MATR Newsletter – April 20, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

Come Home Montana

• 19 new nonprofit jobs – Montana Nonprofit Association

  Looking to grow your career? Visit MNA’s Nonprofit Job Board where nonprofit job searching is catered to meet your needs. The Nonprofit Job Board offers: • The best nonprofit jobs…

• People from these metros are finding new jobs in Missoula and Great Falls

  Employees discovered that working from home certainly had an upside. No more long, stressful commute. They were more productive. Having more flexibility with time allowed them to better manage a household. For those who live in expensive real estate markets, the pandemic has provided an opportunity to make the leap to a more affordable city without sacrificing a big-city paycheck.

• USDA Hiring an On-Site Business Loan Specialist in Kalispell

   U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Montana is hiring an on-site Business and Cooperative Services Loan Specialist in the Kalispell area to serve the northwestern part of the…

Montana Department of Commerce

• Team Butte takes home Montana film award

  The women and men who helped make that happen included Maria Pochervina, director of Butte’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jocelyn Dodge with Butte’s CVB, Paul Babb of NorthWestern Energy, Mike Johnson, president of Management Consultants Inc., Courtney McKee, co-owner of Headframe Spirits, and Mackenzie Quinn, also of Headframe Spirits.

• ‘Yellowstone’ TV Series Production Injects $70M Into Montana Economy

  Filmed in and around the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, the fourth season of the hit television series “Yellowstone” brought more than $70 million in additional spending to the state, according to a study conducted by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

• Montana State University professors, alumni receive grants from Montana Film Office

  Nine filmmakers affiliated with the Montana State University School of Film and Photography have been awarded more than $375,000 in grants from the Montana Film Office to support their upcoming productions.

Big Sky Commerce

• More Earth Day cleanups listed for Clark Fork River in Missoula area – 4/22 – 9AM – 1PM

  That group is meeting at 728 Davis at 9 a.m. Friday, and focusing on the trash on the east side of the bridge until 1 p.m.

Great Falls Development Authority

• You are invited to The Newberry for the GFDA Annual Meeting on June 1 in Great Falls

  Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our community partners, clients and investors. There is no cost to attend. Please share this event with a friend!

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Free access to counseling available for Montanans in agriculture – How America’s Farmers Got Cut Out of the Supply Chain

  We’ve talked about the stress that farmers and ranchers are under, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, there is more help available.

• Transforming Trees Into Skyscrapers

  In Scandinavia, ecologically minded architects are building towers with pillars of pine and spruce.

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• The workers taking on new ‘super commutes‘

  Before, it was generally top-level executives who lived ‘super-commuting’ lives. Now, more and more workers are embracing the idea.

• Does the ‘Future of Work’ Open a New Growth Horizon for Small Towns?

  Remote work has been lifted up as a new opportunity for rural areas, but some old-fashioned obstacles remain. In small-town Missouri, creativity and collaboration are key for community leaders looking to overcome them.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Broadband Communities Summit 2022 – “Fiber: The Lifeblood of the New Economy” – 5/2-5/5 – Houston, Texas

  As states and local governments look to leverage the flood of federal funds for the creation of ubiquitous high speed Internet access, an upcoming conference promises to be packed with practical insights from leading broadband experts on how to maximize the moment.

• Are you getting all the internet you’re paying for? Here’s how to tell if your ISP is throttling your connection speed.

  Testing your internet connection speed is easier than ever and you don’t even need to be a technology wizard. Here’s what you need to know.

Housing

• Report shows Missoula housing supply at an all-time low

  MOR says buyers were paying an average of 103% over list price. But perhaps more critically, the market pressures have pushed the median sales price up 28.6% to a new high of $450,000 in 2021.

• Biden is Doubling Down on a Push to Roll Back Single-Family Zoning Laws

  A $10 billion proposal in the president’s budget would use federal grants as an incentive to spur changes with the local rules, which critics blame for stifling affordable housing and fueling racial inequities.

Montana Business

• Butte, Montana Starbucks announcing intention to unionize

  Partners (employees) at the Harrison Ave & C Street Starbucks are announcing their intention to unionize, this would make them the first store in the Treasure state to do so.

21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• Online summit on April 28 to focus on access to STEM in Montana

  https://www.montana.edu/news/22029

• Mansfield Dialogue: Join Sam Donaldson April 26 at 7 p.m. Online, Condoleezza Rice & Michael McFaul Recording Available

  Join us for an evening with veteran ABC newsman Sam Donaldson as he looks back on a half-century in the broadcast news business.

University Business Plan Competitions

• Montana State University lights Montana Hall in honor of student entrepreneurs’ sweep over Griz in competition

  “We light Montana Hall on any occasion our student teams beat the Grizzlies, and they certainly did that last week,” said MSU President Waded Cruzado. “We are very proud of them.”

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Montana lawmakers vote unanimously to oppose property tax cap initiative

  “Disastrous,” “clumsy” and “drastic” were the words used to describe Constitutional Initiative 121 during a legislative revenue interim committee meeting.

International Wildlife Film Festival

• International Wildlife Film Festival returns to Missoula for 45th year starting this Saturday – 4/23

  The theme is “resilience,” which is embodied in 75 featured films.

Careers

• Find Joy in Any Job: What Do I Really Love To Do?

  In this special series from HBR, we’re looking at how to craft your current job around the work you really love. In this episode, we’ll explain how to identify which tasks fit that bill and can lead you to a more fulfilling and successful career.

Washington State Business

• Washington State Retools First-in-the-Nation Long-Term Care Benefit

  Christina Keys, 53, was thrilled three years ago when Washington state passed a first-in-the-nation law that created a long-term care benefit for residents who paid into a state fund. She hoped it would be a resource for others facing similar challenges.

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