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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Feb 28, 2017 |
"We can't solve problems if we can't agree on the facts." Sen. Angus King
Big Sky Code Academy - Missoula & Helena Part Time Classes Start in 1 Week! http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Montana Department of Commerce
Montana Politics & Legislature
- Montana-Made Commercial Lands 'Outstanding Location' Nomination
"Montana is an outstanding location for filming, so it's always good when industry professionals recognize our state as an ideal backdrop for telling visually-stunning stories," Montana Film Commissioner Allison Whitmer said.
Big Sky Code Academy
- Montana House backs effort to boycott anti-Israel firms
Republican House Speaker Austin Knudsen of Culbertson said he was spurred to sponsor the bill in part because of a spate of controversy over anti-Semitism in Whitefish.
- Montana legislature kills second resolution opposing federal land transfer or sale
The resolution, which states a policy position and is not legally binding, recognizes the value of public lands to Montana's economy, recreation, heritage and quality of life, and opposed efforts to claim, take over or sell off those lands.
- Montana House passes charter school bill
It would allow a school district to request a charter school if 20 percent of voters there petition for one.
- Montana House rejects bill allowing guns in Montana schools
The bill failed on a 44-56 vote, with 15 Republicans joining all 41 House Democrats in voting against House Bill 385, which is now dead for the session.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
- Big Sky Code Academy - Missoula & Helena Part Time Classes Start in 1 Week!
With a great cohort in both cities, we are excited to help working professionals keep their day job while picking up the skills to join Montana's growing high tech scene!
Great Falls Development Authority
- Don't Get Hooked! W-2 Phishing Scams on the Rise During Tax Season
These efforts are reaching epidemic proportions as more and more cybercriminals target medium to smaller sized companies, and previously untapped sectors like school districts, tribal organizations, and nonprofits.
- Hugging Can Create a Hostile Work Environment, Ninth Circuit Rules--Are Your Employees Aware?
"He's just the hugging type"--we have all heard one time or another in the workplace.
Energy and Climate Change
- GFDA Top Ten for 2/26/17
Here's the GFDA Top 10 for this week, celebrating great things happening to move Great Falls Forward.
Come Home Montana
- Boulder, Colorado hopes to reduce emissions with city energy conservation code
Believing that its ambitions and performance too far outpace targets of the International Energy Conservation Code, Boulder is striking out on its own with a new, city-specific energy code it hopes will be stricter on emissions and easier for customers to use.
- How Secure Is Our Smart Grid?
The U.S. Department of Energy released an alarming report in January 2017, saying that the U.S. electric grid is in imminent danger from a cyberattack.
- Missoula ready to write zero by 50 waste reduction plan
Nothing would be burned or buried under the long-term goal. That means cutting back on consumption, reducing what's thrown away and reusing products where possible.
- Energy-saving PG&E customers will pay more, starting this week
Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s electricity rates are about to undergo a fundamental change, and many Bay Area residents may not like the result.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Mike Goguen - Montana's real-life Batman (Video)
He's a "billionaire to the rescue."
Montana Business
- One Montana - Student business exchange looks to bridge urban-rural divide
Funded by the nonprofit One Montana based in Bozeman, the program serves as something of a bridge-builder, encouraging students from different backgrounds to become "teenpreneurs" in service to their communities.
Montana Economic Development
- Blue Marble: Missoula natural chemical manufacturer solicits $1.4M public investment
The company bills itself as the first zero-waste chemical biorefinery in the United States.
- Manufacturing in Montana: Gains in productivity don't match gains in employment
"Employment has been going down in manufacturing since Christ was a kid."
- Workforce shortage: Missoula's Adventure Life travel company offers paid maternity leave to keep workers
General manager Jonathan Brunger and CEO Brian Morgan have realized that because their company of 25 employees is 80 percent female - including many mothers and expecting moms - a robust maternity leave policy could help everyone.
- Herberger's starts a new initiative called "Close to Home" in which select stores would begin offering items made by local vendors.
"It helps us achieve our mission of being the best hometown department store," said Hojnacki, adding that the initiative "reflects our commitment to supporting local communities."
- Ironwood Manufacturing: Missoula company builds furniture for places all over the US
Ironwood is an example of how important manufacturing is to the Missoula economy, and how sometimes it often is overlooked because the company ships its products out-of-state rather than having a retail store for local customers.
- Save the Date, Montana SBA to Host Annual Awards Luncheon April 25, Fairmont Hot Springs
Look for information about the training event preceding the luncheon, open to all small business owners.
- Missoula Builder Steve Loken Re-envisions the home of the future
One of his long-term visions has been to integrate shelter with transportation, food production, and community revitalization.
MSU Leadership Institute & UM Global Leadership Initiative
- Business Retention and Expansion - Survey will provide insight to Missoula's business needs
The Missoula Economic Partnership is embarking on a renewed Business Retention and Expansion, or BRE, campaign to better understand - and answer - the needs of local businesses.
Careers
- Mountaineer Legends Conrad Anker And Jimmy Chin Speak March 27 At MSU
All proceeds from tickets sale will benefit the Khumbu Climbing Center, a center that trains Sherpas in Nepal.
Government
- Are you emotionally intelligent? It's a big plus
If you can focus on those types of co-workers, your days at the office will go more smoothly.
