The biggest culture shocks for Americans in France

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Helena WINS invites the community to take a look at the trades

  “So, we really wanted to target 8th graders, especially thinking about what they want to do for their careers, or even just choosing classes for high school. If hands-on is something that they’re interested in, these industries are great for that.”

• Montana Department of Commerce Announces International Tourism Marketing Strategy Development Initiative

  Over the next 12 months, Commerce will collaborate with its marketing agencies of record (AORs) to understand the desired outcomes from Montana’s economic development and tourism industry leaders. Previously focused on trade tourism and seven specific international markets, Commerce will now explore new options, including new markets, direct-to-consumer tactics, rich media marketing campaigns and exclusive Montana-based summits and press tours.

• Feds to end coal leasing in Powder River Basin, nation’s largest source of coal

  Though the Powder River Basin coal industry has been in decline since 2008, the BLM’s decision — even if it is defeated by legal challenges — sends a strong signal to the industry, as well as Wyoming and Montana leaders, that mining in the region will come to an end, said Shannon Anderson, attorney for the Sheridan-based landowner advocacy group Powder River Basin Resource Council.

• The Missoula Economic Partnership Indicator May 2024

  Missoula to Host Headwaters Tech Hub Consortium Members

The MDT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program

• DOT Enhances Its Program for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises

  The Department of Transportation on Tuesday announced a final rule that modernizes its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which aims to give entrepreneurs facing either social or economic disadvantages a fair shot at competing for transportation contracts in the procurement process.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA-Top-Ten-for-5-19-24

  KRTV ran a story about our partnership agreement with Lethbridge Economic Development.

• GFDA Releases Report on Economic Impact of Population Growth in Great Falls Montana

  Modest population growth in the Great Falls Montana MSA (Cascade County) created local economic impact of $88.8 million from 2018-2023, supporting 717 jobs in the region, according to a report released today by the Great Falls Development Alliance (GFDA).

Montana Business

• Casting Call Announced for Series on Montana’s Jim Bridger

  A television series based on the stories of Jim Bridger is being filmed in Montana this summer. The Montana Film Office announced an open casting call to men and women looking to be a part of the show.

• Welcome to the world of smart dorm – Missoula, Montana based The Smart Dorm Company

  The Smart Dorm Company, founded by two Montana university students, utilizes new innovations to establish smart infrastructure for various facilities. We are focused on creating cost-effective sustainable technology for large-scale residential facilities.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Net Neutrality Is Really A Debate Over Monopoly Power

  “They do not want their providers engaging in blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization. And if they have problems they expect the Nation’s expert authority on communications to be able to respond,”

Montana Businesses Seeking Investment or For Sale

• Popular Montana Steakhouse, The Victor Steakhouse, Up for Sale, Rare Opportunity

  This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to invest in a restaurant. The Victor Steakhouse is one of the few steakhouses in the Bitterroot Valley and is a destination for hungry people from all over the world.

Housing

• CBS Sunday Morning – California Forever – The plan for a new California city – Starting a conversation about eastern Solano County

  A group backed by some of California’s richest has purchased some 60,000 acres of farmland in Northern California, as part of an ambitious plan to build a brand-new, walkable city in the nation’s most car-centric state, for as many as 400,000 residents.

Funding and Building your Business

• Pilot and Zendesk Pitch Deck Teardown!

  Crafting a winning pitch is a challenge. That’s why we’re bringing in Silicon Valley VCs to share their secrets, helping you secure your next round! Zendesk has partnered with Pilot to spill the tea about perfect pitches.

2024 Montana Legislature and Politics

• June primary ballots give voters a chance to re-think their local government structures
  Should City and County organizations merge to form a more efficient and economically less expensive single governing body and should term limits be imposed are among many questions that citizens need to consider.

Government News & Events

• Buttigieg, Pelosi, Other Leaders Headline U.S. High-Speed Rail Conference

  Conference speakers asserted that America is entering a new era of progress on high-speed rail, following unprecedented investments by the Biden Administration; Brightline West breaking ground on a bullet train from Las Vegas to Southern California last month; major new labor agreements; and federal designation of seven high-speed rail corridors around the country (including Dallas to Houston and Portland-Seattle-Vancouver, BC.)

Careers

• The biggest culture shocks for Americans in France

  “In America we tend to have the mentality that we live to work, everything in your life is centred around working and advancing your career. In France it’s the opposite: you work to live, so you go to your job but only so you can fully enjoy the time that is not spent at work.”

• AI is leading to the ‘revenge of the liberal arts,’ says a Goldman tech exec with a history degree

  The history major turned tech banker said AI enhances skills like critical thinking, creativity, and logic.

Transportation

• Dirt Cheap Batteries Enable Megawatt-Scale Charging Without Big Grid Upgrades Right Away

  Battery prices have continued to plummet, frankly faster than even battery optimists such as myself dreamed of. We’re seeing commercial, scaled, price points that we didn’t expect to see until 2030 or later.

• Sweden’s Electric Charging Road: A Pioneering Effort to Decarbonize Transportation

  The electric charging road will use inductive charging technology. This technology involves embedding coils in the road surface, and then installing a receiver coil in the bottom of the electric vehicle. As the vehicle drives over the coils, an electric current is generated in the receiver coil, which is then used to charge the vehicle’s battery.

• Single-seater electric micro-car takes aim at big city congestion

  Big and burly SUVs often have only one occupant so why not just develop a “small, zero-emission vehicle tailor-made for city commuting”?

• Friday Transportation and Energy Headlines from Streetsblog USA

  The EPA is offering $1 billion in grants to purchase zero-emissions heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses.

Cool Stuff That’s Coming

• Parental controls 2.0: AI guides kids onto the internet in a whole new way

  As this week’s launches from Google and OpenAI have shown, AI assistants will soon be the chief medium through which many people access the internet.

Energy and Climate Change

• Electrify Missoula – Missoula’s initiative to transition to a healthier, clean energy future.

  ​We’re here to answer questions and are working hard to keep this site updated in a rapidly changing landscape. Thanks for being on this journey with us!

• Biden-Harris Administration Announces $71M Investment to Advance American Solar Manufacturing and Development

  18 Projects in 10 States Will Supercharge the U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chain and Open New Markets for Solar Technologies

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