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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Apr 14, 2006 |
This [preparing my tax return] is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher. -- Albert Einstein
Warmest Congratulations to Andrew Field, founder and president of PrintingForLess.com of Livingston, Montana - First runner-up 2006 National Small Business Person of the Year http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html ----- If you're in Spokane, WA - Here's an invitation to meet with Gov. Brian Schweitzer on 4/21 - http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Come Home Montana
Montana Ambassadors
- "Come Home Montana" matches employers with expatriates
"It's a nonprofit," she said, with a goal "to bring people back."
- Featured "Come Home Montana" Community~MALTA
Visit Malta and the surrounding areas, where people are friendly, the surroundings are uncrowded, and the access to outdoor recreation is phenomenal.
- Montana-Jobs.net Featured Career ~ Chemical Engineer
Peaks & Prairies, LLC is a leading edge developer and manufacturer of biobased oils & lubricants, helping lead our country from dependence of foreign oil. Our research partners include USDA, DOE and Montana State University.
- Montana-Jobs.net Featured Talent ~ Desired Field: Vice President, Marketing
The Carnegie Group and Intelligent Technology Group, Pittsburgh, six years, senior vice president of marketing.
Montana Education Excellence
- Spokane Invitation From Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, 4/21, Spokane, WA
I would like to personally invite you to join me at a small cocktail reception on April 21st at the Spokane Athletic Club. This informal event will let me share with you an update on the economy of Montana and my thoughts on expanding the Montana Ambassadors organization.
Montana Meth Project
- University of Montana student, Hank Green, launches "EcoGeek", a site devoted to "exploring the symbiosis between nature and technology."
Hank wasn't even in the journalism school - he was pursuing a degree in Environmental Studies - but he was very tech-savvy, and very serious about his idea.
- Montana Tech environmental design team nabs first places in national competition
At the WERC consortium, judges handed out three first-place trophies to Tech engineering, chemistry, occupational safety and communication majors.
Education
- Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Joins Montana Meth Project Advisory Council
"Meth use is one of the biggest risks facing our kids today," McCulloch said. "The Montana Meth Project is making a tremendous impact in raising awareness and empowering kids to make informed decisions about Meth. It is a remarkable program and I am honored to be a part of the campaign."
Montana Business
- Dual Enrollment Has Little Effect on Postsecondary Matriculation in Kentucky, Study Finds
Increasingly states are making it easier for high school students to participate in college courses while still attending high school.
Montana Economic Development
- Packin' in the business, "Boulder Creek Packs"
Starting out, more than 20 years ago, Hendrickson said most of her advertising came from word of mouth. She'd make packs for local firefighters, and they'd spread the word while fighting fires.
- Online Business Entity Searches at www.mt.gov Deliver Value to Montana Businesses and the Secretary of State
The Business Entity Search service allows anyone to search for information on companies registered to do business in Montana, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
- Malta, Montana company, Peaks and Prairies Inc., gets $250,000 grant to test vegetable-based Eco-Oil
Peaks and Prairies makes bar-and-chain oil for chainsaws and other niche products. Eco-Oil has broader market appeal, Kavanagh said.
- Livingston business leaders asking residents to buy mercantile shares
Livingston business leaders visited the Powell Mercantile, which has been open for three years and is looking at a third expansion, said Sharon Earhart, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce there. "It's definitely become an anchor business on Main Street," Earhart said. "When that store opened, it caused other stores to open."
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Training - even in fourth grade - can pay off - April 2006 Edition of "Western Montana InBusiness"
InBusiness reporter Tyler Christensen begins this month's report with an overview of Montana's - and, in fact, the nation's - anticipated shortage of trained workers.
- Residents Say Good Jobs and State’s Natural Beauty Can Go Hand in Hand As They Urge Montana’s Leaders to Work Aggressively to Attract More Businesses
PPL Montana’s quality-of-life survey shows that 57 percent of residents believe the state should be more aggressive in attracting business, and can do so without sacrificing Montana’s natural beauty.
