MATR Newsletter - August 12, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

Big Sky Economic Development

• Big Sky Economic Development Has a New Home!

  Please join us following the Annual Meeting as we celebrate the Grand Opening of Rock31: Business Incubator, Accelerator, and Co-working Space and Big Sky Economic Development on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at 201 North Broadway at 4:00 -6:00 pm.

City of Bozeman Economic Development

• Homelessness task force brings together city, county leaders to discuss solutions for Bozeman homeless

  Grenier says increasing the housing supply with funding from the community impact fund, created in June, and providing space at their new Community Commons campus currently under construction will help ease homelessness.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 8-11-22

  Here is our Top 12 for last week celebrating work and successes to grow and strengthen the Great Falls regional economy -- Montana's Golden Triangle. And, sharing business resources and skill-building opportunities to empower your success.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• 3 warning signs about the economy coming out of America's top companies

  At first look, American companies seem to be doing just fine in the face of high inflation and rising interest rates. But look underneath the surface, and there are potential warning signs about the economy – and it's got the country's top executives feeling a little bit nervous.

• New fire inspection software for the City of Helena

  The new program, which was launched on July 26, will help create more transparency and safer conditions for the City of Helena.

• Montana awarded $41M to improve transportation systems

  The Biden-Harris Administration has awarded Montana $41 million from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program to put toward four projects that modernize and improve transportation systems' safety, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• The FCC shot down SpaceX’s bid for $866 million bid in subsidies to roll out Starlink in rural America

  FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel noted that while Starlink “has real promise,” the satellite internet provider is “still developing technology for consumer broadband.”

Montana Businesses Seeking Investment or For Sale

• Missoula, Montana's Free Cycles raising $18K to buy sound system

  Help Free Cycles buy an amazing sound system!

• Helena Regional Airport searches for new restaurant operator

  Travelers flying in and out of Helena Regional Airport may have noticed changes in recent months with Smokejumper ending their tenure at the airport. Now, the airport is searching for a new long-term operator for its food and beverage locations inside the airport.

Housing

• Iowa City business, 'Alquist 3D' uses 3D printing to build affordable houses

  Alquist 3D, an Iowa City business, builds homes from 3D printers with concrete. The business most recently constructed a home for Habitat for Humanity.

Montana Business

• Do you know how much of your office space is underutilized? These sensors can tell you — or when your grandma takes a fall

  Using video cameras or simple motion-tracking sensors, these technologies can tell when unneeded energy is being used in empty rooms and where companies are wasting leasable square footage on vacant desks.

• Shops Ordered Lots of Bikes in 2020. Peddling Them Is an Uphill Climb.

  ElliptiGo Inc. Chief Executive Bryan Pate didn’t have enough of his outdoor elliptical bikes to sell when demand surged in 2020. Today he has a San Diego warehouse packed with too many bicycles that not enough people want.

Funding and Building your Business

• TED Talk - 7 beliefs that can silence women -- and how to unlearn them

  Being "dismissed" in various inadvertent ways, is so common, most of us don't notice it. The common "manspeaking" by some men to many women is just one form of this. Share it!

• Electric Vehicle Charging Trends Multifamily And Commercial Properties Should Consider

  Depending on your property type and the needs of your residents, tenants and guests, here are a few things to consider.

Regional Economic Development

• Limited co-op associations debut in Spokane

  In 2019, Washington state passed legislation creating Limited Cooperative Associations (LCAs), which are holding companies that offer a new pathway for investment into worker- and community-owned businesses.

21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."

• Montana girls coding team advances at international competition

  It's a very impressive feat, especially since the industry is male-dominated.

• University of Montana Leads $10M Project to Advance Native American STEM Education Across the West

  UM will receive $1.8 million of the total award to build a network for developing and disseminating science, technology, engineering and math educational resources, as well as implementing longitudinal programming, mentorship and teacher preparation in support of AI/AN student success.

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Full Video - City Club Missoula Presents - Montana 1st Congressional District Forum - Lamb, Tranel and Zinke Tell Us What They Believe - Full Video

  A sell out crowd participated with  City Club Missoula on Monday, August 8 for a town hall-style forum featuring Montana’s 1st Congressional District candidates John Lamb, Monica Tranel, & Ryan Zinke. Sally Mauk, formerly of MTPR, will moderate the forum which will feature candidate remarks, Table Talk, and audience questions.

Government News & Events

• City of Missoula proposes ‘unprecedented’ tax increase while state sits on $1B surplus

  Council members also said the state's antiquated tax system no longer works for today's economy, and many cities will likely be in the same situation as they develop their own budgets.

Hellgate Venture Network

• Hellgate Venture Network - August 18, 4.30pm Syann Stevens TAP Missoula

  TAP Missoula strives to decentralize larger social media networks. Our eventual franchise will bring local control and ownership to the communities social media directly impacts.

Careers

• 5 strategies for impressing someone in a job interview

  Recruiters want to know three basic things about you at the interview. Here’s how to make the best of it.

• 10 in-demand soft skills to supercharge your career

  Your résumé and experience may get you through the door, but these soft skills could help you clinch the job.

Energy and Climate Change

• Heat pumps: what they do and why they’re hot now

  The giant climate bill Democrats are working to pass, called the Inflation Reduction Act, for instance, includes up to an $8,000 rebate for income-eligible Americans who install a new heat pump in their home. Anyone who doesn’t qualify for the rebate can still get a tax credit of up to $2,000 for installing a heat pump.

• Butte to host Montana Clean Energy Fair on Saturday - 8/13

  The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the NCAT building and is free and open to the public.