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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Jun 4, 2010 |
Everlog™ Systems
Idaho National Laboratory
- EverLog™ Systems Newsletter June 2010 - Building Season 2010
As we continue to expand we are very thankful for the comments and testimonials we receive on our EverLog™ products. Here are a few examples ...
"Montana's Race To The Top - The State with the Best Education Wins!"
- Idaho National Laboratory nominates energy, medicine, optics technologies for R&D 100 Awards
Biodiesel production from wastes, medical imaging from better radioisotope production, and significantly improved gun sight optics highlight Idaho National Laboratory technologies nominated for the "top-of-the-world competition" in 2010.
The Best Place Project - Missoula, Montana's Five-Year Economic Development Strategy
- Thirty-Five States, D.C. Vie for "Race To The Top" Education Funding
Race to the Top aims to spur innovation by rewarding states that promote charter schools, tie teacher pay to student achievement and intervene in low-performing schools.
- Gov. Schweitzer, Supt. Juneau Submit Montana’s Race to the Top Application
"This proposal emphasizes what is needed in a 21st century workforce," said Governor Schweitzer. "We have proposed historic investments in math and science education to position Montana for the jobs of tomorrow. We affirm our commitment to distance learning and dual enrollment to make sure all Montanans, no matter where they choose to live or how old they are, have access to college and workforce training."
City Club Missoula
- Hellgate Venture Network "Making Missoula The Best Place For Entrepreneurs", 6/24, Missoula, Montana
At our next meeting on June 24 we will discuss the Mayor’s “Best Place Project” and specifically what can Missoula do to make this an attractive and easy place for entrepreneurs to do business.
Come Home Idaho
- City Club Missoula Presents: Americorps VISTA's In Missoula, 6/14, Missoula
Local VISTA members will briefly present the projects they have been working on and will describe the challenges and successes they’ve encountered along the way.
Come Home Montana
- Idaho has a big labor pool, but a small talent pool
Idaho is importing high-tech workers - too slowly - despite record unemployment.
Come Home Utah
- Bitterroot Scottish Irish Festival, Ce'ad Mile Fa'ilte, 8/27-29, Hamilton, Montana
Hamilton and Stevensville were named for Scottish people, Campbell says, and Darby is Irish. Every street in Missoula that starts with a "Mc," he goes on, is named after someone Scottish or Irish. "You can't escape it in this valley," he says. "Why not have a festival that celebrates it?"
Come Home Washington
- 36 Hours in Salt Lake City
THERE’S a new party in Salt Lake City. Utah liquor laws were normalized last year for the first time since 1935, allowing patrons simply to walk into a bar and order a drink, as if they were in any other city.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- McKinstry to expand in Spokane - Firm that designs, builds and manages facilities expects to add more than 100 jobs locally
Seattle company McKinstry has said it will expand in Spokane and expects to add more than 100 jobs while increasing its focus on green building projects for customers in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
Leadership Montana
- Entrepreneur or Unemployed?
Booted off company payrolls, millions of Americans had no choice but to try selling themselves. Another term for “entrepreneur” is “self-employed.”
Montana Business
- Grant Funds Available For Montana Youth-Led Service-Learning Projects
"Hopa Mountain's commitment to engaging youth in service- learning and building community leaders is good for our youth and good for Montana," said Jan Lombardi, Director of the Governor's Office for Community Service.
Montana Economic Development
- Montana Chamber Safety Choices Announces Worker Compensation Rate Reductions
“This is good news for Montana,” noted Webb Brown, President/CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce. “With Montana’s work comp premium costs second-highest in the nation, we are getting squeezed out competitively. This reduction will definitely help.”
- Western Montana InBusiness - June 2010 - Marketing Landscape - Designer Creates Eye-Catching Spaces So Company's Philosophy Stands Out
“Aesthetics matter.”
- Selling Missoula - Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Barb Neilan talks the business of tourism
If tourism is important to Missoula, if it is in fact the No. 1 industry in this town, what numbers or statistics tell us that story?
Regional Economic Development
- Montana Association of Community Development Extension Professionals: June 2010 E-Newsletter
We're excited about the 2010 Rural Community Conference to take place Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at MSU Bozeman. Information is below on our call for presenters. Please Save the Date!
