The annual Montana Economic Outlook entourage stops Friday in Kalispell to dole out the latest projections for economic growth.

The seminar, “Making Montana the First Best Place: How Entrepreneurship is Creating High Paying Jobs,” runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell.

Patrick Barkey, director of the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, along with Paul Polzin, the bureau’s director emeritus, will present the outlook for the national, state and local economies

Declines in the Western Montana economy are over and metro areas west of the divide are again making a contribution to statewide growth, Barkey said.

“Due to the Bakken oil boom, good times for agriculture and the Great Recession, the rural, Eastern Montana counties have been leading the state in growth in recent years while the more populous western counties suffered the steepest declines,” Barkey said. “The vigorous oil-related growth in the east continues, but the big news in the 2014 outlook is that declines in the west are over.”

Polzin will talk about local construction growth, improved conditions in high-tech manufacturing and the emergence of Kalispell as a regional trade center.

For nearly 40 years the bureau has traveled around the state to deliver the half-day seminars. Barkey and other economists from the Montana University System will examine the prospects for the state's major industries.

In addition to economic forecasts, this year's seminar includes the insights of keynote speaker Greg Gianforte, founder of RightNow Technologies in Bozeman.

Gianforte and his wife, Susan, founded their software company 16 years ago in a spare bedroom of their home. By the time the company was acquired by Oracle in 2012 for more than $1.8 billion, RightNow had more than 1,100 employees. Their average Montana wage was $86,000, more than double the state average. 

Gianforte will talk about his success and outline his plan for creating better Montana jobs.

Registration costs $80, which includes a booklet, lunch and a one-year subscription to Montana Business Quarterly. Continuing education credits are available, and groups of five or more qualify for discounted registration.

For more information or to register for a seminar, call 406-243-5113 or visit the BBER website at http://www.bber.umt.edu.

The 2014 Montana Economic Outlook Seminars are sponsored by NorthWestern Energy, Benefis Health System, Pacific Steel and Recycling and Montana Health Co-op.