Get up early Friday morning and go to Spokane's Davenport Hotel if you care to listen to an economic overview from a guy known as America's "uber-geographer."

The speaker is Joel Kotkin, author of a number of books and the guy behind www.newgeography.com and a well-known analyst of how different regions will grow or not grow over the next four decades.

He's the featured guy at EWU's College of Business and Public Administration-sponsored Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference.  Check out the schedule at prrec.org.

This is one of those big deal meetings for regional economists, bringing together some serious scholars and trend trackers hashing out what's happening and what's not happening

Kotkin’s lecture is "How Regions Grow: Looking Ahead to 2050."  It runs during Friday's plenary session, from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Davenport Hotel Isabella Room.

The public is invited, with the caveat that tickets are $25 per person. Kotkin will start speaking at 7:30 a.m.

The ticket includes a continental breakfast.

A press release states that Kotkin views the Northwest as generally well favored for future growth.

---

---