- Council selects Montana Growth Through Agriculture projects - Next Application Deadline is July 31, 2010
The goal of GTA is to provide financial assistance to develop new products or innovative ideas that enhance our state's agricultural industry.
- Tester’s Export Seminar offers tools to Montana businesses for new jobs, new markets
“Opportunity is what this day is all about,” Tester told participants. “Opportunities to create more jobs—and boost Montana’s economy—by doing more business overseas.”
Business Plan Forums
- Higher education is an economic development engine
Eighty-five percent of today's jobs are classified as skilled, and 60 percent of future jobs will require training that only 20 percent of today's workers possess. That's where higher education comes in, as higher levels of education almost always translate into higher-wage occupations.
- Officials: Businesses not sold on Nevada - losing companies to "giveaway" states
Nevada has been losing companies to "giveaway" states that offer free land, buildings and other incentives if owners will move their businesses there.
- Deadline is less than a month away for Zion Bank’s grants for women
Over five years, Zions Bank has awarded more than $112,000 aimed at helping women achieve financial independence. Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/06/03/1216089/deadline-is-less-than-a-month.html#ixzz0ptuPZIZH
Careers
- Top twelve finalist to compete at Governor's State-Wide Entrepreneurs Conference
The contest began in late January with 285 entries from about 100 communities. It is a six-month process that includes mentoring and comments from judges on selected plans. It also leads to valuable public and media exposure. In the past, finalists have raised a reported $15 million in private equity, such as angel and venture capital.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- 25 Best Cities for College Grads
Congratulations, Class of 2010—and welcome to one of the worst job markets of all time.
Funding and Building your Business
- InvestMaryland Initiative To Revitalize Early Stage Venture Capital
“Today we’re announcing an administrative and legislative initiative we call InvestMaryland, aimed at creating a public-private partnership to fuel venture capital investment in our Innovation Economy, such as Maryland bioscience companies,” said Governor O’Malley. “We believe this initiative can spur the creation of thousands of jobs and secure $100 million in venture capital to unlock hundreds of millions and perhaps billions in economic activity.”
- Governor pitches tax credit to spur investments in technology, bioscience
Essentially, the state would target the insurance premium tax for the investment program. Johansson said insurance companies would pay their tax liability for future years up front and receive a credit in later years. The tax credit would not have an impact on the state's budget until 2015.
Montana Education Excellence
- Seeking Venture Capital For a Growing Start-Up
The process of selecting, pitching and ultimately negotiating with a VC can be intimidating, especially to those not accustomed to the world of high finance.
- 5 Business Fundamentals I Learned the Hard Way
Most business owners want to treat employees like friends. We hire people we think we like, we work with them, we share values, so it’s only natural. But I’ve found, I’m afraid, that it doesn’t work.
- Nine common pitfalls fledgling entrepreneurs make when trying to start a new company.
“Just because you have a cool technology, that doesn’t mean you can make a product out of it, or that somebody will pay for it.”
- Why You Should Write Job Postings that Don't Suck...
Rewrite your job descriptions to remove all the buzzword crap and try to put a little flair to them, and you'll feel the negative nellies in the background.
- "Finally Funded" - Lessons Learned from FluidInfo Founder Terry Jones' s 13 Year Effort To Raise Funding
Learning to expect and embrace rejection
- Twitter Is Killing the Blogosphere, and More Insights from Internet Marketing Whiz Neil Patel
“There’s only one thing I’m good at,” he says, “and that is getting traffic from Yahoo and Google.”
- GM starts its own venture capital firm
General Motors has set up its own venture capital company with $100 million to invest in companies developing new auto-related technology.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Four Montana Colleges to launch wind energy technician programs
The Montana Board of Regents approved the program for MSU-Great Falls, MSU-Northern in Havre, MSU-Billings, and Montana Tech College of Technology in Butte.
Regional Business
- Montana State University receives $354,000 to help train weatherization workers across U.S.
The expansion specifically comes in the form of a high-quality television show available over the Internet.
University Business Plan Competitions
- Patent Backlog Stifling Job Creation
"Hundreds of thousands of groundbreaking innovations that are sitting on the shelf literally waiting to be examined - jobs not being created, lifesaving drugs not going to the marketplace, companies not being funded, businesses not being formed - there's really not any good news in any of this."
