Nationally Recognized Economists to Be Featured at Walton College 2010 Business Forecast Luncheon

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas will host a panel of nationally recognized economists for its 16th annual Business Forecast luncheon on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. The event, coordinated by the Walton College Center for Business and Economic Research, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in the World Trade Center District in Rogers, Ark.

The panelists include:

• Moderator: David Wood, president and chief executive officer of Murphy Oil Corp., El Dorado, Ark.
• International outlook: Abdul Shaikh, president, senior international economist and regional coordinator for Africa, Middle East and South Asia, Trade Information Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
• National outlook: Chris Varvares, president, Macroeconomic Advisers, St. Louis, Mo.
• State and local outlook: Kathy Deck, director, Center for Business and Economic Research, Walton College, Fayetteville, Ark.

 “This year brings to the Walton College another extraordinary panel of experts who agree to share their forecasts for the coming year,” said Walton College Dean Dan Worrell. “We believe the opportunity to hear the cutting-edge information and perspectives offered by these accomplished individuals provides tremendous value to business and civic leaders from northwest Arkansas, the region and the state.”

Worrell added, “This event is part of the outreach activities of the Walton College through the Center for Business and Economic Research. We especially want to acknowledge the strong support of our sponsors who made this event possible. Their generosity will also enable more than 60 students to attend this year’s program. Last year, more than 1,200 business and community representatives attended the lunch.”

Deck said, "The Business Forecast luncheon is the best opportunity for the state’s leaders to get the most current economic information and timely relevant projections and analysis. Our attendees, some of whom have come to all 15 previous events, know that the forecasters’ presentations are not to be missed. The insights about the nascent economic recovery and its breadth and duration will help our leaders make good decisions. We are so fortunate to be able to bring economic experts of this caliber to Northwest Arkansas.”

The sponsors to date for the 2010 Business Forecast luncheon include the following: M.A. Greenwood & Associates; Center for Retailing Excellence; Walmart/Sam’s Club; AEP/SWEPCO; Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.; Frazer Frost; Union Bank of Mena; Arvest Bank; Bank of the Ozarks; city of Fort Smith; HoganTaylor LLP; and McKee Foods Corp.

David M. Wood joined Murphy Oil Corp. in 1994 and held several positions including vice president and senior vice president of frontier exploration and production and president of Murphy Exploration & Production Co. before becoming president and chief executive officer on Jan. 1, 2009. Wood holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Nottingham University in England and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. He serves as a director for Murphy Oil Corp. and the American Petroleum Institute. Wood is a certified petroleum geologist and a member of the Society for Exploration Geologists.

Abdul Quader Shaikh coordinates business counseling to promote trade, investment and commercial opportunities for U.S. companies, including joint ventures, and counsels American businesses engaged in exports to African, Middle East and South Asian countries. Shaikh received his Doctor of Philosophy in economics from the University of Massachusetts and holds two master’s degrees and a law degree.

Chris Varvares co-founded Macroeconomic Advisers with Joel Prakken and Laurence Meyer in 1982. Prior to joining Macroeconomic Advisers, he was on the staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Varvares is immediate past president of the National Association for Business Economics, a member and former president of the St. Louis chapter of NABE, and is a member of the American Economic Association. He participates as a guest panelist for the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Economic Advisers, serves as a member of Time Magazine’s Board of Economists, is a member of New York State’s Economic Advisory Board, has been a panelist for the World Economic Forum, and is widely quoted in the financial and business press and frequently appears on financial news programs.

Kathy Deck is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Walton College. Her research interests include local economic development, industry market structure, and education and health care economics. In providing applied economic research as part of the outreach mission of the Walton College, Deck has managed studies for a wide variety of clients including: Arvest Bank Group, Chesapeake Energy, the Jones Center for Families, and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Deck also acts as a media resource for economic analysis of current events and trends. Deck earned a bachelor of arts in economics from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Science in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before joining the Center for Business and Economic Research, Deck was the antitrust economist for the Arizona attorney general.

The Walton College Center for Business and Economic Research is a public service/outreach organization whose mission is to serve its constituents with the highest quality research support; basic and applied business and economic analysis; timely, relevant business, economic and related public policy information; and other outreach activities. In addition to supporting research within the college, the center supports economic development by providing economic and demographic data and analysis to business, government and individuals. The center also actively works with the economic development community of the state to build Arkansas’ capacity to create high-wage, high-skill employment.

Registration forms were mailed this week. For more information on sponsorships or reservations for Business Forecast 2010, contact the Center for Business and Economic Research, Sam M. Walton College of Business, Willard J. Walker Hall 538, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, 479-575-4151, fax 479-575-7687, or e-mail: cber@walton.uark.edu. To register online, visit the Business Forecast Web site.