MATR Newsletter – September 23, 2019
The state with the best education wins!

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunities – Solutions Developer, Database Administrator , Service Desk Technician, Systems Administrator and more… – Zoot

  No Suits, Montana Roots At Zoot, our employees are committed to providing the best decisioning engines for the largest financial institutions in the world. Zooters are also committed to passions outside the company – family, friends, outdoor activities and environmental causes. Zooters enjoy all of the beauty and opportunity the Treasure State has to offer…

• New call center in Butte wants to add more than 200 jobs

  FCR hiring full-time and seasonal workers

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Worst summer yet for seasonal staffing shortage in Montana’s Flathead Valley

  “Business is great. The only problem is staffing. This year it seemed insurmountable.”

• Flathead neuroscience company Expesicor awarded $1.4M SBIR grant and “substantial investment” from Two Bear Capital

  This influx of investment comes just two years after Expesicor earned its first major financial award, a $100,000 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce.

• Montana Leads United States in GDP% from outdoor activities

  Montana gets 5.1% of its GDP from outdoor activities, followed by Maine with 4.8%, Wyoming with 4.4% and Florida with 4.3%. Colorado and Utah tied at 3.3%.

Funding and Building your Business

• A New Breed of Funds Has Raised $2 Billion for Women Founders. It’s a Start

  To make real progress on closing the funding gap, more women are getting into the business of funding other women.

• 8 Change Triggers Every Entrepreneur Must Spot Early

  No business or startup wants to be the next Myspace, or even the next RIM (BlackBerry), where changes in the marketplace were subtle.

Wyoming Business

• University of Wyoming gets $15.8 million National Science Foundation grant for aircraft research

  UW is the only academic institution in the United States that provides a research aircraft facility to the atmospheric science community

Government News & Events

• RFP for 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan for the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Area Update

  The LRTP will consider transportation issues to the year 2050.

American Prairie Reserve

• CBS Sunday Morning – Patagonia: How Doug and Kristine Tompkins gathered 14 million acres to open 12 national parks

  It’s a dream that has been two-and-a-half decades in the making, and the culmination of a remarkable love story.

Transportation

• Tesla May Soon Have a Battery That Can Last a Million Miles

  Elon Musk promised Tesla would soon have a million-mile battery, more than double what drivers can expect today.

• London Car Free Day: Tower Bridge shuts for mass yoga session

  Away from the centre, 15 boroughs will be running their own Car Free Day celebrations and more than 340 “play streets” – safe spaces for local people to socialise and play – have been approved by 24 boroughs.

Energy and Climate Change

• Hot Springs, Arkansas Is Switching Over to 100 Percent Solar Energy, Joining Only 6 Other Cities in the U.S.

  The switch to a renewable energy source will save the city an estimated $30 million over the next three decades.

• Montana’s energy importers want renewables. Renewables require storage. A pumped hydro project in Meagher County aims to provide it.

  “This could single-handedly ensure Montana remains an energy powerhouse as we transition off of coal.”

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• How Louisiana Responded to Its Recent Ransomware Attacks

  Through quick response and an existing cyberthreat response system, the state managed to stave off what could have been a much more disastrous attack that would have affected twice as many communities.

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