MATR Newsletter – March 26, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

“Surging prices are persuading tens of thousands more Americans to try their hands at selling real estate, but supply is extremely tight. There are more agents than homes for sale in the U.S.”  Wall St. Journal  3/21/2021

The total number of deaths exceeded births in Montana last year for the first time since they started keeping records in 1908.

Corona Virus Information

• Don’t post a picture of your vaccine card! The Dark Web Is Teeming With Vaccine Listings Right Now

  Tired of waiting to get your vaccine appointment? For just $500, you could get a COVID-19 vaccine dose tomorrow (overnight shipping not included). Too rich for your blood? How about a vaccination card for just $150?

• Why Chobani is giving its workers in Twin Falls, Idaho the vaccine at its factory. “The faster we do it, the faster we get back to normal.”

  Workers at the yogurt company’s Twin Falls, Idaho, plant don’t have to go anywhere or make complicated appointments to get their shots. They’ll happen right at work.

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunities – Accounting Technician, Payroll & Accounts Payable Internship, Senior Configuration Management Analyst, Software Developer and more… – Zoot

  At Zoot, our employees are committed to providing the best decisioning engines for the largest financial institutions in the world. Zooters are also committed to passions outside the company – family, friends, outdoor activities and environmental causes. Zooters enjoy all of the beauty and opportunity the Treasure State has to offer while working at a…

• Great Falls Development Authority Summer College Intern Program

  Do you know a dynamic college students interested in building capacity and creating change in the Great Falls region? GFDA is offering paid 8-12 week full-time internships to college and graduate students interested in pursuing future careers in the Great Falls, Montana region. Interns will work directly with our professional staff to increase our capacity,…

Montana Department of Commerce

• Montana Main Street Grants Awarded to Revitalize Downtowns in 8 Communities

  “Funding through the Montana Main Street Program invests in communities across our state, encouraging economic growth to make Montana’s local economies stronger and create more opportunities for Montanans.” Commerce Director Scott Osterman

PFL

• PFL Promotes Nick Runyon to President

  Seasoned marketing executive will oversee marketing, sales, product and professional services

Big Sky Economic Development

• Big Sky Economic Development sticking with proposed med school after Billings Clinic backs out

  The RVU team members shared deep regrets and in no way meant to hurt or disparage any group or individual. That is not who they are as a company, or as individuals, and they expressed that directly to me during our conversation,” said Steve Arveschoug, director of Big Sky Economic Development.

Zoot Enterprises

• Zoot – Banking Evolution: Embracing the Digital Pivot

  The incredible pace of change is one of the key themes that consultancies, analysts and practitioners all acknowledge.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• It’s time to start designing for the future. How human-centered design is transforming our homes, work environment, and public spaces

  The pandemic is already changing how people are using public and private spaces.

• These Founders Are Planning a Smarter, Better Future for Cities

  Imagine if buildings, sidewalks, or streets could tell you what’s going on around them.

• 2021 International Mass Timber Conference to Highlight Missoula March 30 – April 1 Virtually

  The conference, which brings together professionals from across the forest, manufacturing, design, development, construction, and tech industries, expects over 2000 attendees from over 30 countries.

• The Rural Chamber of Commerce Newsletter – An Actionable Resource Kit | Fancy Pecans | New Events Added

  S u p p o r t   r u r a l   e n t r e p r e n e u r s,   b u s i n e s s e s   a n d   b r a n d s

• Helena-based The Virago Collaborative co-working space aims to help women succeed

  “It’s tailored to women and women’s needs, but men are welcomed to join as well,” said one of the five owners Mercedes Bawden.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Utility Broadband Alliance Announces Official Incorporation – Powering Utility Connectivity

  Grid modernization and digitization are driving utilities to move beyond legacy narrowband communications to advanced private broadband solutions.

• Comcast pledges $1B to connect 50M low-income Americans

  On the 10th anniversary of its Internet Essentials program, Comcast said it has connected more than 10 million people in the U.S. to home broadband internet since 2011. The overwhelming majority of these individuals were not connected prior to signing up.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte Appoints Kevin Gilbertson New State CIO

  Gilbertson, who began his new role yesterday, will focus his efforts on assisting state agencies in improving customer service practices and modernizing technology used within state government.

Housing

• How California Set Off a Backyard Apartment Boom

  With a state law easing restrictions on accessory dwelling units, granny flats are proliferating in L.A. and other cities — and pre-fab options may make these tiny houses even more common.

• Stonestown Shopping Center plan for 3,000 homes could make the mall S.F.’s next great neighborhood

  San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria, a suburban-style mall surrounded by 30 acres of surface parking lots, would be transformed into a neighborhood with nearly 3,000 housing units, 6 acres of green spaces and a new 20th Avenue that would become a “main street” lined with shops and residential buildings, according to a plan unveiled Thursday.

