MATR Newsletter – January 18, 2019
The state with the best education wins!

Leadership is about making everyone else better

Today’s MATR Newsletter is sponsored by:

Come Home Montana

Montana Career Opportunities -Marketing Manager, VP of Engineering, Back End Developer and more… – TOMIS
TOMIS is an automated marketing intelligence platform for activity providers.
Montana Career Opportunities – Civil Engineer/Branch Manager, Project Manager/Civil Engineer – Territorial Landworks
We believe in playing an active role in the communities where we live and work.
Cognizant debuts consultant trainee program in Missoula
Our Consultant Trainees will be responsible for completing a 12-week specialized training program with areas of focus in Business Essentials, Consulting, Systems Analysis and Design, Data Analytics, Project Management, Information Infrastructures, and more!
MCPS to hire consultant to assist in superintendent search – Montana Career Opportunities – Elementary, Middle and High School Principals and more… Missoula County Public Schools
We will create an inspired 21st Century Educational Culture that improves lifelong student achievement, develops remarkable educational leaders and engages the Missoula community in the future of its children.

2019 Montana Legislature and Politics

Lawmakers ask about enrollment, related issues, at Montana flagship universities
Enrollment at the flagships — the glut at Montana State University and deficiency at the University of Montana — was among the topics lawmakers raised Tuesday in a budget discussion at the Montana Legislature.

Montana Economic Development

Missoula focus on downtown growth could cut housing costs, create regional engine
If you’ve got more jobs and housing downtown, that might mean shorter commute trips and less traffic for people who live outside downtown. There’s all sorts of co-benefits. They spill over to the whole region.
Improvement Plan calls for more housing in Bozeman
If you have moved to Bozeman lately or around Bozeman you know that it’s hard to find housing.
Downtown Missoula: New plan to guide future growth of city’s urban core – Your input is requested
So what’s next?

Montana Business

Workiva Named One of the 2019 Best Workplaces in Technology by Great Place to Work® and Fortune Magazine – Career Opportunities in Montana
“These companies create cultures that invite all employees to innovate, creating a competitive edge for their businesses and helping to realize the unique potential of each individual.”
Missoula, Montana’s Apis Communication Science – Learn how you can watch your clients go from “no” to “yes”.
“I have been in the sales and marketing world for over 30 years. At no time have I seen such detailed information and training on the art of persuasion.” Mark Losh
3 Successful Companies that Call Butte, Montana Home
Most of these companies create the behind-the-scenes products that run our lives — everything from silicon to industrial mixers to tube and duct assemblies for aerospace applications.
S&K Technologies, Inc. (SKT) Acquires Tucson-based International Towers, Incorporated (ITI) – Expands Capability Portfolio
Acquiring ITI expands SKT’s service and capability offering into the Cellular and Broadband communications, tower and broadcast infrastructure, and security markets.
How Pineapples Inspired a Montana Wheat Farmer to Excel – Wheat Montana
“Give the customers what they want, not what you want them to have”

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

You’re Invited: Dorsey’s IP Webinar Series: UK and Continental European M&A of IP Rich Companies (2/27)
During this interactive dialogue webinar, learn some of the tools and tips for dealing with acquisitions of European based IP companies.

Montana Department of Commerce

Montana Department of Commerce Awards Grants to Support 28 Native American-Owned Small Businesses
“As Native American small business owners look toward growth, Commerce is here to help them take the next step.”

Montana Office of Tourism & Economic Development

Montana Tourism Awards – Nominations OPEN 1/15-2/15
I hope you will have plenty of nominees from your respective regions; please share this information in your organizations and communities and extend the invitation to attend.

TicketPrinting

Harlowton, Montana’s Eventgroove – Create a Customized Event Page and Sell Online
Free for event hosts – very low fees for ticket buyers.

Great Falls Development Authority

“You Asked:” Developing businesses in the Electric City
Brett Doney, President and CEO of the Great Falls Development Authority, is excited for the city’s future. They’re hoping to add more force to one of Montana’s most powerful natural resources.
A look into the Great Falls community’s businesses and their 2019 plans
Ignite 2019, sponsored by Great Falls Development Authority, allowed 18 businesses to present their 2019 projects this past Friday.

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

Kalispell Chamber looks toward another year of growth
“We have people without jobs and jobs without people,” Unterreiner said. “We plan to create the most educated and productive workforce in Montana.”

Montana West Economic Development

Kalispell Core & Rail Redevelopment
The Plan includes housing options suited to people of all income levels and stages of life. All of this designed to make the Kalispell Core a place for people and business alike to flourish.

