MATR Newsletter – February 1, 2019
The state with the best education wins!

Come Home Montana

• Tim Montana video showcasing Butte drops Friday

  Tim Montana’s song “American Thread” and the video the artist shot in Butte for the single are set to drop Friday, meaning that a worldwide audience is about to get a snapshot of a day in the life of the Mining City.

• Montana Career Opportunity – Executive Director – Five Valleys Land Trust

  As Five Valleys chief executive officer, the Executive Director is responsible for the successful management, administration, and coordination of all programs and activities of Five Valleys and its staff.

• Entrepreneurship in Montana

  The state has more entrepreneurs per capita than any other state and a business survival rate (businesses that survive their first five years) that ranks in the top 10.

• Brewing Academy at FVCC aims to create jobs for Montanans

  Flathead Valley Community College has the only two-year brewing program in the state.

• Montana Career Opportunities – Communications Team, Sales Team – The Glacier National Park Conservancy

  The Conservancy enriches the Glacier National Park experience by providing strategic investment in preservation, education and research programs that meaningfully engage visitors and supporters, sustaining Glacier’s heritage for generations to come.

• Montana Career Opportunities from the Montana Nonprofit Association (MNA)

  A listing of opportunities from Montana’s non-profit community.

Montana Business and Govt. Agency Collaboration Success

• Montana Department of Commerce Awards Grants to Create up to 114 Jobs

  “As Montana businesses work toward long-term, sustainable growth, the economic development programs at the Department of Commerce help them to reach new heights while building an ever-stronger economy,” said Jenny Pelej, division administrator for the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development at Commerce.

Gov. Steve Bullock

• Gov. Bullock touts his priorities – and lays down the law on budget, in Montana State of State

  “Don’t send me a budget where I’ll have to make the cuts, due to the failure of this Legislature to leave money in the bank,” he said. “Because if you do, I’ll send it back.”

Montana Business

• Podcast – Micah Larsen: Rogue Persuasion Scientist

  In this episode we discuss the intersection of communications and marketing, techniques you can use to be more persuasive, and ways you can detect others’ attempts to persuade you.

• January Tourism News You Can Use – Voices of Montana Tourism

  One of the many goals for Voices of Montana Tourism is to be able to share the story of tourism 12 months a year in every corner of the state.

• Montana Business Quarterly

  News and Studies from a number of business sectors.

Visit Montana

• Montana’s History at Your Pace

  New website – The Path Less Traveled: A Guide to Montana’s Hidden Rural Heritage from Montana Preservation Alliance lists hidden historic heritage gems across the state

• Montana’s Mountain Towns Set the Scene for a Romantic Getaway

  Whether you’re looking to connect with your partner through adrenaline-pumping adventures or if you want to spend a relaxing weekend away in one of the state’s mountain towns, there are plenty of options for romance throughout Big Sky Country.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

• University of Montana Business Student Group Earns International Recognition

  The Montana Information Systems Association, or MISA, is the College of Business membership group for students studying MIS, which prepares graduates to work as IT consultants, systems analysts, business analysts, programmers, database administrators, web developers, network administrators and more.

Great Falls Development Authority

• The future of processing facilities in Great Falls

  Great Falls is an export oriented market, meaning we send our food elsewhere to be processed.

Come Home Wyoming

• Photos: 45 Wyoming small towns you should visit

  Many Wyomingites have never visited places like Lost Cabin or Spotted Horse, and most outsiders have never heard of these dots on the map.

Funding and Building your Business

• Rural Lender Converts Its Clients’ Needs into Service Opportunity that Now Reaches Clients in 31 States

  A rural nonprofit development corporation’s need to serve its widely disbursed client base has led to the launch of a national online portal that provides technical assistance to borrowers who are starting or expanding businesses.

• Techstars launches program to assist growing startup communities

  Techstars cofounder Brad Feld said in a phone interview with VentureBeat that one of the program’s goals is to allow cities to “be part of a much greater set of activities, because of the reach of Techstars, and [to allow] Techstars to engage more deeply in cities where we don’t necessarily have an accelerator present.”

• How Data Analytics Can Boost Any Organization’s Performance

  One sign of the times is that New York City recently passed a bill to make the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics a permanent part of city government

Regional Economic Development

• A state task force wants self-driving cars on the road in Minnesota. Legislators aren’t so sure

  The potential economic upsides of such technology are well documented.

Regional Business News

• Outdoor industry pushes political fight over lands, climate

  Thousands of manufacturers and retailers gathered in Denver starting Wednesday for the annual Outdoor Retailer and Snow Show, and some of the biggest names vowed to keep pushing to preserve public lands.

Montana Education Excellence

• The Montana Learning Center has been selected by NASA to host the Apollo 50th Next Giant Leap Student Challenge for Montana.

  “The Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry Lake is known across the state as a premier center for kids’ camps and teacher training that are STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) based.

Government News & Events

• This Hearing May Decide the Future of Net Neutrality

  Net neutrality advocates are heading to court Friday for what may be their best chance to restore federal regulations banning broadband providers from blocking, throttling, or otherwise discriminating against lawful content.

• Michael Franti & Spearhead – The Flower

  This heartbreak has to be stopped.

Government Technology

• Indiana First State to Launch Redesigned GIS Data Portal for Investment Attraction

  “We are always looking for ways to make it easier for businesses to choose and grow in Indiana, and this is another great tool in our toolbox,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger.

Transportation

• Texas Forms Self-Driving Car Task Force

  The move will help put the state at the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology testing by creating a single point where industry can coordinate with agencies, with the goal of reducing crashes and improving safety.

• Uber adds public transit to app as it expands transportation beyond traditional rides

  Starting Thursday in Denver, the popular ride-sharing app will be adding support for public transportation directly into its app, partnering with Denver-based public transit company Regional Transportation District (RTD).

• The City of Dallas Rejects the State of Texas on Plans to Widen Interstate 30

  A plan to widen the Interstate 30 in Dallas is pitting state transportation officials, with ostensible goals to serve regional transportation needs, against local officials, who are more concerned with “neighborhood-centric ideals.”

• ‘Carbon Free Boston’ Puts Priority on Land Use and Transportation Planning

  “We really have no choice,”

Energy and Climate Change

• Today’s TED Talk-The disarming case from a 16 year old to act right now on climate change

  “The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions,” Thunberg says. “All we have to do is to wake up and change.”

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