MATR Newsletter – May 21, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

Come Home Montana

• Montana offering $125K salary to hire a business recruiter – $500,000 budget to recruit biz to state

  A University of Montana economist says new tax policies may not lead to businesses moving to Montana. Patrick Barkey says most job growth takes place at existing businesses.

• Plans underway for a “destination distillery” in Teton County

  Joel Almeida may be from Southern California, but his heart has never been far from Montana.

• Montana Career Opportunity – Executive Director – Big Brothers Big Sisters NW Montana

  The Executive Director provides strategic leadership to the organization and oversees the day-to-day operations and staff. The Executive Director is appointed by and responsible to the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters NW Montana This position is responsible for providing high-level customer service in response to all functions of Big Brothers Big Sisters,…

Eventgroove

• Eventgroove – Fun Virtual Team Building That Doesn’t Require Zoom

  What’s a manager to do to build morale and have fun with their team while keeping everybody safely apart?

Montana Department of Commerce

• Montana Department of Commerce Awards More Than $5 Million of Historic Preservation Grants to 23 Montana Communities

  “These grants will help communities share stories of the past, giving visitors and residents a true glimpse of Montana’s fascinating, deep-rooted history,” Commerce Director Scott Osterman said. “Projects like these can really help rejuvenate Montana communities with increased economic development, statewide tourism and job creation.”

• Housing Champion Awards Presented to Representatives, Industry Leaders Who Support Affordable Homes in Montana

  “These housing champions have spent much of their careers strengthening Montana communities by showing commitment, dedication and the ability to collaborate private and public partnerships,” Montana Department of Commerce Director Scott Osterman said.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls, Montana Growth Highlights

  Rankings • 4th best city in nation for first-time homebuyers (Realtor.com) • 10th best city in Western U.S. to live in after the pandemic (Business Insider) • #2 city in Montana for budget-friendliness for renters (LendEDU) • 7th most affordable metro area in the West (AdvisorSmith) • One of five 2021 Great American Defense Communities (Association of Defense…

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Child care critical to modern Montana economy

  Report: Montana has just one licensed child care slot for every three children under 6

• How cities, states, and tribes can boost entrepreneurship via the American Rescue Plan

  While a significant amount of attention has rightfully gone to the $350 billion in flexible funding provided to states, counties, cities, and tribes in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP), this historic bill also contains an important separate investment aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.

• Within a Few Years, Glacier Rail Park in Kalispell, Montana Now Full

  Northern Plastics purchases last 10 acres of rail-served industrial park

• Is the U.S. suffering from a labor shortage? If so, capitalism has an answer.

  The idea that the United States suffers from a labor shortage is fast becoming conventional wisdom. But before you accept the idea, it’s worth taking a few minutes to think it through.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• $288 Million in Funding Available to States to Build Broadband Infrastructure

  Grants will be awarded to partnerships between a state, or political subdivisions of a state, and providers of fixed broadband service.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Gov. Gianforte pulls unemployment benefits to help overcome Montana workforce shortage

  Starting June 27 Montana will end its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs and return to its pre-pandemic status.

Housing

• Helena gathers stakeholders for meeting on housing priorities – City of Missoula awards nearly $1M in housing grants

  On Thursday, the city organized a virtual stakeholder meeting. About 30 people took part, representing affordable housing providers, builders, support organizations, local government and others.

• Missoula clinic looks to sell off affordable housing units

  The former housing and development director for the center is critical of the move, saying that the organization is going to turn a profit by pushing out low-income residents during a housing crisis.

• Opinion: Missoula County trying to keep public in dark

  “A lot of information was about how do we hide things from the public, how do we keep the media from knowing what we’re doing, and that’s wrong — these are our public servants, they are supposed to be working for us not trying to hide what they are doing, and that was really concerning for me,” said Smith.

Montana Business

• Stone Glacier set to open new headquarters in Bozeman, Montana

  For two consecutive years, Stone Glacier has been named as one of the fastest-growing companies in America from Inc. Magazine and ranked #3 among Montana companies in 2020.

