The 25thAnniversary summit of Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) was held at BigSky Resort’s Yellowstone Conference Center in mid-July. It was the first time for Montana to host this large economic summit representing Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington in the United States and Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Yukon in Canada.
Governor of Montana, Steve Bullock, was the keynote speaker addressing more than 540 delegates from the United States and Canada. “[PNWER] summit is a success and showcases all that Montana has to offer,” Bullock stated. United States Senators for Montana, Jon Tester and Steve Daines, and United States Representative Ryan Zinke attended the Opening Ceremonies.
“When the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Executive Board decided to host our 25th Annual Summit in Montana, Big Sky Resort was the top of our list,” said Matt Morrison
Chief Executive Officer of PNWER. “The Montana host committee wanted to show our regional delegates the natural beauty of Montana within a functional conference center. The resort exceeded our expectations.”
PNWER summit sessions were held throughout the Yellowstone Conference Center with topics on The Invasive Species Working Group, Cyber Security and Disaster, Transportation, and Energy and Environment.
Morrison added, “this was a first visit to Montana for many of our delegates and they enjoyed being able to take in fun activities like hiking, biking and golfing after the sessions. We hope to be back soon!”
Formed in 1991, PNWER is the only public-private sector partnership of its kind in North America with working groups from Agriculture to Energy to Tourism and more which represents a regional combined gross domestic product (GDP) of approximately one trillion dollars with a mission to promote greater regional collaboration, enhance competitiveness, achieve continued economic growth and reduce trade and regulatory barriers.
Big Sky Resort has one of the largest conference facilities, the Yellowstone Conference Center, in Montana.
About Big Sky Resort:
Big Sky Resort, established in 1973, is located in the Northern Rockies of southwest Montana between Bozeman, Montana and Yellowstone National Park. Big Sky Resort is the Biggest Skiing in America with 5,800 acres offering an average of two acres per skier and 4,350 vertical drop. Big Sky Resort is owned by Boyne Resorts, a Michigan-based corporation and the largest family-run four-season resort company in North America. Boyne Resorts also owns Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, British Columbia; Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, and The Inn at Bay Harbor,
