November 2006
November 15, 2006
"Finding Diamonds in the Economic Rough"
Conference Program
| 8:00 a.m. | Registration & Breakfast | |
| 8:30 a.m. | Words of Welcome | H. Fenwick Huss Dean J. Mack Robinson College of Business |
| 8:35 a.m. | Canada and the US: A High-Energy Relationship » Canada and the United States exchange nearly $1.5 billion worth of goods every day, making this by far the largest two-way trading partnership in the world. And increasingly, the US is relying on next-door neighbour Canada as a secure and friendly provider of oil, natural gas, and other forms of energy. Canada's Consul General Brian Oak will discuss the current state of this extraordinary bilateral relationship. |
Brian Oak Consul General Canadian Consul General - Atlanta |
| 8:55 a.m. | The Outlook for U.S. Manufacturing » Mr. Strauss will speak on how overall manufacturing output continues to expand at a robust pace in the U.S. economy but that some industries are leading the way while others are not doing as well. |
William Strauss Senior Economist and Economic Advisor Research Department Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago |
| 9:15 a.m. | Altered States: A Perspective on 75 Years of State Income Growth » Services ... or manufacturing? Bio-tech ... or nano-tech? Climate ... or casinos? What really are the keys to improving economic growth? Differences in state income levels can be explained largely by two factors: innovation and workforce skills. Dr. Schweitzer will present the findings of a study of state income featured in the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland's 2005 Annual Report. |
Mark Schweitzer Assistant Vice President and Economist Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland |
| 9:35 a.m. | Post-Katrina New Orleans: An Economic Check-Up » Dr. Speyrer will give her perspective as an economic researcher of how bad things have been in the New Orleans economy and provide an economic outlook considering the billions in recovery dollars. |
Janet Speyrer Professor of Economics and Associate Dean for Research College of Business University of New Orleans |
| 10:10 a.m. | Q&A | |
| 10:25 a.m. | Refreshments break | |
| 10:40 a.m. | Forecast of the Nation, State and Region | Rajeev Dhawan Director Economic Forecasting Center J. Mack Robinson College of Business Georgia State University |
| 11:30 a.m. | Q & A Conclusion | |
| 11:40 a.m. | Light lunch & Networking |
Cancellation Policy: To cancel your registration and be eligible for a refund, call the Economic Forecasting Center at 404-413-7260 before 4pm the day before the conference. A stop payment of a check does not constitute a formal cancellation. Registrants who do not attend the conference and have not cancelled one day prior to the conference are liable for the entire registration fee but will be mailed conference materials.
Substitution Policy: If an annual subscriber cannot attend the conference, another person from the same company can substitute in the subscriber's place.
Industry Speakers
| Brian Oak Consul General Canadian Consul General - Atlanta  |
Brian Oak Consul General Canadian Consul General - AtlantaBrian Oak arrived in Atlanta as Consul General in January 2006, coming to Atlanta directly from Quito, where he served as the Canadian Ambassador to Ecuador. Mr. Oak's previous postings abroad include Prague, Washington, and Santiago.Mr. Oak joined Canada's Trade Commissioner Service in 1978. In Ottawa, he worked in the Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, and United States Trade Development Divisions of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. From 2000 to 2003 he was Director of the Policy and Strategic Planning Division in the Trade Commissioner Service, and subsequently was appointed Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister of International Trade.A native of Ottawa, Mr. Oak received a B.A. and M.A. from Carleton University. |
| William Strauss Senior Economist and Economic Advisor Research Department Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago  |
William A. Strauss is a senior economist and economic advisor in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which he joined in 1982. His chief responsibilities include analyzing the Midwest economy and the manufacturing sector for use in monetary policy. He also produces the monthly Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index, organizes the Bank's Economic Outlook Symposium and its Auto Outlook Symposium. His research includes manufacturing, the auto sector, the Midwest regional economy, the trade-weighted dollar, business cycles, and Federal Reserve payments operations. He currently teaches at the University of Chicago. Mr. Strauss earned a B.A. in economics and geography from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an M.A. in economics from Northwestern University. |
| Mark Schweitzer Assistant Vice President and Economist Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland  |
Mark Schweitzer, an assistant vice president and economist in the Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, is responsible for the Bank's regional economic research. His research specialty is labor economics, including minimum wages, labor productivity, and wage rigidities. Mr. Schweitzer joined the Bank in 1992. He was named economic advisor in 2002 and promoted to assistant vice president in 2004. Mr. Schweitzer spent two years working in London at the Bank of England, the central bank of the United Kingdom. Mr. Schweitzer earned a BA in economics from the University of Chicago. He obtained his MA and PhD in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. A native of Seattle, Washington, Mr. Schweitzer lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He is married and has two daughters and a son. |
| Janet Speyrer Professor of Economics and Associate Dean for Research College of Business University of New Orleans  |
Dr. Speyrer is currently Professor of Economics and Associate Dean for Research of the College of Business at the University of New Orleans, where she has been on the faculty since 1987. She has served on the faculty of Tulane University and on the staff of the Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Treasury Department, where she participated in the development and evaluation of tax policy. Working with the staff of the Division of Business and Economic Research, she developed a sophisticated forecasting model for the New Orleans metropolitan area. Dr. Speyrer specializes in housing, economic development, tourism, and gambling research. |
