Last week I attended the recent Beacon Economics (http://www.beaconecon.com) Riverside-San Bernardino 2011 Economic Forecast Conference hosted by the University of California Riverside Anderson School of Management (http://agsm.ucr.edu/).
After introductions, Chris Thornberg, Founding Partner of Beacon Economics, kicked-off the meeting with a very data-saturated presentation on the state and direction of the US and California economies. Brad Kemp, Beacon’s director of Regional Economics, followed Thornberg with an economic forecast focused on Inland Southern California. Although many fret about the potential for a double-dip recession, the Beacon’s forecast, both nationally and regionally, is for a slow but steady recovery stretching well into 2014.
Thornberg summed up both presentations with the conclusions that:
1. Housing prices need to fall further
2. Education reform (particularly in the “how” of education more than the “what”) must be a top priority
3. The region must be more business friendly
The Panel Discussion “The Future of Jobs in Inland Southern California” was the most interesting part of the Conference. The Panel members were Amro Albanna, Chairman and CEO of Innovation Economy Corporation; Gary Dymski, Professor of Economics at UC Riverside, and Steve Hoey, Associate Director CONNECT.