Idaho Business
- One for the history books: Missoula will buy its water system
Throughout the recent effort, and decades of unsuccessful attempts by previous mayors and councils, the goal has been to place Missoula's drinking water system into public ownership.
Incubators and R&D
- Bill would offer incentives to Idaho's data centers
Idaho would join 20 other states currently offering sales tax incentives to data centers under newly introduced legislation.
Utah Business
- 406 Labs - Mini-Silicon: The success of Bozeman's business accelerator
The night was a celebration for several reasons. Not only was it the first group of startups to successfully emerge from 406 Labs, it also represented a win for the accelerator -- one of the first of its kind in the state.
- Faux fasting diet regenerates pancreas to reverse diabetes
Providing an indication that similar results could be expected in humans, the team, led by Valter Longo, the director of the Longevity Institute at USC's Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, found that fasting also increased the expression of Ngn3 and sped up insulin production in pancreatic cell cultures from human donors with type 1 diabetes.
Wyoming Business
- Facing 'ultimatum' in Outdoor Retailer call, Governor Herbert said Utah and trade show must 'part ways'
"History shows that if these lands aren't protected, they're generally sold to the highest bidder."
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- 'Uber bill' passes Senate, ridesharing services could soon be legal in Wyoming
Ridesharing services could start doing business in Wyoming as soon as early March
- Electronics recycling will return to Casper council after mayor changes her mind
Following a public outcry over the plan to begin dumping electronics waste containing toxic materials in the city landfill, council narrowly decided not to formally reconsider the issue.
Education
- What happened when one school banned homework -- and asked kids to read and play instead
What's the result six months into the experiment?
Montana Education Excellence
- Want Your Kid to Be a Billionaire Entrepreneur? These Schools Want to Make It Happen
There were 17 affiliated Children's Business Fairs in the U.S. in 2016. Sandefer expects there to be 50 this year.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- University of Montana meetings, higher education public access, under scrutiny
"I think the failures in the university system to provide openness and public participation are one of the most serious failures of government in the history of the state." Ross Best
- Exploration Works hosts S.T.E.M. event for Helena's young women
The goal is to spark interested in young girls grades 5th-8th grade. Carroll College classrooms were packed Saturday morning with interactive science and math classes.
Community
- Thousands of students explore modern manufacturing, tech at Flathead expo
Manufacturing is not Laverne and Shirley anymore-it's a dynamic and cutting edge industry tied closely to tech.
Funding and Building your Business
- A New Way of Living Comes to Missoula, Montana
"This is a new lifestyle for Missoula that people haven't experienced but that people are looking for. I hear that a lot," Leslie said. "It's getting back to having neighbors, and it's growing into a wonderful community."
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- 3 New Innovations from the Mind of Elon Musk
Whether it's showing the world what artificial intelligence can do or demonstrating a moral code when it comes to his own tech, this man knows how to make an impact.
- Sales is everyone's business
From the factory floor to the reception desk to the boardroom, figuring out what the customer wants and finding a way to deliver it must be at the forefront of every job. Whether you are selling a product, services or a corporate image, you are in sales.
- How Google Innovates
Some of Google's most popular products, such as Gmail, Google and AdSense, originated as 20% time projects.
- Reddit is Being Manipulated By Big Financial Services Companies
Reddit is being regularly manipulated by large financial services companies with fake accounts and fake upvotes via seemingly ordinary internet marketing agencies.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Sorry, Y’All—Humanity’s Nearing an Upgrade to Irrelevance - "Homo Deus," by Yual Noah Harari
He maps the future and asks fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? How will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers?
Transportation
- How Silicon Valley Is Trying to Hack Its Way Into a Longer Life
The most far-out strategies to cheat death are being tested in America's playground for the young, deep-pocketed and brilliant: Silicon Valley.
- Huge semis rolling down the highway may soon have no one at the wheel
Just how hot is the self-driving vehicle space?
- GM self-driving bills could be self-interested
The bills set a blueprint for the introduction of fully self-driving cars that are part of on-demand, ride-sharing fleets, but they must be owned by an automaker.
- Wireless Electric Cars Are About to Hit the Road
Imagine charging your electric car as easily as you charge your electric toothbrush. Or, your car charging itself as it drives down the road.
- GM, Lyft to road test thousands of self-driving Bolt EVs next year
The combination of autonomous driving and ride sharing is also viewed as financially lucrative, because removing human drivers from the equation potentially reduces the cost of operating such a service.
- MSU research on transportation preferences by rural millennials featured by WIRED
"I think there may be more interest in other transportation modes in rural areas than was previously thought," Villwock-Witte said. "It may be a good time to take a closer look at opportunities that give people more choices in how they get from place to place."
- Glacier Park International Airport announces United Airlines' plans to expand 2017 summer services
Glacier Park International Airport announced today that United Airlines is increasing service this summer for three major markets: San Francisco, Chicago, and Denver.
- Glacier Park International Airport announces United Airlines
Such strong demand from the tourism industry did not go unnoticed. United Airlines has had its eye on the Flathead Valley for quite some time, Ratkowski says.
- Driverless Vehicles Will Replace Rail System, Says Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida
The Ultimate Urban Circulator would deploy autonomous vehicles onto the current Skyway route and expand into other neighborhoods and developments.
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