University TechTransfer
- YongoPal, UW Business Plan Winner, Looks to Cash In on Video Language Lessons—and Some Lessons of Its Own
This year’s group of semi-finalist companies was particularly diverse, representing the fields of consumer Internet, materials, energy, mobile payments, imaging, medical devices, and health diagnostics.
Developing an Angel Network in Montana
- Technology-Transfer Groups Form International Body to Set Standards
Backers of the new organization, the Alliance for Technology Transfer Professionals, said it is designed "to help further professionalize and promote technology and knowledge transfer" on a global basis.
Idaho Business
- Angel Investing 101
... There has to be a grownup involved – for all the energy, drive, brains and talent in most startups, there’s often a dearth of wisdom.
- How to be an Angel Investor...and make money
Angels should invest in: * People you know and trust -Get to know the founders well before marrying (investing in) them
- After More Than 75 Angel Investments, Here's What I've Learned
So – here’s the advice:
Oregon Economic Development
- State launches film training program
The film agency is using money that has already been budgeted to start the grant program, which will be open to both individuals and nonprofits with a film industry focus.
- Sunergy World to Build Idaho’s First Large-Scale Solar Generation Facility
“As a business Sunergy is focused on keeping energy prices low by helping clients create renewable clean energy that takes the pressure off existing power supplies and distribution systems,” said Sunergy President Mark van Gulik.
- Governor Otter hopes for $5 billion in total Idaho exports this year
The governor leaves for an 11-day trade mission to China June 4 with representatives from 18 businesses and industry groups in an effort to drum up sales from Idaho.
Utah Business
- Portland picks team to oversee $500,000 for the city's startups - Mayor Adams pitches the potential of Portland software
Last year Portland identified software as one of four clusters key to the city's future economic growth. Mayor Sam Adams announced in February that the city would put up $500,000 to help launch new startups through small investments.
Washington State Business
- Adapting to thrive: Entrepreneurial spirit honored at awards ceremony
"These companies that are thriving today are those that have proven they are able to adapt and lead change."
Education
- Washington State University Professor’s Company Named Manufacturer of the Year - Digilent Inc.
“Manufacturing in this state is not only alive and kicking even in the midst of a brutal economic recession, it’s also a thriving generator of innovative ideas, companies, products, technologies and people.’’
Ignite Missoula
- Drop-outs: Lurching from Problem to Policy
Educating kids to their potential is the right thing to do.
- Governors' Group Seeks National Education Standards - The Common Core State Standards
The Common Core State Standards detail the math and language-arts knowledge children should master to prepare them for college and the work force.
- How a Startup Wants to Change Higher Education — What You Need to Kno!
What would it be like if students could carry essentially their entire backpack in a single device, on which they could access textbooks, surf the web, scribble notes and even take exams.
- Innovation in Higher Education: It’s Not the Technology
The myth that the technology does something itself to bring about significant human change in teaching/learning/assessment practices has been “busted.”
Community
- How To Give a 'TED-Worthy' Presentation
The annual TED conference offers brilliant examples of successful business presentations, and pointers gleaned from the TED talks can help business leaders improve their own presentations.
Energy and Climate Change
- Can We Talk? Strategies For Courageous Conversation, 6/25, Missoula, Montana
Want to learn an approach that enables you to listen more, judge less and be open to possibilities?
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Mining the Air for Carbon Dioxide
"Not to sound like a jerk," I say to the guys, "but why hasn't anyone else done this before?"
Government Technology
- Gee-whiz factor high at augmented reality conference
"The potential for augmented reality in education and medicine and industry is just overwhelming."
- City leads Second Life in virtual world Software allows folks to walk through proposed projects
The aim is to "create a different platform or approach for engagement and collaboration" that will also encourage tourism and economic development.
- California's Revamped Web Portal More Intuitive, Attractive and Searchable
"Governments in general aren't being compared to each other, but compared to the way the private sector uses websites," California CIO Teri Takai said. "More and more, we're being judged by a broader audience ... as far as how our website looks."
- Michigan's Award-Winning Approach to Securing the State's Wireless Network
The Web has become an everyday utility to so many Americans that government IT leaders may feel pressure to grow their network to accommodate employees who are accustomed to connecting securely to the Internet even if they're remote.
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