MATR Newsletter - Fri Sep 5, 2014 |
"A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say 'we did it ourselves.'" - Lao Tzu
ikuw Solutions
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
- Legal firm embraces cloud computing, wins case for mobile productivity
"We realized that something had to be done to safeguard our documents. I jumped on the opportunity to introduce cloud computing and the idea of mobility to the firm. It's made a huge difference to productivity and efficiency at RTR."
Northwestern Energy
- The Kalispell Chamber Of Commerce Luncheon, 9/17, Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell Chamber to discuss updated national policies on environmental and natural energy resources at upcoming luncheon.
The 2014 Compete Smart Manufacturing Conference, 10/9-10, Billings, Montana
- PSC approves NorthWestern's $870M purchase of hydro dams
Commissioners who voted for the deal called it the "opportunity of a lifetime" that would provide a stable, long-term source of electricity for NorthWestern's 340,000 electric customers in Montana.
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- US manufacturing grows at fastest pace in over three years
That suggests that the sector should grow further in coming months.
Inteneo Systems
- Travel and Marketing Trends for Montana - September 2014 - Montana Office of Tourism
As the world grows "smaller" thanks to modern technology, travelers have to work harder to seek out unique experiences that reflect their personal lifestyles and desires.
Come Home Montana
- The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Big Data Users
#1 - Begin With No End In Mind
Montana Business
- Montana Internship Opportunities - DataSmart Solutions
Great opportunities in the ever-expanding field of data analytics
- Montana Career Opportunities - Multiple - Morrison-Maierle
We create solutions that build better communities.
Montana Economic Development
- Realtor expects new owner for Missoula Mercantile in 12 months
"I know people in Missoula want to see the Mercantile succeed. It's part of the downtown master plan, and we want to make sure the right person is in there and has the horsepower to finish the project."
- SBA to Award $344,603 to Promote Montana Small Business Exporting
The STEP program has two objectives: 1) increase the number of small businesses that begin to export and 2) increase the value of exports for small businesses that currently export.
- Missoula firm Edulog wins rest of $28.4M judgment against bus company
Edulog, short for Education Logistics Inc., provides transportation management systems for school districts across the country. It signed a contract with Laidlaw Transit in 1992 and took the transportation giant to court in 2007 for violating licensing agreements. Five years later it won.
- Billings Flying Service soon to add heavy-lifting helicopters to fleet
"For all practical purposes, this is the largest lift-capacity helicopter in the world."
Startup Weekend in Montana Communities
- Montana Economic Developers Association September News
New MEDA website to launch September 8th
- Prospera Member E-Newsletter 3rd Quarter 2014
I look forward to seeing many of you at our signature annual celebration, the Annual Dinner and Business Excellence Awards the evening of Thursday, November 6th.
Careers
- Montana West News September 2014
Opportunities to have this caliber of talent under one roof and available for counsel are few and far between.
Next Generation Broadband in Missoula
- Obama's New CTO Pick Is a Massive Win for Women in Tech
It's a fitting appointment. In addition to being a gifted programmer and technologist, Smith has been one of the country's leading advocates in the movement to get more women into tech jobs.
- Startup vs. Corporate: Which Is A Better Career Move?
What's not talked about quite as often is whether a startup or corporate job is better for your career in the long run.
Rural Communities
- How big telecom smothers city-run broadband
For more than a decade, AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable Inc., and CenturyLink Inc. have spent millions of dollars to lobby state legislatures, influence state elections, and buy research to try to stop the spread of public Internet services that often offer faster speeds at cheaper rates.
Government
- America's Fastest-Growing Small Cities
In the coming decade, we can expect a growing competition among smaller towns for boomer residents, and their sometimes significant assets.
Idaho Business
- Fifty Years of the Wilderness Act - What has it taught us?
The system now protects more than 109 million acres from California to Alaska, New Mexico to Montana, Florida to New Jersey; every acre afforded the simple right to unfold unshackled by human inventions or appetites.
