MEDA Membership Update: MEDA added six new members in January, including Mike Coryell, Miles City Economic Development; Nicole Jones, Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative; Vicki Judd, NorthWestern Energy Terry Myhre, Montana Business Assistance Connection; Shannon Hahn
Department of Transportation and Rose Kipp, Eureka Rural Development Partners. MEDA's total membership now stands at 214.
Welcome to our new members. Print the MEDA Membership Directory.
Grant and Funding Opportunities:
The Save Our History Grant Program provides funding to history organizations that partner with schools on a local community preservation project. Since launching the Save Our History Grant Program in 2004, The History Channel has awarded $1,000,000 in grants to organizations and schools large and small, urban, suburban and rural, in the northern, southern, eastern, western and central United States. During the 2008-2009 school year, The History Channel will again award grants of up to $10,000 to historical organizations to fund hands-on, experiential educational projects that teach students about their local history and actively engage them in its preservation. For guidelines and criteria, important dates, and to apply, visit http://www.saveourhistory.com, and click on grants. Applications are due Friday, June 6, 2008.
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) recently announced the availability of $10 million in grants to train workers for careers in energy, construction and the skilled trades. ETA plans to award initiatives that address industry-specific workforce challenges within the context of regional economic development strategies and prepare workers for good jobs with career pathways. Individual awards will range from $500,000 to $1 million. Grant applications are due March 25, 2008. The full grant announcement can be accessed online. (Thanks to Russ Fletcher for passing this along.)
Appropriations Request Form This link will take you to Rep. Rehberg's Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations Request form. This form is an essential step in expediting your request. It enables the D.C. staff to have instant access to your materials in an effort to facilitate Denny’s communications with the Appropriations Committee. It is important that you follow up your submission with a meeting or phone call to one of the D.C. the staff members handling your request (a list of the staff members assigned to handle appropriations request is located on the first page of the weblink). The deadline for submission is February 27, 2008. For those of you who have supplemental or supporting information to submit with your request you can send them to me (Mike) or to the State District office (Billings-Helena-Missoula or Great Falls) closest to you. If you should have questions please feel free to call: Mike Waite, Field Representative, U.S. Congressman Denny Rehberg (MT-AL), 950 North Montana, Helena, MT 59601, Office: 406-443-7878, Cell: 406-799-9237, Fax: 406-443-8890, email: mike.waite@mail.house.gov
Working Groups...Are Working!:
Take advantage of the research these groups are doing - learn from what they are learning as chances are you are dealing with the same issues.
All working groups will have the opportunity to meet during the MEDA Conference on February 26th. Time has been set aside for the groups to meet, reinvigorate, change course and/or form new working groups.
Housing
Jim Davison, Anaconda Local Development Corp., has agreed to be the new Chair for the Housing Working Group.
Energy
Chair August Uhl is rallying this group to build the framework for Montana's Energy Policy. A report will be made to the full Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee in May.
Value Added Ag
Jan Tusick has agreed to serve as the new Chair for this MEDA Working Group.
BEAR Please see the paragraph below.
Opportunities For You: Interested in sharpening your professional skills as an economic and community development practitioner? Looking for new tools to place in your economic development tool box? Check these out.
W2ASACT Spring Workshops If you have not yet attended a W2ASACT workshop (W2ASACT = The Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Action Coordinating Team), you simply must. Brochures and meeting dates are online at http://comdev.mt.gov/CDD_Workshops.asp
Health Care Seminars The Montana Chamber of Commerce is offering a full-day seminar in three Montana cities this month. “Health Insurance Strategies” will cover the past, present, and future of health insurance. Seminars will be held in Billings Monday, February 18, Missoula Wednesday, February 20, and Great Falls Friday, February 22. Seminars will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a reception immediately following. Program presenters will be Jim Edwards, Richard Miltenberger, and Mary Kay Puckett of Mountain West Benefits, an employee benefits consulting firm. Luncheon speaker for all three programs will be Dr. Patrick Barkey of the UM Bureau of Business and Economic Research on health insurance trends. The program qualifies for continuing education credits. Registration and more information will be available at: http://www.montanachamber.com or by calling 1-888-442-MONT (6668).
2008 Housing Conference Save the date - June 11-13, 2008 at the Holiday Inn, Great Falls, MT. Join realtors, builders, developers, managers and agencies to determine Montana's housing future. Exciting details for this event will be forthcoming.
Online Resource Library Helps Entrepreneurs A new online library from Montana State University's Extended University and TechRanch features free video and audio podcasts for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The library, called the Montana Entrepreneurship Online Resource Library, contains online lectures from TechRanch’s Entrepreneurial Knowledge (TREK) Series. Access the library through the TechRanch home page at www.techranch.org or at http://eu.montana.edu/media/entrepreneur
MONTANA 
Report: Learn what is new in your region with the statewide Montana BEAR Program. Please review the progress of the statewide Montana BEAR program by reading the monthly report. The MEDA BEAR Working Group is gearing up for the 2008 BEAR Roundup, on February 7th. Do take a few moments to review the 2007 Annual Report and learn how the BEAR Program is growing across the state.
According to data entered into the ExecutivePulse software, 41 business visits were conducted around the state in January. Yellowstone County conducted 28, Cascade County 1, Ravalli County 4, Park County 6, and Butte/Silver Bow and Lake Counties with one. Kathy Moody, of Big Sky EDA, led the way for the Outreach Specialists with 10 interviews this month. Melissa Kramer and Susan Hanekn were next in line with six each.
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