MATR Newsletter – October 16, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

We isolate now so that when we gather again, fewer are missing.

Corona Virus Information

• Governor Bullock calls for medical workers as Montana’s hospitals fill up

  During a call with reporters, Bullock said nurses, paramedics, contact tracers and others who want to join or rejoin the state’s health-care workforce can do so by contacting the Montana Nurses Association, or by signing up for a “paid volunteering” program through the state Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunity – Chief Revenue Officer – Montana Craft Malt

  Montana Craft Malt is far from ordinary. We do things a bit unconventionally by celebrating independent thinking and unfettered passion for the Art and Science of making unique, delicious craft malt. Together with growers, scientist, maltsters, brewers, distillers and food makers, we tap into the incredible versatility of barley-to create extraordinary works for edible and…

• “Montanica!” racks up tens of thousands of fans by celebrating Montana

  “I saw an opportunity to see what we could do on social media, started it it there and in just the past two weeks we’ve passed 110-thousand members,” said McDonald.

Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development

• Montana Department of Commerce Tourism Grant Program Now Open – Apply from Oct. 15-Nov. 30

   “The Department of Commerce looks forward to supporting tourism and recreation projects as we recognize that while so many aspects of our daily lives have changed, one thing remains truer than ever: Montana is the best place to live, work and play.” Commerce Director Tara Rice

Big Sky Economic Development

• Big Sky Economic Development Annual Meeting – 10/22 – 3:30PM – Online

  This year, you will be able to enjoy the BSED Annual Meeting from anywhere. Your home office, a conference room, a downtown coffee shop or a mountain top. If there is WiFi, you are in!

• Big Sky Finance October 2020 Newsletter Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

  By using Big Sky Finance and the SBA 504 program to fund their project, borrowers benefit by preserving their working capital with minimal equity injection while obtaining long term, fixed rate financing. Lenders mitigate their risk with a low loan to value and a first lien position.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Proposed Cuts to Montana’s Empire Builder Passenger Rail Service Unwise

  Amtrak has served Montana and our residents well over many decades.  Join with me in encouraging our congressional delegation to properly fund Amtrak and to resist the current cuts to this important part of our transportation infrastructure.

• 11 superb speeches to inspire us to keep fighting for gender equality, even when we’re exhausted

  It’s been a particularly distressing year full of chaos, heartbreak, and loss. And though circumstances are tough and constantly striving for a better world can be exhausting, it’s crucial that women (and men, too) continue in the fight for gender equality.

• Ground broken on $10M Anaconda hotel designed to spur economic growth

  The deal was reached in an EPA-led consent decree that outlined an agreement that the Atlantic-Richfield Co. would pay for the hotel, a $3 million RV park, and $2 million in renovations to the Old Works Golf Course.

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• Teleworking in a parking lot. School on a flash drive. The coronavirus prompts new urgency for rural Internet access.

  “We’re trying to send people to Mars, but we can’t get our own population connected to the network?” said Gregory Goergen, who has sometimes gone with his children to a Sheetz parking lot to get work done online.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Over 70,000 Kansas Homes Finally Getting High-Speed Internet (Why Not Montana?)

  Gov. Kelly announced that the state will use nearly $50 million in COVID-19 aid grants to establish Internet for 76,735 households. An additional $85 million will improve statewide Internet over the next decade.

• SpaceX Connects Rural Washington Communities Via Satellite

  Thanks to partnerships with the Washington Emergency Management Division and State Department of Commerce, SpaceX Starlink satellites have connected both a fire-stricken town and a tribal reservation to high-speed Internet.

• Tester Delivers $10.8 Million to Expand High-Speed Internet in Rural Montana

  Investments in broadband infrastructure will provide high-speed internet for nearly 1000 Montana households in Big Horn, Stillwater, and Carbon counties

• Tech for Telehealth Is Only Part of the Equation, Broadband Access Is the Other

  Broadband access in rural America remains insufficient for telehealth to become the solution for rural areas healthcare problems.

• Musk: SpaceX’s Starlink internet service will work in high-speed trains

  Even a fast moving train would appear relatively slow to a Starlink satellite as it beams the internet data toward Earth.

• Broadband Webinar on State Broadband Policies and the Broadband USDA Technical Assistance Workshop

  One segment approximately 52 minutes focuses on what we can do to improve broadband.  Around 56 minutes refers to importance of planning.  And, a short conversation on cooperatives and public/private partnerships 37:00 to address and the rate of return can be for the long term.

Gov. Steve Bullock

• Montana Climate Solutions Plan – August 2020

  The recommendations reflect strong alignment in many areas across a diverse group of Council members, while also highlighting key points of disagreement that can inform future deliberations. Together, they comprise a set of Montana-based solutions that demand our collective efforts to advance with the same dedication and urgency that led to their development. I thank all Montanans for their partnership and support as we seek opportunities to work together to advance this plan. Governor Steve Bullock

Funding and Building your Business

• We need a new definition of corporate climate leadership

  Today’s definition of corporate climate leadership centers on how companies can do less harm. It needs to be about creating a thriving future.

• If we want more companies like Patagonia, we need laws to enforce it

  If we want to get past “woke capitalism,” this is what it’ll take to get companies to an equitable relationship with both workers and society.

Regional Business News

• Why this former BMW exec is betting big on co-living

  With flat rates and flexible monthly leases for as little as three months, Quarters offers something like a college dorm for adults, with living accommodations and social activities combined in the same building.

• New app Mammalz helps connect people with nature

  A new social media application is looking to change the way we interact with nature. It’s a platform that combines the best worlds of Instagram and Twitch.

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

• STEM careers require the same kind of creative thinking as the arts, says new research

  Surprisingly, creativity is general in nature, according to a new study that has big implications for education.

Montana Education/Business Partnerships

• University of Montana, City of Missoula consider merging resources, services (It’s about time!)

  “Why don’t we merge resources? We’re in budget constraints, why don’t we merge libraries, why don’t we merge police departments?”

  “We can’t be seen as this little enclave across the Clark Fork (River). We actually have to be integrated with the community,” said Reed Humphrey, acting UM provost.

2020 Montana Politics

• Hacker Campaign Targets Government’s VPN, Windows Vulnerabilities

  Federal agencies are warning that a recent wave of intrusion attempts by hackers are targeting state and local governments. Some of the attacks appear to have led to unauthorized access to election support systems.

Transportation

• Best Practices: How Oslo Reached Vision Zero (And How Your City Can, Too!) “Our main objective is to give the streets back to the people.”

  While disagreement and conflict are a part of the story, there is also a lot of common ground to be found. Working together is the only way to make that a Vision Zero a reality.

• Cruise Will Soon Hit San Francisco without anyone behind the wheel. Is your community planning for the end of Carcatecture?

  The GM subsidiary wins approval from California to offer driverless passenger service.

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• Online forum hosted by Vision Net will answer questions about cyber-security – 10/21 – Online 2PM

  One question the company had already received Tuesday was how to know when you’re being attacked – something that happened last month, when Great Falls Public Schools’ network was hit with a ransomware attack.

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