Economic Growth Focus Of LiveXchange 2018 Keynote

Economist and former Federal Reserve Board analyst Dr. James F. Smith—named “best forecaster” by The Wall Street Journal—will look over the economic horizon and share what’s coming.

Economic GrowthBusiness Facilities LiveXchange has announced its 2018 keynote speaker and topic: Dr. James F. Smith, Chief Economist, Parsec Financial Management will present “Economic Forecast 2018: Will Growth Accelerate?”

Economic Growth
Dr. James F. Smith
Chief Economist
Parsec Financial Management

Corporate taxes and regulations are being slashed, millions of dollars are being repatriated from overseas and unemployment is reaching new lows as the stock market soars to historic heights. Is the longest period of uninterrupted economic growth since the end of WWII the new normal or will the centrifugal forces of rising interest rates reimpose the laws of gravity on the U.S. economy? Join economist and former Federal Reserve Board analyst Dr. James F. Smith (named “best forecaster” by The Wall Street Journal) as he looks over the horizon and tells us what’s coming.

Dr. Smith has over 30 years of experience as an economic forecaster. He brings extensive knowledge from working in various sectors of the economy including: retail (Sears Roebuck); manufacturing (Union Carbide); government (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and President’s Council of Economic Advisers); real estate associations (the National Association of REALTORS® and the Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS®) as well as academia (Professor of Finance at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Texas-Austin).

As Chief Economist at Parsec Financial, Dr. Smith provides information on the economic outlook to the firm’s partners and clients. He also writes a subscription-only, monthly economic analysis and publicly available weekly blog for his website (EconForecaster.com). A native of Dallas, TX, Dr. Smith earned all three of his economics degrees from Southern Methodist University. He is past president and an active member of several economics groups, including the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) and the National Business Economic Issues Council as well as past co-chair of the European Council of Economists. He received the Certified Business Economist ( CBE®) designation from NABE in October 2015. In April 2017, he received his 4th consecutive Crystal Ball Award for outstanding consistency in having “Top 5” forecasts of house price changes from Pulsenomics/Zillow.

Learn more about LiveXchange and apply to attend today!

LIVEXCHANGE SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

In addition to a dynamic keynote, this year’s LiveXchange will present a comprehensive, practical and strategic conference program that helps delegates better plan and manage their companies’ relocation or expansion projects. This unique experience will be supplemented by an all-star list of guest speakers, who will be making presentations and leading discussions on a number of hot-button issues.

Panel Discussion: Cybersecurity Takes Center Stage
  • Craig Spohn, Director, Cyber Innovation Center
  • Sean Carlson, Executive Director, Michigan Defense Center
  • Moderator: Jack Rogers, Editor in Chief, Business Facilities

Join Craig Spohn and Sean Carlson, directors of two of the nation’s leading cybersecurity initiatives, and Business Facilities Editor Jack Rogers as they discuss an emerging growth sector that has the potential to create a million new jobs in coming years. Potential applications will be discussed, as well as the resources that must be deployed to create a thriving cyber hub, including the integration of higher ed resources with business and government initiatives in cybersecurity.

Evaluating and Negotiating Incentives
  • Allea Newbold, Principal, Ryan

Learn key issues related to maximizing the value of incentives in the negotiating process. During this session, Allea will discuss the best practices for calculating the value of incentives, including property tax abatements, sales tax refunds, cash grants and tax increment financing.

Workforce Analysis – Best Practices
  • Deane Foote – Foote Consulting Group

The availability of a skilled workforce has become a critical factor influencing site selection decisions. Deane will discuss the methodology used to analyze the availability and quality of the workforce in a candidate site as well as the planning for future workforce needs that locations must undertake to succeed in an intensely competitive marketplace.

Think Tank: Site Selection Case History
  • Jerry Szatan, Owner, Szatan & Associates

All site selection projects are not the same. However, key best-practices help guide every project from business case to ground-breaking. In this Think Tank, you’ll become part of a mock corporate boardroom during a candid internal discussion that will closely follow each stage of the site location process. The group will review labor analytics, building a business case, site location strategies, common and complex incentives, as well as long-term due diligence to track and manage. A real-life case will be presented to be debated and evaluated for a recommendation to the CEO.

Foreign Trade Zones and Corporate Expansion Strategies
  • Mike Michalski, President, MCS Strategies, LLC

Mike will share his experience as a leader in assisting multi-national firms expand operations within the United States, focusing on the principles of site selection related to Foreign Trade Zones, including strategies for undertaking FTZ expansion to enable a company’s multi-location efficiency and the role FTZs play in regional growth.

Learn more about LiveXchange and apply to attend today!