Come Home Montana

• University of Montana Mansfield Center Earns $10M Grant to Strengthen Ties With Southeast Asia

  “We are honored to draw on our deep experience in Southeast Asia to support U.S. national security priorities and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy,” Mansour said. “Our demonstrated capacity to administer this huge grant draws from the long Mansfield engagement in Southeast Asia, UM assets in administration and academic excellence, and a track record of successfully implementing State Department exchanges since 2010.”

• Calif. tech companies see laid-off workers as ‘table scraps,’ recruiters say ( Great opportunities for companies in other states to hire outstanding talent)

  One recruiter said that a senior director even called them ‘damaged goods’

• The Treasure State’s Hidden Gems: Advantages of Starting Your Business in Montana

  Nestled among sprawling landscapes and majestic mountain ranges, Montana, affectionately known as the Treasure State, offers more than breathtaking scenery.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Bike loaner program helps employees get to work in Helena, Montana

  This program allows those seeking employment through Express Employment to rent out a bike in order to get to and from work. Express Employment takes a $50 deposit for the bike and if needed a $30 deposit for a lock that the employee can get back once returned.

• Montana Department of Commerce Announces Available Economic Impact and Destination Event Grants

  The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that the application period for the Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program is now open. This State-funded grant program helps Montana communities with new and destination events to increase tourism by regional, national and international visitors, to promote Montana’s unique attributes and to generate additional community revenue.

• USDA Seeks Applications for Loans and Grants to Expand Markets for Rural Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

  Rural businesses with 10 or fewer full-time employees are eligible for RMAP loans and technical assistance. USDA also provides RMAP funding to non-profits, Tribes, colleges and universities to create revolving loan programs and support training and hands-on support for rural microentrepreneurs and microenterprises.

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• Transit & Transportation Planning Open House Wednesday, September 11 – Missoula

  You’re invited to help shape the future of transit and transportation in Missoula! Please join us to learn more about the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Update and Transit Strategic Plan, ask questions, and share your ideas.

Northwestern Energy

• NorthWestern Energy asking for public comment regarding recreation

  NorthWestern Energy is looking for public input on recreational facilities and opportunities on the Missouri and Madison rivers.

Big Sky Economic Development

• Big Sky Economic Development Receives 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Silver Award From The International Economic Development Council

  “Big Sky Economic Development is setting the standard of excellence for economic development with its The Vault at 201 N Broadway Podcast project. This award highlights Big Sky Economic Development’s commitment to its community and demonstrates the transformative impact of economic development,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO, “It is with great pride that IEDC presents this award to Big Sky Economic Development, celebrating their leadership and innovation in the field of economic development.”

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Transforming Kalispell’s Transportation

  As the city’s population grows and major developments within the municipality come to fruition, officials are working to upgrade Kalispell’s road infrastructure to bring connectivity and safety to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists

Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative

• BioScience under the Big Sky September 2024 Newsletter

  With access to more professional expertise, more state-of-the-art technology and more community resources, C2M Beta was founded with the mission to connect local entrepreneurs to more!

Prospera Business Network

• Propsera Pulse

  Strategies for Rural Small Business Growth and Expansion Webinar Tuesday, September 24, 12pm Free to join

Montana’s Headwaters Tech Hub

• Federal Plan Outlines Deployment of ‘Vehicle-to-Everything’ Tech

  The technology known as V2X could prevent crashes and save lives by allowing vehicles to communicate with each other and road infrastructure.

Montana Business

• Great Harvest Bread Co celebrating 29 years of baking fresh bread in Missoula, MT. – 8/30

  In loving memory of the original Missoula Flour Child, our founder, Dave Scheel all profits on Friday, August 30th will be donated to Five Valleys Land Trust.

Senator Jon Tester

• Tester Secures $2 Million to Boost Manufacturing, Create Jobs in Montana

  Funding for Montana’s Smart Manufacturing Technologies Outreach Initiative will come from the Senator’s bipartisan infrastructure law

Housing

• Montana housing task force suggests limiting urban parking requirements

  A recommendation in new report would prevent Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman and Helena from enforcing parking requirements for new development in an effort to spur home construction.

• Intergenerational Housing Could Help Older Adults Combat Loneliness

  Care communities that blend senior living with college campuses and daycare centers offer an alternative for a more social generation of retirees.

• Montana group uses co-op model to take on housing crisis

  Neighborworks Montana and the North Missoula Community Development Corporation are expanding the co-op concept in Missoula, notorious for its housing shortage.

Funding and Building your Business

• PR won’t solve everything Full Swing PR

  We’ve grown our own company 193% in the past two years, so we’ve learned a thing or two about sales from our own journey and working with clients who think PR will automatically lead to a sales windfall.

Incubators and R&D

• ‘Superwood’ replaces steel and concrete

  A startup turns undervalued wood into strong but light building materials

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

• How This Founder Uses Video Games to Transform the Education Experience

  Stemuli founder and CEO Taylor Shead believes video games can shape the way K-12 students learn–and the way they make career decisions.

• Video – Billings SD2 launches Innovation Center, offering students early college credits & tech training

  Billings School District Two hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Washington Innovation Center on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. The center aims to provide new opportunities and advancement for students.

• Entertainment Management Students Get Real-World Experience at UM Concert Series

  The Entertainment Management program gained popularity over the years, and recently the Montana Board of Regents approved efforts to explore transitioning the program from a certificate to a major.

• Montana State offers new bachelor’s degree program in data science

  Data science combines statistical analysis, computer science and machine learning to discover trends in large sets of information that can help people make decisions.

Government News & Events

• USPS considers slower mail delivery for rural areas

  In this video, Paul Sanchez reports on a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service officials to consider allowing slower mail delivery for long-distance and rural service..

Non-Profit News

• 5 Ways to save 💵 on Montana Nonprofit conference 10/3-4 Online and 10/9-11 Helena

  We’ve got the deals for you

Transportation

• Pedestrian-Friendly Cities: The Impact of Walkability Grants

  Explore how walkability grants are transforming cities into pedestrian-friendly environments, enhancing urban livability, boosting local economies, and improving public health.

Energy and Climate Change

• Nuclear reactors a mile underground promise safe, cheap power

  Startup Deep Fission has come up with a new way to deal with the economic and safety problems of nuclear power that is, to say the least, novel. The idea is to build a reactor that’s under 30 inches (76 cm) wide and stick it down a mile-deep (1.6-km) drill shaft.

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