Come Home Idaho

• 7 Oregon counties have voted to join ‘Greater Idaho’

  The grassroots group “Move Oregon’s Border For a Greater Idaho” has rallied seven of Oregon’s 36 counties to vote in favor of considering becoming part of Idaho.

Idaho News & Events

• IndieDwell shuts down Caldwell factory for revamp, lays off 61 employees; Expands elsewhere

  Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced Wednesday IndieDwell will open a new manufacturing plant in Newport News, in southeastern Virginia. It will create 220 jobs, according to a release from the governor.

Wyoming Business

• What does Bitcoin’s bust mean for Wyoming’s cryptocurrency industry focus?

  The recent collapse of cryptocurrency prices raises new questions about Wyoming’s pursuit of the blockchain industry: namely, whether the would-be economic stabilizer is, in fact, another volatile boom-and-bust industry.

• Knopp Resigns as Wyoming CIO After Major Health Data Leak

  As Wyoming continues to assess the damages involved in a high-profile health data leak, CIO Gordon Knopp has quit his position.

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

• $100 Million: University of Montana construction projects set to break ground

  “We have the dining hall, we’re gonna update Knowles Residence Hall, we’re going to build a new museum of art and culture here on campus, so it’s going to be a really exciting time.”

Education News

• Montana Public Employee Union Sues Over Four Bills

  The state’s largest union for public employees announced late Thursday afternoon it will challenge four bills for allegedly infringing on the constitutional authority of the public higher education officials on the Montana Board of Regents.

Rural Communities

• Q&A: Sociologist Mil Duncan on the Plight of “Transitioning” Rural Communities

  Enjoy our conversation about her path into rural scholarship, the plight of the “transitioning” rural community, and the relationship between inequality and civic culture.

2021 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Montana’s voting changes mirror national trends, expert says

  For the Montana politicians who are changing voting and registration laws, Peter Miller knows something you may need to know: Your work may backfire on you.

• Montana governor vetoes bill raising fees on electric vehicles

  Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed a bill Thursday that would have significantly increased fees on electric vehicles.

• Group hopes to bring back regular passenger train route through North Dakota

  The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is attempting to restore regular passenger rail along original routes which would go through Fargo, Bismarck, Mandan among other cities and include a potential depot in Mandan.

• Montana Board of Regents vote to file suit over law allowing guns on Montana campuses

  “I do view our role as a partnership with the Legislature, but sometimes partnerships need clarity, and what we’re seeking here is clarity,” Commissioner of Higher Education Clay Christian said moments before the vote.

Non-Profit News

• Glass recycling program expands to Lolo, Montana

  The non-profit decided to mark reaching 1,000 curbside recyclers by branching out to new pick-up areas.

Careers

• Become Happier in Work and Life: The Four-way View

  After completing the chart, one individual who manages the West Coast operations of a U.S. retail design firm said he was surprised to discover he was not “being the person [he] really wanted to be.”

Transportation

• Study: When Women Ride Bikes, Everyone Rides More

  New research indicates a positive association between overall cycling levels and ridership rates for women-identified riders.

• TuSimple’s autonomous truck cuts 10 hours off 900-mile trek across the US

  It is required by law to have a human safety driver onboard for such operations in the US, but because the truck could operate nearly nonstop, it was able to complete this “middle-mile” journey in 14 hours and 6 minutes, compared to the 24 hours and 6 minutes it usually takes a human driver, which is 42 percent faster.

• How Cities Should Analyze Crashes that Kill Peds

  A team of advocates has produced what may be the most comprehensive report on crashes that kill pedestrians ever conducted in an American City — and it’s prompting a call for a similar approach to be adopted across the country.

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• How to Avoid Another Cybersecurity Disaster Like SolarWinds

  During the 2021 RSA Conference, SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna, along with other experts, shared many lessons learned about the infamous hack that put U.S. governments and companies on notice.

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