“We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” — Terry Swearingen

Come Home Montana

• I moved to Montana after getting priced out of California. I work in the trades — not all transplants are rich remote workers buying up property.

  One not good culture shock has been the younger generation. It’s a college town, and they’re not as friendly as my generation is or the generation before me.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• As Property Tax Bills Rise, States Look for Long-Term Solutions

  Lawmakers in Mountain West seek to provide permanent tax relief without harming local revenue.

• Montana Ag Network: Climate-smart practices and farm loans

  The US Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) wants to remind producers that farm loan programs can be used in ways that support climate-smart agricultural practices.

• Employees’ Stress Over Mental Health Is Affecting Their Work

  Employees are speaking loud and clear. As Mental Health Awareness Month kicks off, they’re reminding employers to prioritize their mental well-being.

• Second chance hiring can bridge manufacturing labor gaps

  These types of programs can fulfill mutual needs and lead to less employee churn, lower recidivism and life-changing impact, advocates say.

• Tester Pushes for Solutions to Big Ag Consolidation: “If we lose family farm agriculture in this country, this country becomes far less secure”

  Senator urges Congressional action on competition in the agriculture marketplace

• Report from NGIN and RTI describes critical elements for building an inclusive cluster

  The report illustrates these key decisions and lessons learned via five case studies of industry clusters supported by the Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge.

• How ecosystem mapping can aid your region – May 21, 2024, 1:00 p.m. MDT – Online

  In this TBED Community of Practice webinar, experts from EcoMap and SourceLink will demonstrate how they approach developing ecosystem maps tailored to your region, as well as strategies to keep these tools up-to-date and seamlessly incorporated into your daily operations. This webinar will provide the actionable insights needed to integrate ecosystem mapping into your organization’s strategic toolkit.

• GFDA President Brett Doney Joins NADO Board

  NADO is honored to have this impressive group together to focus on helping our nation’s local communities pursue comprehensive regional strategies for remaining economically competitive in today’s rapidly changing global environment.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 5-5-24

  We have scheduled our first Angel Investor Networking Event for Wednesday, May 29 from 4:30-6:00 PM. We’re looking to connect accredited investors with entrepreneurs and developers who need cash investment. If you are an accredited investor, entrepreneur, or developer seeking cash investment, register here! For more information, including how to prepare for the event, please contact Tyler Menzales at [email protected] or call 1-406-217-7862.

• Government Contracting Opportunity at Malmstrom Air Force Base

  If you are a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that installs, replaces, and maintains gas main lines, check out the potential opportunity from Malmstrom Air Force Base

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Kalispell City Officials Report Slower Development and Tourism Demand at Growth Summit

  Municipal staff in Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls say housing supply and transportation remain significant hurdles in the Flathead Valley, even as growth slows

• New flights to the SF Bay Area takes off from Glacier Park International Airport

  Avelo Airlines is now offering nonstop flights between Kalispell and the Bay Area’s Sonoma County Airport on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Montana Business

• Could concrete capture more carbon than trees?

  Called CO2-SUICOM, the new concrete uses heavy industry waste materials in place of traditional cement. Each mix reduces the amount of regular cement used by more than half, thereby significantly cutting emissions from the production process. Best of all, CO2-SUICOM uses carbon dioxide instead of water as the mixing agent required to make concrete harden and captures CO2 until the mixture is completely cured.

Housing

• Updated Home Energy Efficiency Standards Could Affect 1 in 4 Homes

  Updated efficiency standards from HUD and USDA will lower bills and make homes safer. Here’s how.

• How ADUs Can Help Ease the Affordable Housing Crisis

  Local policies and programs can encourage homeowner participation and increase the number of ADUs available as low-cost rentals.

Visit Montana

• Frontier Airlines returns to Missoula, flights to DEN and PHX

  Frontier is offering twice-weekly nonstop flights to Phoenix and will also provide nonstop service to Denver four times a week.

• Marty Bourassa Memorial Charity Car Show – 5/11 – Southgate Mall Missoula

  The chance to buy the car you’ve always dreamed of driving.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

• Missoula business owner finds success in University of Montana’s MBA program

  “Being in the program has really helped me narrow down and focus on what it is we are providing and who we are providing it for,” Stevens said. “Those questions are not easy to answer. The framework that the MBA program offers has really helped clarify that.”

Developing an Angel Network in Montana

• Angel Investor Networking Event – 5/29 – Great Falls, Montana

  We’re looking to connect accredited investors with entrepreneurs and developers who need cash investment. If you are an accredited investor, entrepreneur, or developer seeking cash investment, register today.

Biotech

• Stressed? Study shows light shone on the head and belly helps

  “Today, the area of research into the gut-brain axis is generating great scientific interest and is a very promising field for the possible treatment of diseases of the nervous system.”

Incubators and R&D

• ‘Real hope’ for cancer cure as personal mRNA vaccine for melanoma trialled

  Excitement among patients and researchers as custom-built jabs enter phase 3 trial

• Recent Research: Predicting the commercial potential of science

  Using a large language model to analyze scientific findings, the researchers predicted the likelihood that a discovery will lead to marketable products or processes.

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

• The mental health crisis among young people. Too much talk?

  A group of researchers in Britain now propose another, at least partial, explanation.

• Welcome to Cat Scholarships, Montana State University’s Online Scholarship Application System!

  Incoming students are also encouraged to apply for scholarships awarded by the Office of Admissions.

• ‘Great Year for GrizMed’: University of Montana Sees 74% Medical School Acceptance Rate

  The Association of American Medical Colleges reports about a 40% average medical school acceptance rate.

University Business Plan Competitions

• Montana State University graduate student venture nabs top award at fifth annual $100K Venture Competition

  The entrepreneurial event included eight ventures, many from current students. The competition was open to all students, faculty, staff and recent graduates in the Montana University System. The eight finalists were selected from a pool of more than 40 applicants.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

• Easily digitize old, physical photos: Here’s how to scan on iPhone and Androids

  Once upon a time, using a scanner would have been the only option to create digital copies, but advances in technology have made it easier than ever to digitize your precious memories and access them anywhere, anytime.

Transportation

• New Sodium-Ion Battery Could Charge An Electric Vehicle In Seconds, Not Minutes

  That not only races past the best lithium-ion technology on the market today, it also beats gas and diesel fuels at their own game.

• $190,000 eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off & Landing) deliveries begin July – no license required

  Personal flight is currently undergoing a renaissance thanks to the rapid advancement of so many requisite industrial technologies. The next phase of personal flight is poised to begin and the production version of this aircraft could well mark the occasion in history.

Energy and Climate Change

• Microbe power breaks the chain of plastic pollution

  These engineered microbes break down plastics into biomolecules that can be used to make new products

• How Artificial Intelligence Can Transform US Energy Infrastructure

  Groundbreaking report provides ambitious framework for accelerating clean energy deployment while minimizing risks and costs in the face of climate change

• Can’t install your own solar panels? Some areas let you join a community project.

  Twenty states allow community solar programs.

TED and TEDX Talks

• TED Talks – How the US is destroying young people’s future
  In a scorching talk, marketing professor and podcaster Scott Galloway dissects the data showing that, by many measures, young people in the US are worse off financially than ever before. He unpacks the root causes and effects of this “great intergenerational theft,” asking why we let it continue and showing how we could make it end. (Note: This talk contains mature language.)

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