MEMBER NEWS
- NEW! Cleerline Technologies Group; 8404 Elway Dr. Ste 2B, Missoula, MT 59808; 406-541-9833
- NEW! Kyong LLC; PO Box 17438, Missoula, MT 59808; 406-327-0434
- Boeing finalized an order from Indonesian carrier Lion Air for 230 planes worth a combined $22.4 billion.
- Great Falls Development Authority has been accredited by the International Economic Development Council, becoming the first economic development group in Montana or the Rocky Mountain West to earn the honor and one of only 30 organizations of some 10,000 in North America to be accredited.
- Montana Manufacturing Extension Center has relased their latest "Forward Focus". You can sign up at: http://members.questline.com/Default.aspx?accountID=4540
NEW HR BENEFIT AVAILABLE!
The Montana Chamber is excited to offer a new member benefit. Members will now have free or discounted subscriptions to a pair of new HR resources for Montana employers. We are doing this through Personnel Plus! a long-time Montana Chamber member and recognized HR provider.
The two new resources are:
HRe-Digest
Members of the Montana Chamber can receive a free weekly update on issues that impact the hiring, supervision and termination of employees in the state of Montana. It also includes one free hour of HR consulting and discounted staffing services.
HRe-Source
Additionally, Montana Chamber members qualify for a discount subscription to the online HRe-Source. The HRe-Source provides Montana specific answers to your HR questions. For more information (and the fine print!), go to: http://Chamber.Personnel-Plus.com/
ISRAEL WEBINAR FEB. 23
Interested in going on our tour to Israel in December? Find out more during the Montana Chamber's webinar, "Montana Goes To Israel" this Thursday, Feb. 23 over the Noon hour. To register for this free webinar, go to:
GOV'T CONTRACTING
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Montana will hold a "Government Contracting Training and Meet & Greet" in three Montana towns over the next couple of months. Participants will learn about:
- Getting registered for contracting opportunities
- Free business and contracting counseling services
- How agencies conduct their contracting business
- Generating additional revenue, profits and job opportunities
- How to get the inside track
- Specialty contracting programs
Meetings will be held:
- Feb. 29 - Missoula
- Mar. 20 - Helena
- Apr. 05 - Billings
Go to:
http://events.sba.gov/eventmanagement/eventlisting.aspx?state=MT&utm_source=e-update+2012-02Feb-20&utm_campaign=e-update+Feb.+20&utm_medium=email for details and registration.
CHALLENGE BEGINS!
The Montana High School Business Challenge (HSBC) began the spring 2012 competition this week, with 43 high schools participating. We welcome Turner High School as a new school and Brittany Bealer as a new instructor in Hinsdale High School. Since the inception of HSBC in the year 2000, more than 105 Montana schools have competed.
In the near future, you will receive a mailing from us for sponsorship. We hope you will continue to support HSBC, so we can continue to offer this exceptional business education program to Montana students. For more information about HSBC, go to:
SAFETY ON TAP
SAFETYFESTMT COMING
Registration closes Monday, February 20 for SafetyFestMT: Billings Spring 2012. Register for free high-quality safety training Feb. 27-Mar. 2. Join the Montana Chamber's association work comp insurance and safety program, "Montana Safety Choices," as we work to make Montana a safer place! For more info, go to:
SAFETY CHOICES WEBINARS
Montana Safety Choices customers have access to free, one-hour online seminars over the Noon hour. To register, e-mail
- Controlling Distracted Driving (Feb. 28) Learn about four types of in-vehicle distractions and how to control them to reduce your company's risk of motor vehicle crashes.
- Repetitive Motion Task Analysis: Choosing the Right Tool (Mar. 1) Are you using task analysis tools to quantify the risk of repetitive motion injuries in your risk reduction strategy?
CERTIFIED TRAINING
The Certified Occupational Safety Specialist® (COSS) program is coming to Missoula! Montana Chamber members get the member discount of $200. The program consists of 40 hours of hands on, face-to-face learning, which is delivered by an Authorized OSHA Outreach Trainer. Upon successfully completing the program, you will obtain your national Certified Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS) designation, your OSHA 10-hour card of completion in Construction, and your OSHA 10-hour card of completion in General Industry. Visit the COSS website:
http://www.coss.net/Missoula.aspx for FAQs, testimonials and a list of clients that have taken COSS. If you would like more information on the COSS program, call 877-610-2677 or email
ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES
Energy Management Conference
NorthWestern Energy, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the NEEA's BetterBricks are hosting the third annual Montana Energy Management Conference March 27-29, in Helena. Montana businesses will learn about strategies and facility improvements ranging from energy lighting design and installation to energy commissioning and historical retrofitting. For more on the conference, and to register, visit:
Montana Energy Conference Growing
More speakers (including one from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) have been announced for the Montana Energy 2012 conference April 3 and 4 in Billings. Panels and breakout sessions allow industry groups to dig deeper into specific concerns throughout the two-day event. Join the Montana Chamber and others for this exciting event. For more information on the conference and trade show, visit:
Impacts of Energy Development
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), in conjunction with county and city officials, will be holding a public meeting on Thursday March 1, 2012 to discuss the impacts of energy development. The meeting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Stage Stop Inn in Choteau.
INTERIM ACTIVITY AGAIN
This week, the Law and Justice Committee will meet in Helena on Thursday and Friday, February 23 and 24. To view the committee's agenda, click here:
Last Thursday, the Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee heard from a variety of speakers on the issue of centrally-assessed taxation. The number of companies having to go to litigation to resolve tax issues with the Department of Revenue is on the rise, and many centrally-assessed companies are crying foul. The Department of Revenue's methodologies and practices far differ from that of other states, and their calculations are often unpredictable, inconsistent, and patently unfair. Jon Bennion, Government Relations Director, spoke generally about the issue at the committee saying that although the DOR's practices many results in short-term revenue gains for the state, they will have a long-lasting, negative impact on the state's business image.
CANDIDATE FILINGS MIDWAY
Last week was the half-way mark for candidates filing for office. Candidates have until March 12 to file with the Secretary of State. Looking over the candidate filings, every seat has at least one candidate while some have several. There are still plenty of openings around the state for legislative and local offices. If you are considering a run for office and would like more information on how to file, what it's like to run a campaign, and what it's like to serve, please contact Jon Bennion, Government Relations Director, at Jon@MontanaChamber.com. To view who has filed for office, click here:
NEW FMLA GUIDELINES
The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has published proposed new FMLA regulations. The proposed rules would revise certain regulations of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA or the Act) to implement amendments to the military leave provisions of the FMLA made by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The prosed rules can be viewed at: http://webapps.dol.gov/FederalRegister/HtmlDisplay.aspx?DocId=25830&AgencyId=14&DocumentType=1
TAX/UI EXTENSION
