MATR Newsletter – April 15, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

Corona Virus Information

• Cassidy Bateman, a senior at Missoula, Montana’s Big Sky High School creates free online tutoring service amid pandemic

  Bateman is currently working with a couple of students from New York City and said they try to find the best match for tutors and students based more on “who fits the personality than the location.”

• Montana Tech 3D-prints coronavirus masks, face shields for frontline workers

  “It really has been a great opportunity to do something useful and good for our community,” Skinner said. “That’s why students go into science and engineering to improve the human condition and solve problems. I’m really proud of the group and how we responded to this need.”

• Governor Bullock to Provide Emergency Rental Assistance to Families Hardest Hit by COVID-19

  “For families that can’t make their housing payment right now because they’ve lost income due to COVID-19, this Directive will help prevent a months-long rent backlog from coming due all at once.” Gov. Steve Bullock

• Missoula, Montana-based FYR Diagnostics Developing Fast, Low-Resource COVID-19 Test 

  “Our team is working around the clock to develop Adaptive Low Resource Testing (ALRT), a rapid diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that can be used in hospitals as well as at testing sites in the community.”

• YouTube offers small businesses a free tool to create videos

  The tool is aimed at small businesses that “don’t have resources to create videos from scratch,” may not have the experience building video or just don’t have the staffing to do so.The tool is free to use, and no ad spend is required.

• Senator Tester Announces $10 Million for Child Care Providers in Montana

  Senator: ‘Child care providers are key to confronting this crisis’

• Senator Tester Secures Nearly $74 Million for More Than 70 Montana Airports

  Funding will help local airports cover operational expenses and development projects during COVID-19 crisis

• Governor Bullock: No timeline for return to normal in Montana

  During a tele-town hall Monday, Bullock said it’s hard to know when businesses will begin to reopen and he said when they do, “things might look a little bit different.”

• What the world can learn from Kerala about how to fight covid-19

  The inside story of how one Indian state is flattening the curve through epic levels of contact tracing and social assistance.

• 3 Broadcasts of Some Good News with John Krasinski – You know you need some good news.

  John Krasinski dropped the third episode of Some Good News on Sunday night and boy was it a doozy.

• University of Montana Places 63 Employees on Furlough – President and Mrs. Bodnar Donate 25% of His Salary Back to the University

  Other members of the University’s senior leadership team also have chosen to donate a portion of their salaries.

• How coronavirus school closures could cause ‘historic academic regression’

  Some, but not all, of the differences boil down to family income and resources. It’s hard to learn, especially remotely, if you don’t have adequate shelter, steady meals, attentive parents, access to technology and familiarity with the English language.

• Live session: Support for self-employed and independent contractors – 4/15 – 12PM

  We’ve invited our friend Joel Henry, a Missoula-based business lawyer (at Worden Thane P.C.) to walk through funding options for folks who rely on their own business or enterprise for income.

• New Missoula County Economic Recovery Task Force COVID-19 Resource Website is Live!

  We’ll update this site continuously as new information and resources come available. Thank you for being a part of our community.

• Senator Tester Relays Local Concerns to Small Business Administration: Montana Small Businesses, Lenders Need Immediate Relief

  Taverns and outdoor economy must be included in Paycheck Protection Program, Senator urges

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunities – Solution Consultant, Business Analyst, Project Manager and more… – Advanced Technology Group

  Most of us have been in professional situations where getting ahead meant you had to step on others on your way up. Competitive back-biting, in a sense. At ATG, we’ve created a team approach that encourages each of us to always ‘reach down’ and pull others up. In other words, we empower our people to…

• Montana Career Opportunity – Loan Funds Manager – Prospera Business Network

  Prospera Business Network is the leading non-profit organization advancing and supporting community-centered economic development in southwest Montana. Our focus is helping people start and grow their businesses – in turn strengthening our region’s economy and communities. We offer entrepreneurs and business owners a comprehensive pathway to success through confidential business counseling, professional trainings, business loans,…

• Montana Career Opportunity – Director of Demand Generation – Submittable

  We’re hiring a Dir of Demand Gen. If you or anyone you know has significant experience with B2B lead gen, website personalization, conversion practices, experimentation frameworks and measuring, and just, in general, a growth mindset, please dm me or just apply. Job is located in Missoula, but we’re open to remote for the right candidate.…

• Jefferson Local Development Corporation Request for Proposal to Provide Meat Processing Framework Plan Sunlight Business Park

  THE OPPORTUNITY: The Jefferson Local Development Corporation, (JLDC) is requesting proposals from qualified firms or individuals to complete a framework plan for establishing a commercial, multi-head meat processing facility. The project area is located inside of the Sunlight Tax Increment Financing Industrial District, near Whitehall, MT. This area is located next to I-90 and MT…

Montana Businesses Seeking Investment or For Sale

• Own a part of Butte, Montana’s history. For Sale – 15 W Park Street, Butte, Montana

  The Historic Curtis Music Hall is a Queen Ann style building built in 1892 and is one of Butte’s most treasured landmarks.

Montana Business

• Missoula, Montana-based AudPop and TwentOne14Media team up to offer feature film distribution deals for diverse, emerging filmmakers

  “Our goal is to support and work closely with each of our filmmaker partners to develop the most optimum strategy to monetize their content and grow their business through rights licensing.”

Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana

• Montana-Based Next Frontier Capital – Seeking New Businesses and Better Lives, Investors on the Coasts Move Inland

  In Montana, Will Price found a number of companies that had been worthwhile and rising.

Funding and Building your Business

• Start thinking now about what comes next with your HR department.

  Companies large and small alike probably have no better idea than anyone else when things will go back to “normal,” but I advise companies to prepare for the new normal today — and HR can help provide the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• Kickstarter Opportunity – Phoenix Rising: a YA fantasy novel by Bozeman, Montana-based Ephie & Celia Risho – The Elementalists Book 1

  After 2 1/2 years of work, my 11-year-old daughter Celia and I are proudly publishing a young-adult fantasy novel, the first in a series. In these difficult days, this is a beacon of hope for us, fulfilling a lifelong dream we’ve both nurtured.

Wyoming Business

• Silicon Couloir to pair businesses with mentors for free 1-hour crisis coaching sessions

  The nonprofit Silicon Couloir promotes entrepreneurship in the Tetons through mentoring, education, networking and other programs.

Non-Profit News

• International Wildlife Film Festival is Online This Year April 18-25

  The best of Nature Films

Miscellaneous Ramblings

• Oh Lawyers….

  ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
  WITNESS: He said, ‘Where am I, Cathy?’
  ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
  WITNESS: My name is Susan!

Energy and Climate Change

• ‘Data Hive’ Opens for Solar, Battery Vendors in Silicon Valley
  A pilot project that lets homeowners easily share their smart meter data takes on new significance under coronavirus restrictions.

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