MATR Newsletter – March 9, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

“Going to work” is not going to be what it used to be.

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” Nelson Mandela

Today’s MATR Newsletter is sponsored by:

His perfect place: Coaster Cycle boss at home in Missoula, Montana
The mountain biking’s absolutely incredible here. We love the lifestyle and we love that it’s not too busy. It’s not the big city, but we can always get to the big city.”
I spent 3 days in Bozeman, Montana, aka ‘Boz Angeles.’ Here’s what surprised me most about one of the fastest-growing cities in the US.
Spending three days there, I saw a bustling Main Street filled with trendy cafés and restaurants, and locals who enjoy easy access to hiking, biking, fly-fishing, and skiing.
Vacancies prompt Cascade County to hire private law firm to assist with cases
There are three vacancies in the office
“Richest Hill,” a Must-Listen Podcast About Butte, Montana
It’s a rowdy party town with no open-container laws (a Montana woman asks if she’s allowed to describe Butte as “badass”); it has a folk-music festival; it played an essential role in industrial history.

PFL’s 2019 Multichannel Marketing Report
Are you using the optimal mix of marketing channels?

Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 3-8-20
Here is our Top 19 for this week celebrating work and successes to grow and strengthen the Great Falls regional economy!

Montana officials worry about wasting disease’s economic impacts
“The spread and the existence of this disease is not only in Montana, but across the country, and has the potential for massive ramifications. You have direct dollars from hunters’ spending money in local hotels, eating meals and spending on sporting gear.”
Billion Dollar Problem: Working Parents Leave Workforce, Postpone School Due to Childcare Challenges
Knowing many employers want to facilitate more access to childcare but do not know where to begin, we sought to learn what types of childcare benefits working parents desire most from employers.

States Look to Improve Upon Incomplete FCC Broadband Data
Here’s what Wisconsin, North Carolina and West Virginia have done to paint a clearer picture.

Missoula’s Cedar Products Unlimited owner retiring after 35 years. Company is for sale
“We’re don’t have an Internet presence at all,” Denton said. “If we did, we wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand.”

Week old business, Five On Black, steps up to help Great Falls Community
Every week a new group from the community will receive 50% of that Tuesdays sales at a new business in Great Falls, Five On Black.

Bitterroot Forest starts development of forest-wide climbing plan
Rangers from across the country have contacted me to let them know they were watching. They want to see what comes out of this.”
Preparing for a visit to Montana’s American Prairie Reserve
As you begin planning your spring and summer recreation excursions, American Prairie Reserve invites you to add Montana’s prairie grasslands to your family’s bucket list.

The Way We Work, A TED Series – The secret to giving great feedback
Humans have been coming up with ways to give constructive criticism for centuries, but somehow we’re still pretty terrible at it.

Amazon will start selling cashierless Go system to other retailers
‘Just Walk Out technology by Amazon’ could come to a store near you

Idaho’s biggest company, Albertson’s takes first step toward offering stock for public sale
Albertsons today operates 2,260 stores under a number of banners, including Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and Haggen.
Boise-based Silverdraft Supercomputing helps Madonna and Disney with new technologies: ‘We’re kind of the Idaho secret’
Silverdraft Supercomputing is a virtualization technology company that uses virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning to help major companies like, Nissan and Toyota, visualize their products.
As visits increase, Idaho Parks and Recreation backs off marketing efforts
Though the outdoor recreation industry is a boon to the state’s economy, some land managers worry the increased traffic could put a strain on resources and the environment.
Idaho Controller: Scammers stole roughly $500,000 from state
“They didn’t hack the computer system itself, they just used communication through email that was falsified, and were able to manipulate the situation.”

Montana University system signals support for independent Bitterroot College
“We want to honor the community’s wishes and will proceed in accordance with the outcome of the May 5 election.”

Montana State prez criticizes policy flip-flop boosting University of Montana
While Cruzado did not call out the Missoula flagship by name, UM President Seth Bodnar recognized the policy she was criticizing was set up to help his campus through its efforts to bounce back, and he offered a rebuttal in his own comments.

Apps have turned restaurant work into a gig-economy hustle. Here’s how one cook chases a paycheck.
We just get used up. There’s no quality of life while we work. And no quality of life promised after we retire. It’s all take and no give. It’s a broken system that breaks us, too.”
3 Things Everyone Should Do in Their 20s to Build Mental Toughness
Life is hard. You’ll do much better if you develop resilience early.
10 Personal Attributes That Indicate Real Potential
Here are ten sample questions that I believe will reveal positive indications of your potential as an entrepreneur, and also indicate that you will select good ideas:

As U.S. Coal Plants Shutter, One Town Tests an Off-Ramp
A one-of-a-kind blueprint for ‘just transition’ out of Centralia, Washington shows how difficult it is to move away from fossil energy, even when support and resources are at hand.

This cheerful Waymo ad highlights all the ways we’ll use self-driving cars in our daily lives
The ad is a glimpse into one possible future for Waymo’s vehicles: a world in which you can summon a fully driverless Waymo vehicle to take you to where you need to go, or an autonomous delivery van to bring you your takeout order or dry cleaning.