Idaho News & Events

Boise #5 for innovation in Verizon’s national list
In its entry on Boise-Nampa, Verizon notes that “it’s not called Treasure Valley for nothing.”
Boise State University Gaming, Interactive Media, & Mobile Technology – College of Innovation and Design
This program prepares students to create the experiences that manage the technology in our work and personal lives.

Funding and Building your Business

What Every Entrepreneur Must Know About Artificial Intelligence
Boost efficiency and productivity. Reduce errors. Plus more cool stuff.
Google’s new employee perk: paid sabbaticals to work for nonprofits
Google.org Fellowships is a program that allows its own employees to embed for up to six months at nonprofits with special projects that need the help of experts in computer engineering, data analysis, and artificial intelligence.
Techstars Studio and the Studio Model
The goal of each Techstars Studio is to launch four new companies annually.

Regional Economic Development

When Should a City Hire a Chief Innovation Officer?
The prevalence of chief innovation officers in city halls — as well as within state houses and at the county level — has certainly risen of late, with the position being basically unheard of just a few years ago.

Regional Business News

Massive new study traces how corporations use charitable donations to tilt regulations in their favor
After a firm donates to a nonprofit organization, that group becomes more likely to comment on rules that the firm has also commented on.
Device ‘Ownership’ Is a Civil Liberties Issue
A sad fact of modern technology is that many “smart” devices use their smarts to act as their manufacturer’s spy and digital enforcer.

University Business Plan Competitions

All Montana University Students Encouraged to Submit Ideas for $50,000 Ruffatto Business Startup Challenge
Applications are due Friday, Feb. 8, and can be found on the John Ruffatto Business Startup Challenge website.

Government News & Events

Senator Tester Moves to Protect Montana Small Businesses From Online Sales Tax
“Montanans have spoken, time and time again, against a sales tax,” Tester said. “This bill cuts red tape and makes sure Montana’s small businesses won’t suffer because of sales taxes in other states.”

Government Technology

Montgomery, Ala., Begins the Smart City Metamorphosis
One of the capital city’s most active corridors will soon be home to a nine-block living laboratory, complete with Wi-Fi, smart streetlights and a host of other tech-laden features.

MSU Leadership Institute & UM Global Leadership Initiative

Tickets on sale Jan. 25 for April 4 lecture by astronaut Scott Kelly at MSU
Kelly, who is also a bestselling author, is expected to discuss his space travel, share lessons on leadership, reflect on his commitment to discovery and tell stories of perseverance at the lecture

Transportation

Airport access is a big deal for rural Montana economies. Here’s how far small-town residents have to go.
Zellner and her husband liked the town, with its restaurants, brewery, and nearby ski area. But a year later, they had moved on — in part, she said, because of how hard it was to travel for business.
Real-Time Data Analytics Aims to Reduce Traffic Fatalities
Bringing all these tools and algorithms under one integrated system will enable operators to monitor safety risk in real-time and develop interventions that alleviate the potential problems and prevent crashes or at least mitigate their severity.
‘We’re going to electrify the F-Series,’ Ford exec says
“We’re going to be electrifying the F-Series — battery electric and hybrid,”
Airports Are Solving Uber and Lyft Problems—Time for Cities to Take Note
This is going to happen in downtowns in the near future.”
Tesla Launches Its First-Ever Portable Charging Station for $500
The sleek home charging station can be plugged directly into an existing high-voltage plug.
Bike lanes prove that transportation solutions can be cheap and effective
At very little cost, the new bike infrastructure increased total street capacity and improved safety.
Kia electric-assist pedal car would be dispersed like a SEED Urban Transport
The futuristic fun didn’t stop there, however, as the automaker also unveiled an electric-assist pedal car that could find use in the smart cities of tomorrow.
Startup’s new passenger drone could be steppingstone to new form of urban transportation
In five to 10 years, he predicts, aircraft such as the Hexa will play a very different role in urban environments, becoming an “alternative to driving” for certain types of trips.
Allegiant Air announces new service to Kalispell
The company is offering introductory fares on the new route as low as $69 each way, the company stated in a press release.

Energy and Climate Change

Idaho Governor Brad Little: Climate change is real, and it must be reversed
The 64-year-old Republican sworn into office earlier this month shocked some at the Idaho Environmental Forum by declaring that climate change is real and will have to be dealt with.

Other Economies

Families earning $117,000 now qualify as “low income” in California’s Bay Area
The home, complete with leaks in the roof, sold for $1.23 million. The buyer beat out six competing offers, all above the asking price.