MATR Newsletter – September 24, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

Great Falls Development Authority

• From Dream to Daycare – the story of Play N Learn

  In 2015, Raegen came to Great Falls Development Authority (GFDA) with a vision – she wanted to consolidate into one, state-of-the art facility. The only problem – she needed $2 million dollars. Fearing her dream might never become reality, the team at Great Falls Development Authority got to work.

• Your Weekly Talent Attraction Update – Great Falls Development Authority

  This is our weekly talent attraction email update, where we give you the low-down on all things talent attraction in Great Falls, Montana and how to get involved.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Montana company hopes to become a gamechanger in indoor agriculture

  Local Bounti built its first large state-of-the art-greenhouse in Hamilton and has plans for several more in the Northwest as it prepares to go public in coming weeks.

• ‘Playable’ Cities Are the Next Public-Space Frontier

  How everyday infrastructure and street furniture can stoke human imagination — and contribute to residents’ well being.

• Montana’s Teton County and Vaughn community welcomes Karhu Koski Distillery – Career Opportunities

  Although unemployment has been rough in surrounding areas like Vaughn, one resident says this is exactly what they need. Almeida is looking to hire close to thirty employees who all…

• Montana tech jobs thriving, while others are in decline

  “Data visualization is almost a component and essential component of a story or the way that you use infographics to tell a story. And, some of that is, do you know how to work with a data set? Do you know how to interpret a data set? And, then visualize it,” added Clark.

• MoFi President Receives Presidential Appointment  – Dave Glaser Will Serve on Community Development Advisory Board

  The CDFI Fund’s mission is to expand economic opportunity for underserved people and communities by supporting the growth of community development lenders, investors and financial service providers. MoFi is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution operating across Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Indiana to Kick Off Rural Broadband Program Next Week

  According to a press release, places with Internet speeds “of less than 25 Mbps (download) and 3 Mbps (upload)” are eligible. Those numbers correspond with the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of broadband.

• Rural Counties with More Broadband Tended to Do Better in 2020 Census, Study Shows

  Counties that grew from 2010 to 2020 had higher average connection speeds than rural counties that lost population.

Housing

• Nation’s First ‘Zero-Driving Community’ Takes Shape in Tempe

  Slated to open in 2022, Culdesac Tempe contractually forbids personal vehicles from parking within a quarter-mile radius of the project site.

• S.F. is finally building tiny cabins for homeless people. One reason: it may be cheaper than tents

  After years of resistance, San Francisco is finally jumping onto the trend of sheltering homeless people in tiny homes, with plans to install them on two parking lots about nine blocks away from City Hall.

Montana Business

• New online resource answers common questions from Montana hunters

  Hunting FAQ guidebook covers licenses, access, biology and more

• Missoula Glass Recyclers are now the official glass recyclers of Glacier National Park! We need a Bobcat Front-Loader that’s powerful enough to manage all this glass.

  We’ve launched a fundraiser to raise $8,000 to cover the down payment on a Bobcat Skid-Steer Front-Loader that’s powerful enough to handle this surge in glass from Glacier. (We’re nearly halfway there!)

Funding and Building your Business

• Empathy Is The Most Important Leadership Skill According To Research

  Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but it is taking on a new level of meaning and priority. Far from a soft approach it can drive significant business results.

• Report: More than half of workers believe they’re underpaid. Here’s why

  Payscale’s fair pay impact report shows that employees really have no idea if they are paid fairly. A whopping 86% of employees believe they are paid at market or below market when they are actually paid above market.

• If Your Employees Aren’t Learning, You’re at Risk of Losing Them

  One key factor in the recent barrage of resignations? Lack of training and skill development.

• The Must Have Resume Feature for Fall 2021: Employees’ Vaccination Status

  As many as one in three hiring managers are screening new hires for vaccination status, according to a new survey.

• What’s the Future of the Office?

  Brett LoGiurato, senior editor at Wharton School Press, sat down with Cappelli to talk about his new book. They discussed work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the complications with return-to-office hybrid models, and how employees and employers can make the best choices about what to do.

Regional Business News

• Impossible Foods meatless pork hits tables today: Here’s where you’ll be able to try it

  Impossible Pork debuts tonight at NYC’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar, where the famous David Chang restaurant will serve it on top of its signature spicy rice cakes.

Wyoming Business

• A Wyoming energy strategy proposal: utility-scale solar

  Focus is the key to success, and the state has an enormous opportunity with utility-scale solar projects.

• Wyoming’s crypto sector’s fate up to federal regulators – China’s Central Bank Says All Cryptocurrency Transactions Are Illegal

  After years of laying groundwork, the future of Wyoming’s cryptocurrency banking industry now lies in the hands of federal regulators, officials with Wyoming U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ office told lawmakers Tuesday.

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

• Pandemic accelerates decline of kids pursuing traditional four-year degrees – Montana State University welcomes largest incoming class in university history

  The changing mindset has led to a rise in Career and Technical Education Centers across the country, which focus on offering kids other options to the four-year path.

• Montana State University welcomes largest incoming class in university history

  Those new students contribute to an overall enrollment of 16,841, the second largest in MSU history and a 4% increase over last fall. MSU’s all-time enrollment record was set in 2018 at 16,902.

Rural Communities

• A Tailored Grant Program Helps Meet Development Needs of Utah Counties

  Utah’s government wants to empower its rural counties to meet their economic needs with a flexible grant program.

Utah Business and Economic Development

• Revitalizing the Main Street, Revitalizing the Community

  A belief in the community-building aspect of a thriving downtown is what motivates mayors and city officials of several Utah towns involved in the Utah Main Street Program, part of a larger, national, initiative.

Washington State Business

• Remote work already changing Seattle permanently, tech worker survey indicates

  The majority of Seattle tech workers don’t expect to ever return to their offices full time and the effects of that transition could alter everything from commercial real estate, to what social issues tech workers spend their time and money on, to downtown’s status as a business district.

Transportation

• Will States and Feds Let Cities Tame Urban Highways? “Let’s Improve Missoula’s Reserve Street”  Join the discussion.

  They remain subject to state or federal engineering standards. And they have been designed, above all, for automotive speed.

• Norway bans gas cars in 2025. But trends point toward 100% EV sales as early as April

  The downward trend in sales for gas cars has been so consistent and steep that the last new gas car sale in Norway could happen just seven months from now, in April 2022.

• Wyoming plan notes Montana rail authority’s push to restore southern passenger route

  Now, with a firm base of support and an infrastructure bill sitting before Congress, the rail authority’s efforts to restore passenger service are moving closer to reality. Those efforts have caught the attention of other authorities – such as the Southern Rail Commission – and other states, including Idaho and Wyoming.

• The Liberation of Paris From Cars Is Working

  Over the past six years, Paris has done more than almost any city in the world to take space back from cars.

Energy and Climate Change

• The late night hosts joined forces to talk climate change. Here are the best moments.

  Eight of America’s late night talk show hosts joined forces this Wednesday, each using their shows’ platforms to address climate change in a special cross-network “Climate Night.” Of course, being late night hosts rather than scientists, politicians, or mining CEOs, their version of addressing the issue primarily consisted of global warming gallows humour.

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