MATR Newsletter – July 12, 2019
The state with the best education wins!

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. Pablo Picasso

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunities – Executive Director, Bozeman Field Manager, Statewide Field Organizer – Forward Montana

  Forward Montana is a homegrown, youth-led, long-term grassroots organization working to train, mobilize, and organize a new generation of progressive leaders in Montana. Check out the positions below to join our team.

Montana Department of Commerce

• ‘Taste our Place’ Encourages Travelers to Eat Local with Summer Campaign – Look for billboards, posters across Montana

  “When visitors and Montanans see the ‘Taste our Place’ logo, it helps folks identify the establishments serving authentic local Montana foods and helps to further the connection among farms, ranches, breweries, and restaurants.”

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• Best & Worst States for Gig Economy Jobs – Montana #2 ….Worst

  Increased demand for work flexibility has driven the growth of this market, even though salaries are, in general, lower than those of typical long-term jobs.

Montana Businesses For Sale

• California company buys two Hi-Line ag businesses

  A San Francisco-based agricultural retailer has purchased two Hi-Line ag businesses as a move to “strengthen its presence in Montana’s Golden Triangle.”

Montana Business and Govt. Agency Collaboration Success

• USDA Agency’s Relocation Could Affect Grantmaking Abilities, Union Says

  “Moving a granting agency at the end of the fiscal year will have a detrimental impact on getting grant money out the door to our stakeholders,”

Montana Economic Development

• Folk festival is an economic boon to some Butte businesses

  “I like to say it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Butte since I’ve been here,” said Silver Dollar Saloon owner Brian McGregor.

• Governors weigh in on broadband expansion, infrastructure permitting, cybersecurity

  North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will share themes and policy goals for Reimagining the Rural West, his central policy effort in the coming year as WGA Chair, during a webinar at 10 a.m. MT on Tuesday (July 16).

• Kauffman Foundation – Economic development evolves to improve the playing field

  Any given Wednesday: NFL wide receiver and nonprofit founder presents at 1 Million Cups

Montana Business

• Kickstarter Campaign – A ‘health guru’ for bees: Montana researchers develop app to gauge colony health

  An app from Bee Health Guru analyzes the audio for signs of eight different bee colony problems.

• Montana Code School faces uncertain future as enrollment plummets

  When Ed Weymouth, an instructor at Montana Code School, attended a 1 Million Cups meeting in May, he asked the audience if the school was still necessary in Missoula.

• Fast Company -Most Innovative Companies: Four Reasons To Apply Right Now

  For more than a decade, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list has celebrated the extraordinary work of visionaries.

• AI-driven hiring could spark employment litigation

  Companies using artificial intelligence technologies in the recruitment and hiring process may face employment practices claims if other states follow Illinois in trying to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in video interviews.

• Now Accepting Applications from Montana Tech Businesses for the September HyperAccelerator

  Billings is hosting 7 Montana-based tech businesses for our upcoming HyperAccelerator. Entrepreneurs from around the state are welcome to apply for this amazing mentorship and training program, provided free-of-charge by ESMT and our affiliate organizations. Top performers from the June and September programs will compete for a $50,000 cash investment at the Statewide Showcase in…

• Linn Grove Growth Funds Announces First Montana Company Investment

    After a year of hard work with several companies, Linn Grove is pleased to announce its first early stage investment in Montana. Actually a company founding,with 80% Montanans, see here on Restoration Beef Company: Linn Grove Growth Funds Announces First Montana Company Investment(Fargo, ND) Linn Grove Growth Funds announces aseed investment in Restoration Beef…

• commonFont – Services are Critical for Companies Considering a Voice-of-the-Customer Technology Vendor Transition

  Report by independent research firm cites commonFont among vendors that help VoC clients assess and optimize Experience Management programs and technology platforms

Visit Montana

• Dillon’s Bike Walk Southwest Montana picking up speed

  “That’s when I knew, I’m about to enter into a special community.”

Funding and Building your Business

• The CEO Found Out His Company Was Rewarding HR Execs for Paying Women Less. This Is What He Did Next

  “The risks of not taking this seriously are profound: lawsuits, stupid products that can’t scale because they’re designed from a myopic point of view…and a one-note culture.” ­

• Amazon Is Investing $700 Million in Its Employees. Here’s How You Can Follow Its Lead

  The move reflects a growing reality in the corporate world.

Incubators and R&D

• Silicon chip breaks “blackbody limit” to produce more electricity from heat than thought possible

  The environmental benefits are massive for economic technology such as this.

• Glasses that automatically correct vision

  They offer a high-tech solution to age-induced eyesight problems.

Idaho News & Events

• Idaho is closing more than half its employment offices, sending staff out into communities

  Instead of meeting with people at a permanent office location, staff in the affected areas will instead travel between towns and neighborhoods.

• Biking in Downtown Boise? This may be the perfect spot to store your bike

  It includes lockers, key-card access and a bike repair station.

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

• University Of Texas Announces Tuition-Free College Program

  The University of Texas at Austin will offer a tuition-free program to make college more affordable for low-income and middle-income students.

Rural Communities

• How a Tiny Mountain Town Quadrupled Parking Fees

  Many cities have seen success with raising meter rates and directing the revenue to sorely needed public services.

Montana Politics & Legislature

• Billings Gazette opinion: Questions count in U.S. Census

  The idea of deliberately skewing the census results is abhorrent first because it is dishonest, but also because it is contrary to the U.S. Constitution.

Government News & Events

• How Automation Can Modernize Election Processes

  How Aspen, Colo., and Burnsville, Minn., are updating their election systems and how the improvements are helping reduce costs, create operational efficiencies and deliver better services to voters.

Non-Profit News

• Do you know a small but MIGHTY Montana nonprofit? Nominate them for an award in nonprofit excellence!

  Nominated organizations must be based in Montana, even if their work serves populations outside of Montana.

Transportation

• Radical New Bike Design – NuBike

  Vertical Pedaling

• This Lidar Is So Cheap It Could Make Self-Driving a Reality
  Luminar has developed a production-ready lidar that will cost as little as $500—cheap enough to make it work not just on robotaxis, but on consumer vehicles.

VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things

• The Hard-Luck Texas Town That Bet on Bitcoin—and Lost

  Milam County and other communities have learned a real-life lesson about the elusive promise of virtual currency.

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