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On PNWER's Silver Anniversary, our 25th Annual Summit brought together more than 540 elected members of government and senior staff, leaders in private industry and visionaries from academia and the non-profit sector to discuss and work to solve regional challenges
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Here's a day-by-day look at the important topics and speakers featured at our Summit, held July 12-16 at Big Sky Resort in Montana. Approved action items for our working groups and a gallery of photos from the summit will be available and distributed shortly.
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U.S. Senator Steve Daines Welcomes PNWER Delegates
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| | U.S. Senator Steve Daines |
We kicked off our Summit with an exciting Opening Ceremonies featuring the Montana Congressional Delegation. Senator Steve Daines, U.S. Senator for Montana, spoke on growing Montana's economy through the responsible development of the state's resources, the importance of developing technology and updates on current legislation pertaining to PNWER states.
Special messages were relayed from U.S. Senator Jon Tester and U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke.
Daines noted the importance of productive and friendly trade between the U.S. and Canada during his speech.
The PNWER Delegates were welcomed by Ambassador David Wilkins, Partner at Nelson Mullins, Riley & Scarborough and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada.
"My thanks to Matt Morrison and all the folks at PNWER who made this conference possible. They are truly a dynamic organization and they make a positive impact each year on both sides of the border,"
- Ambassador David Wilkins
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The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region began the first full day
of its 25th Annual Summit with remarks from Matt Rose, Executive Chairman of BNSF Railway Corporation. Rose spoke about BNSF's major investments in the region's railway infrastructure and the importance of maintaining a strong transport chain to keep the region competitive on a global scale.
"We need partners. We need to work together to build the economy on both sides of the border," Rose said.
Dr. Royce Engstrom, president of the University of Montana, highlighted the university's Flathead Lake Biological Station, which began recording scientific water quality data more than 100 years ago, the Mansfield Center, home of the Defense Critical Language and Culture Program, and an example of a successful technology transfer in Bozeman's Rivertop Renewables.
Ambassador David Wilkins, partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP was given the PNWER Robert Day Memorial Award for his tireless efforts to promote U.S.-Canada relationships.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock outlined keys to his Main Street Montana Project; training and education, a business-friendly climate, growing traditional Montana economies, successfully marketing the state and the importance of growth in the technology sector.
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| | Montana Governor Steve Bullock |
Bullock praised the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region's ability to allow policy makers and stakeholders to move beyond political and geographical divisions to solve major economic and ecological challenges in the region.
"When you're working with each other, instead of yelling at each other, you're able to achieve a much more positive result," Bullock said.
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Monday policy sessions addressed regional and industry challenges in; Expanding Natural Gas Markets, Transportation, Workforce Development, Invasive Species, Cybersecurity and Disaster Resilience, Energy, Market Access, Agriculture and Forestry. The PNWER Arctic Caucus also met and Rep. Bob Herron was elected as its chair.
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PNWER Delegates were treated to a traditional Montana pitchfork fondue reception, complete with fantastic music from the Lone Mountain Trio and the soothing melodies of Montana Senator John Brenden, thanks to the generous support of Imperial.
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| | Gov. Steve Bullock tries his hand at pitchfork fondue |
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Ambassador Heyman shares views on climate change
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| | U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman |
Delegates were treated to a breakfast keynote speech by Ambassador Bruce Heyman, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, who spoke about the impact climate change is having on the region in the form of drought and forest fires, and the need for "Kitty Hawk moments" - great leaps in innovation and thinking - to address persistent challenges.
"In 2014, there were eight environmental disasters with losses exceeding $1-billion each across the United States. These included a drought, a flood, five severe storms and a blizzard.
PNWER has been able to engage both Canada and the United States in building consensus on initiatives critical to economic efficiency and, as the above disasters demonstrate, our future," Heyman said.
The ambassador said the region needs to look for policy solutions to reduce emissions and grow clean energy.
An abridged version of Ambassador Heyman's speech was featured as an Op-Ed in the Globe and Mail
The lunch plenary meal featured a panel on the utility of the future that included Washington State Representative Jeff Morris, Robin Bedilion, senior technical leader of technology innovation at the Electric Power Research Institute, and Edward H. Comer, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at the Edison Electric Institute.