- Drain vs. Gain — More educated people move into Montana than leave
Swanson worries that as Montana ages and retires - the state is projected to be among the nation's oldest in a short 20 years - the economy will "hit a labor shortage." "We're not rewarding credentials," he said, "so credentials will move somewhere else."
- Montana Gov. Schweitzer mum on more funding for tourism. Fort Benton named tourism community of year
The governor didn't indicate whether he would try to increase those promotional dollars, as some in the tourism industry have advocated.
- Proposed wind park will be a win-wind situation for Glacier and Toole Counties.
“We plan to develop more wind farms in the area, Alexander told the county commissioners in their meeting last month. Great Plains has sighted land for two more wind farms to be located within the boundaries of Glacier and/or Toole counties, added Alexander.
- MATR is building a database of local tech talent. First group- freelance web designers. This is your chance to be included.
If you are in Western MT and have tech qualificiations, please send your skill set descriptions and contact info and I'll add you to the list.
- Andrew Field, founder and president of PrintingForLess.com of Livingston, Montana is First runner-up 2006 National Small Business Person of the Year
Andrew Field, the first runner-up, is what one might call a "serial entrepreneur," having launched three successful businesses since 1976. His current venture, PrintingForLess.com, started in 1999 with 6 employees and $600,000 annual sales when a customer at his conventional print shop asked him to print a brochure that had been created on a computer. Today, that company has grown to 125 employees, posting more than $20 million in sales, and is working on the construction of a 46,500 sq. foot, state-of-the-art facility set for completion in May 2006. PrintingForLess.com has been named to Inc. Magazine's 500 fastest growing companies in the United States for a third year in a row, and is a leader in the field of Internet- based color printing.
- John Kramer to leave Great Falls Development Authority for Iowa
Pay and benefits offered by the Iowa group played a large role in decision to leave the GFDA, Kramer said. Along with financial issues, Kramer said he has grown weary of what he thinks is a lack of state support for local economic development efforts and an overall lack of funding for such efforts.
Funding and Building your Business
- Wisconsin Angel group helps young firms take wing $50 million invested in 2005, report says
Angel investments - made by wealthy individuals in very early-stage companies or even just ideas - have grown dramatically. Such investments are critical in an environment where venture capitalists are more reluctant to invest in very young companies and will often avoid situations where investments of anything less than $2 million are required. They are also considered an indicator of future economic potential.
- $200 Million Hawaii State fund would invest in local tech companies
Without such a program, state and technology industry officials worry that local companies will be forced to move to the Mainland to find investors.
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- Name Your Business in 3 Easy Steps. First impressions are everything, so here's how to choose a name your customers will bond with.
So how can you come up with a compelling, legally accessible, URL-available name? I recommend this three-step process.
- Seven talent management practices that matter
How can you create an enriching workplace?
- The Art of Customer Service, Part II
6. Make customers feel important.
- The Next Round
What you won’t find much advice about is how to raise the second, third, or fourth rounds. Why?
- Startup Valuation Voodoo
How do VCs decide which companies are interesting--and at what price?
- VCs, CEOs Divided on Boards. Survey shows divisions between CEOs and VCs on business strategies and board seats.
The survey found CEOs and VCs split on what drives conflicts in venture-backed organizations. Venture capitalists cited personality conflicts, exit strategies, and management changes as the top three issues. CEOs said valuation, burn rates, and exit strategies were the most common causes for conflict.
- Intellections Newsletter
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Artists should consider copyright registration
Yes, artists are business people and creative ones at that! In fact, I think you paint a good picture of success because you have learned one of the most important lessons of good business management. And that is to ask questions before making significant changes to how and where you conduct business. Well done.
Regional Economic Development
- Free Lots On The Prairie - Not Far From Forsaken. North Dakota offers free land to settlers.
The mission: to entice young people from other parts of the country to pick up and move to northwest North Dakota, settle down, start families and fill those empty schools again.
