MATR Newsletter – October 14, 2019
The state with the best education wins!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page.” St. Augustine

Opportunity Zones

• Indian Country Opportunity Zone RFQ Extended Deadline

  RFQ for the development of an Opportunity Zone Technical Assistance Program and Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund for Indian Country.

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

• Dorsey & Whitney Launches California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Compliance Screening and Assessment Tools – Does it apply to your non-California company?

  By imposing automatic statutory penalties for each affected consumer if a company fails to implement reasonable security practices and procedures, the CCPA is expected to create potentially enormous class action liability for companies suffering a breach.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 10-13-19

  Great Falls is an entrepreneur hot spot!

• Great Falls, Montana ranked in the Top Cities Where Americans Start the Most Businesses

  In this study, AdvisorSmith researched the number of new businesses formed on a per capita basis in 353 U.S. cities and 50 U.S. states to find the cities and states where people are most likely to start a new business. We also broke down the cities by size in order to fairly compare business creation…

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Kalispell, Montana’s Applied Materials is “the world’s No. 1 semiconductor and display equipment company”

  Applied employs approximately 550 people in the Flathead Valley. Despite being one of the area’s biggest employers, Nye noted a lot of locals don’t realize what goes on behind Applied’s doors.

TechLink

• TechLink weekly tech roundup: new express licensing technologies October 2019

  This roundup features technologies available to businesses and entrepreneurs with streamlined legal and financial terms through express licensing.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Joe Willauer: How the Butte Local Development Corp. is working to grow local economy

  This is the first of what will be monthly Butte business columns written by Joe Willauer, director of the Butte Local Development Corp.

• City leaders continue efforts to bring more flights, lower airfare to Great Falls airport

  Chris Leatham, the owner of Bighorn Outdoor Specialists, said his wife says it best when she says they can usually tell when a Chicago flight has landed because usually about 45 minutes later, they have four or five people show up in the store looking for the outdoor basics they can’t carry on a plane.

• Here’s Why Every Entrepreneur Should Find A Mentor

  One of the best resources an entrepreneur can have is a mentor.

• MEDA News Update – Car Pool to Innovate Montana Symposium comes to Butte next week? – 10/14-16? Position Openings, and OZ Fund Directory

  If anyone wishes to carpool to the Innovate Symposium and is coming through the Missoula area, please let me know and I will pass the message on.

• Montana Workforce Development Survey

  This survey is intended to assess the extent of workforce difficulties faced by Montana businesses and we would like to request your opinions about what we can do to positively impact Montana’s workforce.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Broadband limitations remain problematic for rural Montanans

  Until financial incentives emerge to expand broadband internet access to rural communities, far-flung residents will have to go without, said MontanaSky Founder Fred Weber.

Montana Businesses For Sale

• Butte’s cross country ski ‘paradise’ up for sale

  The owners, Chris and Mandy Axelson, are asking $2.9 million for the 154-acre spread surrounded completely by Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

• Experts forum panelists address ‘nuts and bolts’ of business sale

  A cautionary theme from the previous program was reiterated on several occasions: how owners are wise to think long term to structure a sale to maximize the greatest return.

Gov. Steve Bullock

• How Steve Bullock would boost K-12 school spending and make community college free

  He proposed giving tax credits to employers who help their employees pay off student debt.

Montana Ambassadors

• Montana Ambassador Award winners announced

  The honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony and reception on Monday, October 14 in conjunction with the 2019 Innovate Montana Symposium [innovatemontana.com] in Butte from October 14-16.

Visit Montana

• How Montana’s Tippet Rise showcases artistic achievement amid natural beauty

  The Tippet Rise Art Center in southern Montana is home to stunning sculptures, architecture and classical music. But instead of traditional museum or concert hall walls, its artworks are surrounded by natural wonders.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

• Accelerated Startups Demo Night – 10/17 – Helena, Montana

  Participants have the opportunity to introduce their business to the community and potential investors.

Funding and Building your Business

• Silicon Valley Bank Introduces “Access to Innovation” to Increase Opportunities for Underrepresented People in the Innovation Economy

  SVB and Pathstream launch Community College Certificate in Business & Data Analytics

• Here’s the relaxation hack that taught 96% of US military pilots how to fall asleep within 2 minutes — even after drinking coffee

  After just six weeks of practice at turning their brains off using this five-step method, 96% of pilots could fall asleep within 120 seconds.

Business Plan Forums

• This firefighter monitoring device is designed to protect first responders as wildfires spread

  Prometeo, which tracks firefighter’s health and exposure to smoke and toxins in real time, is the winner of IBM’s 2019 Call for Code challenge.

• This Idaho-produced toilet seat just won $20,000 and 1st place in a Boise competition

  What do clean toilet seats and nonallergenic breast milk have in common?

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• Call for stories! Pitch your “Tipping Point” story for the December Tell Us Something in Missoula

  We want to hear your story!

Regional Business News

• Campgrounds in national parks set to be privatized in new Trump plan

  The Trump administration is exploring ways to outsource operations at national parks to private businesses. Lobbyists for private businesses welcome the invitation.

Wyoming Business

• Federal agency to give $12M for Wyoming broadband expansion

  Three companies are expected to receive funds to extend service to more than 4,700 Wyoming homes and businesses lacking high-speed internet access.

• Wyoming Continues to Pursue a Future with Blockchain

  Wyoming is taking deliberate steps to position itself as the blockchain capital of the nation.

• UW researcher: Wind blows controversy, but may become world’s primary energy source

  “’While wind energy is a controversial topic in Wyoming, it is poised to become a primary source of electricity generation for the world,’”

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

• MSU receives funding for five-year project to educate teachers to fill jobs in rural Montana

  “Our common goal is to ensure that every student, from Broadus to Lolo, and from Scobey to Troy, has access to highly effective educators,”

• Scholarships to promote volunteerism among Montana high school students

  High school students who frequently volunteered throughout the last 12 months are eligible for Serve Montana’s Youth Serve Montana Scholarship.

2020 Montana Politics

• PSC attorney: Commissioners showed bias about solar projects — but not too much

  “Without question, the Commissioner remarks exhibited bias,” wrote PSC attorney Zachary Rogala

Transportation

• Self-Driving Cars Will Completely Change How Vehicles Look in the Future

  “When you don’t have ownership of the car and you don’t have operation of the car, you don’t have a person driving the car, it’s going to look completely different.”

• It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a car: Porsche, Boeing pair up to work on flying vehicles

  Boeing says that it is already laying the foundation for next-generation mobility in which “autonomous and piloted vehicles can safely coexist.”

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• Book Review: ‘Cybersecurity Is Everybody’s Business’

  This book is packed with great information on myriad 21st-century Internet security, data privacy and cybersafety topics. I highly recommend it for everyone who’s trying to protect themselves in cyberspace — all of us.

• 5 Cheap(ish) Things to Beef Up Your Digital Security

  Here are a few simple things to at least prevent the worst problems and keep most of your private information as safe as possible from hacks or security negligence.

• Security News This Week: An iTunes Bug Let Hackers Spread Ransomware

  The past week brought a heaping helping of not so comforting cybersecurity news, starting with President Donald Trump’s apparent plans to pull out of the Cold War-era Open Skies treaty.

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