MATR Newsletter – August 10, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

Come Home Montana

• People are moving out of small towns and into more populous regions (Video)

  “We are fighting from a development standpoint to fight that fight, the depopulation, to not only have people come into town but to get them to stay here and hopefully start a family,” Swanger said.

• Welcome to The Next Frontier Capital’s Summer 2022 Newsletter

  Our firm continues to grow and mature. We take pride in being a local provider of capital to Rockies based founders building technology companies of impact, utility, and value and if you know founders we should meet, put us in touch. And remember, in the face of a lot of gloomy news, there is a lot to be excited about in the Rocky Mountain technology ecosystem!

Northwestern Energy

• NorthWestern Energy proposes rate hike for electric, natural gas

   Montana electric and natural gas customers of NorthWestern Energy can expect one possible rate increase in October, and another sometime in the next year as the company begins a rate case before the Montana Public Service Commission.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• $1.1M awarded to Montana tribal nations to enhance tourism

  Seven of the eight Tribal Nations elected to participate; of the 33 projects evaluated, 21 were eligible for full or partial funding.

• Tulsa Retools Itself for the Remote Work Revolution

  Tulsa Remote is the most successful of the dozens of relocation incentive programs around the country, having brought 1,800 people to town so far. According to an EIG study of the early arrivers, 88 percent of them were college graduates, with an average income of $105,000. “People who can work remotely, by definition their skills are augmented by technology and they are highly paid,” Fikri says.

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• Ronan, Montana explores remote worker possibilities

  Mission West Community Development Partners, along with remote work program Trepademics, has conducted a feasibility study for creating a coworking space and more remote worker opportunities in the tri-county area.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Montana weighs applications for $200M+ in broadband grants

  Last week, CTC Technology and Energy – a contractor working for the state – released its preliminary rankings for the 75 proposed projects.

Montana Businesses Seeking Investment or For Sale

• Berkshire Hathaway to buy Montana wind farms

  “The proposed transaction will add high-quality assets and dedicated employees to Berkshire Hathaway Energy as the company works to create a sustainable energy future,” said Jessi Strawn, BHE vice president of communications. “Berkshire Hathaway Energy is excited to be investing in Montana with this proposed transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and expected to close in fourth quarter 2022.”

Regional Economic Development

• “Dominos are Falling” – Millions desperate in China’s bleak job market – Video

  Millions of new graduates are desperate for work in a bleak job market in China as COVID-19 controls force some employers to close.

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

• See It My Way: Top Tips for Persuading Others

  Even highly experienced leaders can stumble when it comes to persuading individuals or their team. In this Nano Tool from Wharton Executive Education, Wharton’s G. Richard Shell offers guidance on how to tailor your pitch to achieve your goals.

• Electric School Buses Win Big In USA

  Electric school buses are experiencing rapid growth in the United States, with a nearly 10-fold increase in commitments by school districts and fleet operators in the past year. Thirty-eight states have now committed to procure more than 12,000 electric school buses.

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Lamb, Tranel and Zinke square off in City Club Missoula Forum as Montana’s District 1 Congressional race heats up

  The opening question set a fiery tone to the debate.

Tell Us Something

• ‘Tell Us Something’ – Education and Performance News, WE GOT OUR 501(c)3! and Ticketing Information

  “Letting Go” Live at The Dennison Theatre September 27, 2022

Transportation

• Missing From the Climate-Energy Legislation: Bikes! – The e-bike tax credit is only mostly dead as supporters plot next steps

  A rebate for e-bike purchases was left out of the big climate deal, but it may yet live on

• The Hardest (& Best) Thing About The US Clean Vehicle Tax Credit

  No Tax Credit For EVs Using “Critical Minerals” From “Foreign Entities of Concern”

• How To Use the Money Available for Safe Streets

  Let’s start today by making the most of Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), a new U.S. Department of Transportation grant program offering $1 billion annually over five years for meaningful, community-led Vision Zero projects that help guarantee safe mobility for all.

• Harold’s Club Pigeon-Hole Parking Garage

  You’d simply drive-in and a huge forklift-like mechanism would lift your car up two or three stories into a “pigeon hole” for safekeeping until you came back to claim it.

• Keep Calm. Carry On. Autonomous Vehicles Are Just the End of Parking.

   As autonomous vehicles continue to appear on roads around the world, planners and engineers must be proactive in devising new and creative uses for soon-to-be-obsolete urban parking.

• Imagining A World With Fewer Cars & Trucks (With Video)

  Electric cars and trucks are great, but if we think they will save us from the onrushing climate emergency, we are deluding ourselves.

Other Economies

• These charts show exactly where San Francisco’s wealthiest people moved in the pandemic – Montana not on the list.

  Based on the data, on the whole, people who left San Francisco for another state accounted for more money — an average of $155,000 in income — than people who left the city for another part of California, which accounted for an average of $130,000.

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