MATR Newsletter – March 31, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

Corona Virus Information

• Mask Up Montana! – Biden calls for mask mandates, CDC director fears ‘impending doom’ from COVID surge – ‘Nobody Is Safe Until Everyone Is Safe’

  The warnings came amid a 10% rise in cases.

Come Home Montana

• Study: Montana ranks among 10 least stressed states

  “Montana is the ninth least stressed state. … it boasts short commutes and high job security,” Wallethub analysts Jill Gonzalez said. “Its residents also have high credit scores, and less than a third of adults worry about money.”

• Montana Career Opportunity – Assistant Director – Flathead Valley Community College

  The Assistant Director directs annual events, foundation projects, and Alumni and Friends council and organization. In addition, this position assists the Foundation Executive Director with fundraising activities.

• Montana Career Opportunity – Marketing Technology Manager – Kampgrounds of America, Inc

  Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) is the world’s largest family camping company, helping family and friends enjoy the great outdoors for 55 years. Founded in 1962, our franchising company has more than 500 campground locations in North America, and each year is nationally recognized for our work in public relations, marketing and franchise satisfaction.

Montana Department of Commerce

• 14 Productions to Share $500,000 in Big Sky Film Grants to Film in Montana

  “Film, television and commercial productions have a direct economic impact in Montana, creating good-paying jobs and infusing outside dollars into Montana communities,” Montana Film Commissioner Allison Whitmer said.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority grows and the nation is watching, but is the Montana Legislature?

  Gaining the attention of the state Legislature hasn’t been easy.

• A Rapid Economic Recovery as Tight Job Market Returns in Montana

  State and countywide data reveal strong economic growth, but employers are struggling to find workers

• 5 of the World’s Most Extraordinary Bars – A Bizarre Slice of Americana – Sip ’n Dip Lounge in Great Falls, Montana

  Start with an old-school motor lodge, combine it with a tiki bar, add in a swimming pool and some mermaids, and you get one of the most unusual bars in the world.

• Bear Paw Development Corporation Annual Report 2020

  Bear Paw Development’s 2020 Annual Report showcases community and economic development projects in which we were involved, with an emphasis on the partnerships we fostered with both the public and private sectors.

• Resources for Indigenous-owned natural products businesses

  Here are several resources that lend support to Native American entrepreneurs specifically, from networking groups to grant opportunities.

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• The Future of the Home Office

  “What we found in a high tech organization is most software developers and engineers really prefer the remote environment,” Alton said. “It’s quiet, they don’t have to commute back and forth to work … We’ve seen productivity increase.”

• The hybrid office is here to stay. The shift could be more disruptive than the move to all-remote work.

  The post-vaccine workplace is taking shape, and for many it’s going to be a hybrid model, allowing more remote work but with clear expectations that some days a week will be in the office.

Senator Jon Tester

• Tester Secures Commitment from Treasury Secretary that American Rescue Plan’s $340 Million Meant for Montana Municipalities Can’t be Skimmed Off the Top by States

  Senator fought to secure direct funding for Montana cities, towns, and counties in American Rescue Plan, was only member of Montana delegation to vote in favor

Funding and Building your Business

• Review: Hulu’s WeWork documentary explores the ‘Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn’

  If you didn’t do your job there, you probably thought that WeWork was just that hip communal office space that popped up everywhere over the past decade, then spectacularly flamed out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• He Changed His Feedback Style–and His Company’s Revenue Grew By Almost 1,500 Percent

  It took a crisis for Numerated founder and CEO Dan O’Malley to realize his polite demeanor was harming his company’s growth.

• IRS says PPE can be written off, after millions of Americans file 2020 taxes

  The IRS clarified that these expenses count as “medical care.”

Come Home Idaho

• Want to own a winery? Here’s your chance. Two Wineries for Sale in Idaho

  Do you have a vineyard dream?

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

• Private Schools Have Become Truly Obscene – Montana House Republicans advance big increase in private-school tax credit

  Elite schools breed entitlement, entrench inequality—and then pretend to be engines of social change.

• Montana Legislature approves Bitterroot Valley Community College District

  “It’s fabulous,” said Bitterroot Valley Community College District trustee-elect Janet Woodburn. “We officially now have a Bitterroot Community College.”

• UM Western Experience One: International instructors add depth for Western students

  On today’s Montana This Morning, Chet talked to business professor Christian Gilde about a cooperative program currently going on, at the Montana Western Campus.

• Billboards raise Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women awareness in Montana – The Snowbird fund to support families

  She plans to do more, and says those interested in sponsoring a billboard can contact [email protected] for more information.

Government Technology

• Montana Selected for Academy on Cybersecurity Policy

  In the new policy academy, Montana will work with the NGA on developing and implementing cybersecurity workforce development plans.

Oregon Business

• Has Eugene, Oregon, found a ‘superpower’ for climate action?

  The city’s eyeing changes to its natural gas contract to fund climate ambitions.

Transportation

• With ‘Sidewalk,’ Amazon is building its own private neighborhood networks

  The new tech offers more robust connections for an expanding universe of Amazon gadgets. But it’s part of a broader move to take over social infrastructure.

• The Rules That Made U.S. Roads So Deadly

  Blame laws that lock in dangerous street designs and allow vehicles known to be more deadly to non-drivers.

Energy and Climate Change

• Renewables met 97% of Scotland’s electricity demand in 2020 – How close is your state and community to 100%?

  Industry body Scottish Renewables said output had tripled in the last 10 years, with enough power for the equivalent of seven million households.

• The Surprising Ways Cities Work to Clean the Environment

  These are five surprising ways that cities have used municipal programs and urban design to clean up the environment.

• The Coal Plant Next Door

  Near America’s largest coal-fired power plant, toxins are showing up in drinking water and people have fallen ill. Thousands of pages of internal documents show how one giant energy company plans to avoid the cleanup costs.

• Novel wood decking made from plastic bags

  The company turns reclaimed sawdust and plastic bags into composite deck boards and is now one of the largest plastic bag recyclers in the US.

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• Cybersecurity: The Latest Challenge for Local Water Utilities

  Even if budget restrictions are a factor, water utilities must invest in better cybersecurity measures. A local New Mexico water utility shares insights from its overall cybersecurity journey.

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