Regional Business
- Healthwise CEO Kemper and Steve Meyer, a North Idaho businessman heading to tech hall of fame
"These men are ... driving the development of a stronger Idaho."
- Boise tech startup CradlePoint pivots to success
The transition worked.
Washington State Business
- Tesla will build battery 'Gigafactory' in Nevada
Besides Nevada and California, other states named as finalists for the project included Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Tesla has indicated it may build a second battery factory as well.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Introducing Nuiku, a revolutionary smartphone application that has been built with the sales person as the hero.
Nuiku boosts your efficiency by enabling you to use voice and touch to get information in and out of back-end systems, starting with Salesforce.com.
Education
- The Teaching App at the Head of the Class
Remind establishes stronger lines of communication among teachers, students, and their parents.
- Grading Teachers, With Data From Class
Panorama is trying to assess how well teachers are doing by conducting scientifically valid student questionnaires that collect data about a variety of factors that might affect a teacher's performance, from how well she conveys the material and whether she encourages interest in a subject to whether a school fosters a sense of belonging for students.
Montana Education Excellence
- The Economic Price of Colleges' Failures
The results suggest that recent college graduates who are struggling to start careers are being hamstrung by their lack of learning.
- Why Colleges With a Distinct Focus Have a Hidden Advantage
When you analyze colleges and universities based on where applicants are most likely to choose to attend when admitted to multiple schools, some of the institutions that perform the best are very much not for everyone.
- Are Colleges Producing Career-Ready Graduates?
Parents and employers should ask whether schools are doing much to help students become productive adults.
- Consumer Group Criticizes U.S. Student Debt Collection
The federal government's system for collecting debt from students who have defaulted on their federal student loans is poorly overseen and rife with perverse incentives for debt collection companies that harm consumers
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Montana State University tackles improving online access for students with disabilities
"Now everything has to be accessible from the get-go," Taylor said. "Whenever you're creating anything you need to think about - What about a blind person? A deaf person?"
- Dual-credit, iPads featured in Bullock school tour
About 2,000 high school students are enrolled in dual-credit courses this year -- 400 more than last year, Bullock said. The program has increased 50 percent in the past two years, with more than 70 classes now offered.
Funding and Building your Business
- Montana Tech teams up with Ford Motor Company on a new-generation battery tester
"Ford has a new-generation battery tester and what we're doing is we're determining the quality of the measurements that this thing can do," said Montana Tech Professor John Morrison.
Energy and Climate Change
- Modern Entrepreneurs Need To Learn How To Write
In the competitive realm of business, you only get one chance to make a great first impression.
- What employers really want? Workers they don't have to train
The real issue is that employers' expectations -- for the skills of new graduates, for what they must invest in training, and for how much they need to pay their employees -- have grown increasingly out of step with reality.
- 12 things you should know about raising money from angel investors
When you need funding, angel investors can seem like a godsend. However, raising money from angels isn't as easy, or as simple, as it might seem.
- Today's Most Satisfied Employees Demand These 4 Things
Employee development is no longer just about career development, but also goal alignment, non-monetary offerings, and simply, opportunities to prove themselves.
Government Technology
- How changing the way we farm could reduce greenhouse gas emissions
On a global scale, this could even lead to a net decrease in atmospheric greenhouse gas levels -- or, in other words, help reverse climate change.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- When Citizens Bypass Government
While some local governments are embracing this development, others are reacting defensively, at least initially. As this phenomenon grows, more and more local governments will be faced with the challenge of deciding what their stances should be toward these citizen-engagement platforms.
- How Washington State Consolidated Five Departments into One
What happens when you consolidate the IT shops from five different state agencies into one new department?
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Facebook's autoplay video feature is increasing cell phone bills
Fortunately, the fix is an easy one.
- Smart surface offers up recipes based on the ingredients placed upon it
Computers are beginning to be able to process real world objects without the need for codes or tags in their own language.
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