Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER)

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) is a 50+-year-old research entity of UMD’s Labovitz School of Business and Economics. The BBER:

• Collects, analyzes, and disseminates information regarding the economy of Duluth, Northeast Minnesota, the State of Minnesota, Northwest Wisconsin and beyond for public and private regional, state, and federal constituencies
• Provides specific research to identify economic problems and opportunities
• Acts as a catalyst to generate research from faculty, staff, and students within LSBE
• Provides students with hands-on, real-world skills of conducting economic and business research and working directly with businesses
• Provides unbiased data and analysis concerning the economic viability of building, expanding, relocating, downsizing, and/or eliminating businesses, especially industry-specific businesses, such as forestry, mining, and energy.
• Contributes to strategic thinking about research data (forecasting, communicating, responding, developing)

The BBER is funded by a special appropriation of the Minnesota Legislature, private contracts, and research grants.