Choose Montana

• Anonymous donor sends $100K check to Habitat for Humanity of Missoula housing nonprofit

  “The timing couldn’t have been better with the increased cost of materials we’ve been experiencing,”

Montana Business

• ‘MunchieBus’ ready to roll as Billings’ first convenience store on wheels

  On the MunchieBus app—which has a similar layout and feel as other delivery service apps like UberEats or DoorDash—Billings and Lockwood residents can request a no-contact delivery to their door or request the bus come to do their residence and shop onboard.

• Montana Home Built Entirely With EverLog Systems Concrete Logs

  This home is constructed to withstand all that Montana can dish out. Snow, rain, wind, wildfires, bugs, rot, and decay are no match for this EverLog home.

Funding and Building your Business

• The Boring Benefits Your Employees Really Want – Free snacks at the office are out–pet insurance is in.

  One solution? Voluntary benefits.

• Senator Amy Klobuchar Has Big Plans for Small Businesses – Large companies shouldn’t be able to buy their competitors so easily

  Known as the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act (Calera), her bill is aimed at making it harder for companies to pursue certain mergers and shifting more resources to antitrust regulators.

• ‘Awesome Leader’ – Prince Harry, the Basketball Coach, Sentences, and a Wolf

  If you want the one-sentence version of this newsletter in one sentence, here it is: be clear on who you are, what you do, and then what you say.

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• San Francisco rolls out a guaranteed income program giving artists $1,000 a month

  More than 100 San Francisco artists will be guaranteed $1,000 a month for six months under a pilot program set to launch in May, following similar efforts by Stockton, Oakland and Marin County to support struggling residents during the pandemic.

• $20M film and television hub planned in Missoula may hinge on state legislation

  “This is really focused on television and film production, but it could also include streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple, or large network and cable giants like Paramount, Warner Brothers and Hallmark,” Graham said last year. “We think Montana is poised with the right investment to establish a strong new industry in the state due to the MEDIA Act and tax incentives.”

• Missoula Library opening May 3, with precautions

  Bray says the library is checking to see if people will have to sign in for entry. But security guards will be stationed with bracelets to limit people’s time in the building to one hour.

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

• Billings Clinic ends talks with proposed medical school citing derogatory comments and previous commitments

  Billings Clinic announced Wednesday it will “end conversations with Medforth Global Healthcare Education,” RVU’s parent company, after two separate executive representatives of the med school made ethnically and gender-charged comments that are “inconsistent with Billings Clinic’s core values.”

Montana Education/Business Partnerships

• New labs funded by a $1.5 million cash donation from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories give Montana Tech students a high voltage education

  Working with high voltage systems is at once expensive and dangerous if not done right, so very few labs of the caliber Tech has exist in universities across the country, he said, adding that the industry is booming with job opportunity.

2021 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Eight Nations: Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy on bias in Montana’s legislature

  A Democrat from Crow Agency and chair of Montana’s American Indian Caucus, Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy has earned the nickname “legislative warrior.”

MAPS : Media Arts in the Public Schools

• MAPS Media Institute film series continues on Montana PBS April 1 – “EAST”

  This unique film was written, filmed, directed and edited by teen artists in a series of weekend workshops. The film follows a day in the life of three youth exploring their sense of place and the bonds of friendship they discover on their journey.

Transportation

• Chipotle is the latest company to get behind robot cars. Here’s why

  Chipotle just invested big in an autonomous delivery company. Their CTO explains why and what the process will look like.

• How Buffalo Moved Away From Parking Requirements

  One promising trend in urban planning is the push from a growing number of U.S. cities to reduce minimum parking requirements for new developments.

• Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport announces new airline service by Delta, Southwest and United for summer 2021

  A new, non-stop flight to Washington DC is just one of the options for travelers flying out of BZN.

• Chuck Schumer Proposes Big Investment in Electric Vehicles

  The Senate Majority Leader’s plan would pump more than $50 billion into direct incentives for consumers, manufacturers, and property owners.

• Funding constrained: Missoula’s transportation plan to parcel out $181M over 30 years

  “What we hope we’ve achieved (in the plan) is building out a multi-modal system that works for people traveling by all modes, and really focuses on those connections across the region while advancing some of the most important regional projects,” said Jennifer Weigland.

Other Economies

• Innovation Greater Manchester provides blueprint for boosting R&D investment and leveling up North

  A blueprint for translational innovation between Greater Manchester and Government catalysing inclusive economic growth could generate a £7bn economic benefit and support the UK in achieving its goals of levelling up the North and increasing global trade.

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