Championships in Boise, Idaho
The competition has evolved into a way for Idaho to encourage local economic development by offering winning students incentives for staying in Idaho, Neupert said. "If they commit to Idaho, then we'll commit to them," he said.
Energy
- Discovery could speed diagnosis of mad cow, other diseases
Dr. Ranjit Giri, associate research scientist at MRI, discovered a new way to study prions, the infectious agents that cause the fatal degenerative brain diseases collectively known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
- Basic Research by Universities Is Critical to U.S. Innovation
Coupling basic research with education -- as American universities do -- provides our next generation of researchers with the ability to flow with technological changes by being firmly grounded in the fundamental principles of a subject. That's the kind of understanding gained through basic research, Hoffman says.
- University of Montana ranks top 10 in national health grants
Last year, roughly 100 UM scientists received $9,129,640 in research funding from the NIH. And considering UM has a significantly smaller amount of lab space than other state universities, it speaks to the world-class talent of UM’s staff, said Vernon Grund, chair of the UM Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Hydrogen News
- Grants will fund Idaho biodiesel projects
Projects can include purchasing, cleaning or modifying tanks for biodiesel storage, or installation of equipment at retail fuel stations..
Connectivity & Communications
- BMW plans production of hydrogen-powered car. BMW's H2R is the world's fastest hydrogen-powered car at 185mph.
They will be able to switch between burning standard gasoline and hydrogen so that drivers will not be left stranded while the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen is built up.
Space and Zero Gravity Research
- Pushing the Internet Into Space
"It has a lot of the attributes of the interplanetary internet built into it," Hooke said. "You could make an argument that as more missions pick up CFDP, we'll have the beginnings of the interplanetary internet."
- Gates sketches out vision for the future. "redefine the way that citizens think about how they work with government and how efficient communication takes place,"
The two-day event is intended to explore ways to improve government use of computers, as well as the transition to what Gates called the "knowledge economy."
- 'Largest Wireless Network' Planned For Arizona - 187-square-mile network
Last week, the region received a tacit endorsement of its wireless technology when Google announced that it will locate a facility at Arizona State University's Tempe campus. Google has been a strong advocate of wireless broadband and has indicated that the technology will constitute an important piece of its future business plans.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- The End of NASA Science
"The morale of scientists at NASA has never been anything like this low,"
- The Tech Chronicles - Hello World
So, what are we going to do? We're going to report and write about the technology universe, centering our coverage on Silicon Valley and San Francisco but spreading it around when needed. From wired to weird, if its got bits it fits.
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