The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana has announced the dates for its mid-year economic update.

The program will be held in seven different Montana cities. In Billings the date is August 7, 7:30-8 am at the Northern Hotel. Registration is open at https://www.economicoutlookseminar.com/

Other programs will be held at Helena, Great Falls, Kalispell, Bozeman, Missoula, and Butte.

Speakers will include the new director of BBER, Jeffrey Michael, who has replaced the retiring Pat Barkey. Dr. Michael has decades of experience in regional economic forecasting, public policy analysis, and environmental economics, including work on the economic impacts of the Endangered Species Act, climate change, and regulation on land use, infrastructure, property values and employment growth. Prior to joining BBER, Dr. Michael was director of Public Policy Programs and professor of Public Policy at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, executive director of the Center for Business and Policy Research in the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business, and associate dean and director of the Center for Applied Business and Economic Research at Towson University (MD).

Also presenting will be Todd O’Hair, President and CEO, Montana Chamber of Commerce. O’Hair is a Montana native, from Livingston where his family owns a multi-generational family ranch. Before being named President and CEO of the Montana Chamber, Todd was the Senior Manager of Government Affairs for a major coal mining company, Cloud Peak Energy. While at Cloud Peak, he served on the Montana Chamber of Commerce board of directors and was the chair of the board in 2016-17. Before Cloud Peak Energy, Todd worked in Gov. Judy Martz’s office for four years. He also served as the Natural Resources Policy Advisor for Congressman Rick Hill in Washington, D.C., and later as State Director.

The event is sponsored by First Interstate Bank, Sibanye Stillwater and Northwestern Energy.