MATR Newsletter – January 6, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

“The future aint what it used to be.” Yogi Berra

It feels better to do stuff than to have stuff.

Corona Virus Information

• Montana Governor Gianforte will lift mask mandate ‘in weeks, not months’

  Several counties in the state have already enacted their own more restrictive mandates in anticipation of Gianforte pulling back statewide measures.

• Butte, Montana businesses plead for lesser COVID restrictions

  They took particular aim at state and local mandates that force casinos, bars and restaurants to close nightly by 10 p.m., saying they are killing business without sound rationale. Health officials say there are legitimate reasons for all the restrictions.

• Montana Legislative committee won’t allow public to testify over Zoom – Then reverses course.

  “For 130 years, people have been coming to this building to testify on bills. They rode their horse, their old Model T, but they came here physically to the Capitol. And I’ve decided not to accept Zoom testimony from witnesses outside of the building here,” Regier said.

• Montana’s Covid Testing Information

  Where to get tested.

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunity – Executive Director – Cinnabar Foundation

  The Cinnabar Foundation helps protect and conserve water, wildlife and wild lands in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by supporting organizations and people who share our vision and work to implement strategic conservation solutions to preserve and restore our natural heritage and communities as they adapt to change.

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

• Dorsey – Congress Extends the FFCRA’s Payroll-Tax Credit for Employers (but not the Paid-Leave Obligation!)

  Although the ramifications of the CAA are wide-ranging (and more alerts are forthcoming from Dorsey), employers with fewer than 500 employees should be aware of a narrow aspect of the bill: extension of the payroll-tax credit under the FFCRA

Big Sky Economic Development

• How to respond to a federal Request for Quote (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP) January 21 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

  Join the Montana PTAC for a live training on how to respond to a federal Request for Quote and Request for Proposal. Topics include:

• Women Owned Small Business Program Certification Webinar January 14 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm FREE

  Want to learn more about the Women Owned Small Business program? Getting certified can be a great marketing tool for your business.

• Government Contracting 101 January 6 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

  Join us for a FREE webinar on getting started with government contracting

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Nearly 30% of working professionals would quit if they had to return to the office after pandemic

  Many companies plan to ask their employees to return to the office once a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available later this year.

  Good luck with that.

• Ascent (online digital learning platform for women small business owners) Launch Thursday, January 7, 2021 12 pm Central / 11 am Mountain

  Ascent is the first-of-its-kind online resource specifically designed to help the nearly 10 million American women entrepreneurs grow and scale their small business.

• OpenGrants, which helps private and public agencies find and distribute funding, has launched a new fundraising effort in the form of a continuous securities offering

  The CAFE allows for continuous fundraising instead of a one-time window, it allows anyone to invest in the company regardless of accreditation, and it’s antidilutive, meaning it maintains or increases the value of the initial investment.

• CAN DO Podcast, Restaurants in the time of Covid-19

  Very interesting conversation with Kyle Riggs of Pangea Bar and Restaurant and Pearl Cash of the Pearl Café about restaurants during the time of Covid-19.  Well worth a listen.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Montana Board of Public Education appointments up in the air

  Gianforte breaks with tradition in reopening posts

Montana Business

• Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) webinar Thursday, January 14 via Zoom 2:00 PM

  We will cover general program information, eligibility requirements and steps to start the application process.

• Gyms aren’t coming back. Here’s how you’ll work out in the future

  Some 59% of Americans don’t plan to return to a physical gym after the pandemic. What will fitness look like then?

Montana Manufacturing Extension Center

• MSU helping manufacturing to be a growing part of Montana’s economy, report says

  Manufacturing continues to be a significant driver of Montana’s economy, according to a report recently released by Montana State University’s Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, whose positive impact is discussed in the annual snapshot.

Funding and Building your Business

• 5 Venture Capital Deals That Signal Major Trends for 2021

  Each of these investments shows what the next year may hold for entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers.

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• A 25-Year-Old Bet Comes Due: Has Tech Destroyed Society? The Collapse of 2020

  In 1995, a WIRED cofounder challenged a Luddite-loving doomsayer to a prescient wager on tech and civilization’s fate. Now their judge weighs in.

Regional Economic Development

• Why Student Debt Is Crippling Entrepreneurship

  In the U.S., student debt stands at around $1.7 trillion, up from $521 billion at the end of 2006, according to the Federal Reserve. That burden is spread across close to 45 million adults, with three-fourths of the graduates from private, nonprofit schools holding an average debt of more than $32,000.

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

• Miles Community College Offering Meat Processing Professional Certificate

  This is a Professional Certificate that can be completed in one year and is 100% virtual, excluding the four internships required to obtain the certificate.

Government News & Events

• Eviction Ban Extended for Renters – Federal Eviction Moratorium for Renters Effective Through Jan. 31, 2021

  Under the extension, a landlord, owner of a residential property or other person with a legal right to pursue eviction or possessory action, may not evict any covered person from any residential property in the United States.

• Make Way for the ‘One-Minute City’

  While the “15-minute city” model promotes neighborhood-level urban planning, Sweden is pursuing a hyper-local twist: a scheme to redesign every street in the nation.

City Club Missoula

• City Club Missoula – Adventures in the Wild Monday, January 11th, 2021 – 11:30AM

  Three nationally and internationally respected experts will provide a unique, fresh, and comprehensive insight into the natural world and what it can teach humankind during City Club Missoula’s January 11 forum, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. There is no charge to attend this forum.

MAPS : Media Arts in the Public Schools

• Media Arts in the Public Schools (MAPS) series airing on MT PBS in 2021

  A new film series produced by MAPS Media Institute will premiere on Montana PBS at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7.

Careers

• How finding a job will be different in 2021

  2021 may bring some normalcy back to the workplace, but some changes are going to stick. Here’s what you need to know.

Transportation

• Plans for a sustainable garden footbridge above the Seine

  The plant-filled bridge would be used for growing food for restaurants and residents, as well as a base for solar and wind power

• A new EV battery shows big promise

  QuantumScape says a car using its batteries could charge to 80 percent of capacity in just 15 minutes compared to the potentially hour-plus charging times required for today’s EVs. The company says cars with QuantumScape batteries also could have an 80 percent longer range than ones using today’s lithium-ion batteries.

• No car? Best cities to live in without a vehicle

  The assessment of 150 cities examined 20 metrics, including walkability, bicycling infrastructure, pedestrian safety, transit options and gun safety.

Cool Stuff That’s Coming

• 3D food printer can replicate dishes using fresh ingredients

  The Foodini 3D food printer allows users to fill the printing cartridge with their own ingredients to print a wide range of fresh foods

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