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| | Bedilion, Comer and Rep. Jeff Morris, from left |
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Exciting and informational tours provided to guests Tuesday afternoon focused on research and industry in Montana, including;
- Bozeman's high-tech industry cluster and MSU's Research Success
- Developing agriculture from seed to table
- Craft malting and distilling
- Economics of National Park tourism
- Trade and economic development in recreational manufacturing and
- Exploring Water Policy in a multi-issue watershed
Many thanks to Montana State University, Montana Department of Commerce and Montana Representative Kathleen Williams for their assistance in putting on these wonderful policy tours.
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Tuesday Reception at the Museum of the Rockies
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| | Judi Sigurdson and Gloria Totoricaguena beneath the massive jaws of T-Rex |
We had a great time at the astounding Museum of the Rockies Reception in Bozeman.
Great live music, a world-class collection of dinosaur fossils, stimulating exhibits and a memorable speech from Dr. Waded Cruzado, president of Montana State University, made the night truly special.
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Sen. Curt McKenzie elected as PNWER President
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Idaho State Sen. Curt McKenzie was sworn in as president
of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) at the organization's 25th Annual Summit, held at Big Sky Resort, Montana.
McKenzie has been deeply involved with PNWER since 2009 as the co-chair of multiple working groups and has served as vice-president of PNWER since 2012. He has served on the Idaho State Senate since 2002, is currently chair of the Senate State Affairs Committee and is the founding member of McKenzie Law.
"I am excited to have the chance to serve as the president of PNWER," McKenzie said. "We exist to improve the economy of the place in which we live and thereby make people's lives better, while being stewards of our environment."
McKenzie said his term will focus on studying and advancing public-private partnerships as a means to grow the economy and build necessary infrastructure in the region, and to support PNWER's core mission to develop and implement policy through our working groups and major programs.
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| | Past PNWER presidents and outgoing president Hon. David Ramsay welcome Curt McKenzie as incoming president. |
Dan Ashton, MLA for Penticton, British Columbia and Representative Mike Cuffe of Montana were elected as Canadian and United States vice presidents, respectively, during the summit.
The PNWER Executive Committee is comprised of the president, immediate past president, two vice-presidents from PNWER's Canadian jurisdictions and two vice-presidents from PNWER states.
Samuel Schulhofer-Wohl, senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, made an insightful speech on the importance of recognizing higher education as a form of investment from an economic standpoint.
Denis Stevens, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Canada pertinent talk on the progress made in the Beyond the Border Initiative and ways to further enhance Canada's and the United State's excellent bi-lateral trade relationship.
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Wednesday Sessions and Executive Committee Meeting
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| Wednesday policy sessions delved into major regional an bi-national issues and opportunities in tourism, Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development, Innovation and Higher Education, Trade and Economic Development and Cross-Border Livestock Health. The PNWER Executive Committee reviewed action items that working groups will pursue before our next summit in Calgary. |
| Morrison honored for 20 years of service at PNWER |
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Matt Morrison, executive director at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, was recognized for his 20 years of dedication to our organization with a memorial book of letters from PNWER delegates, stakeholders and past and present staff.
The reception, hosted by APEGS and APEGBC, was a wonderful send-off after a highly productive and inspirational PNWER Summit. |
 Post-summit tours took guests on trips to Cloud Peak Energy's Spring Creek Mine to learn about mining and export operations there and to tour Yellowstone National Park, where guests saw wildlife, learned about wildlife policy changes over the years, natural and geologic history and witnessed thermal formations like geysers, bubbling mud pots and steaming springs. |
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Thanks for coming to the 25th Annual PNWER Summit!
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From the PNWER team to our delegates, thank you for attending the Summit and helping to make our organization a positive force for responsible economic development in the region!
Our interns, Nick Siler, Nate Weigel, Jason Flick, Kevin Thruelsen and Stephanie Sampson, all deserve a round of applause for all their hard work! |
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Mark your calendars for major PNWER events:
July 17-21, 2016 - Calgary, Alberta - PNWER 26th Annual Summit
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Thank you to our major sponsors for 2015:
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