Utah Economic Development
- Download a tour, then tour downtown. Let the podcast be your guide.
So instead, many Gen-Xers, interested in history but used to the History Channel, are plugging into podcast audio tours - entire self-guided tours that can be put on an iPod.
- Seattle VC funds busy fueling up. Dan Rosen leaves Frazier
In addition to Madrona, a handful of other VCs in Seattle have either recently completed a fund or are working to attract money for a new one, signaling that early-stage companies in the Northwest may have more options in raising capital locally in the next couple of years.
Government Technology
- Salt Lake City's New Environmentally Sensitive Megasuburb
Kennecott Utah Copper Corp., a multinational mining company, plans a new megasuburb twice the size of San Francisco, for a half-million residents.
Idaho Business
- Governors mobilize fusion centers for better security
Fusion centers are places where personnel and IT networks from state, local and federal agencies are combined into a single facility to develop joint intelligence.
- Portland Mayor Begins a Blog. Is your elected official blogging? Here's a list
The new features allow the Mayor to communicate his thoughts directly to the community on the news of the day and events happening around the City, and for the community to contact him.
Washington State Business
- Coeur d'Alene upbeat about 26 new professional/technical training programs at North Idaho College
Burke said professional/technical programs are the top priority for NIC, which leads the state in the rate of growth of those programs in spite of receiving no state funding.
Business Plan Forums
- Corus Pharma raises $25 million. Seattle biotech gets funds from Gilead Sciences
As a result of the announcement, Gilead has become the second-largest shareholder in Corus Pharma. Milligan said the company will make a decision whether to purchase the remainder of the company after it analyzes the results from two Phase 3 clinical studies.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Georgia Entrepreneur Contest to Kick-Start a New Technology Company
"One of the unique features of the program is that the 16 April contestants will have the opportunity to have an experienced technology entrepreneur as a mentor to help refine their plans prior to final submission," said Elliott. "We have some of the most outstanding technology executives in the state working on this program."
Careers
- Miles City man, Currie Corbin provides L. Frank Baum exhibit for Gonzaga
Currie Corbin, who grew up in Miles City, has spent more than a decade collecting items related to Baum, whose Oz books were the Harry Potter equivalent of their time. The items went on display Monday at the Foley Center.
- Glacier Performing arts center in Kalispell, MT nets $4 million pledge
Jean Hagan, president of the performing arts center board, described the anonymous benefactor as “a longtime seasonal resident who’s had a summer place on the west lakeshore for more than 50 years, and whose family has a strong commitment to this area.”
- Yellowstone given $15M for visitor center
In all, some 400 people, corporations and foundations pitched in over the course of five years to raise money to build a new visitor center at Old Faithful.
Non-Profit News
- Hey future graduates: Money Magazine presents "The Best 50 Jobs in America"
A list of positions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects will grow at an above-average rate over 10 years and that require at least a bachelor's degree.
Connectivity & Communications
- Social Enterprise Alliance
SEA offers many services and products for fee, but they also produce a free biweekly bulletin that is always filled with great ideas and success stories from successful ventures.
Space and Zero Gravity Research
- Portland (un)plugs in to free, universal Wi-Fi. Internet access - The city picks a small California firm to build a network that would be mostly completed in 2007
Portland aspires to be one of the first big cities in the United States to make free Wi-Fi universal, betting on a technology that has yet to prove itself on such a massive scale. But Portland won't pay any of the construction cost itself, and it hopes citywide wireless access could reduce some city costs while making it a more appealing place to live and work.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- INSA Fights PR Battle
The INSA’s role in the project seems small, especially when compared to the investigation surrounding the Missoula non-profit’s ties to the University of Montana, and more than 3 million in NASA grants that the organization has not sufficiently accounted for.
- Trials to send e-mail using brain waves to begin; could help those disabled by ALS, cerebral palsy or high-level spinal-cord injuries
Brain-wave typing could become reality in just a few years.
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