2025 Outlook on Tap at 31st Annual Business Forecast Luncheon

Three esteemed economists will share their insights on the regional, national and international economic outlook for 2025 at the 31st annual Business Forecast Luncheon next month. 

The long-running Business Forecast Luncheon will be held on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Rogers Convention Center in the World Trade Center District in Rogers.  

This annual event is coordinated by the Center for Business and Economic Research within the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the U of A.  

“The region’s business and community leaders will have the opportunity to hear from economists about the path of the economy in the face of so much political change in the U.S. and around the world,” said Mervin Jebaraj, director of the center. “The state and the region can use that information to make their organizations stronger. I am gratified each year at the interest and level of participation in the Business Forecast Luncheon.” 

Panelists

The 31st annual Business Forecast Luncheon will feature the following panelists: 

• International Speaker: Dana Peterson is the chief economist and leader of the Economy, Strategy & Finance Center at The Conference Board. Prior to that, she served as a global economist at Citi. Peterson has worked at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., and her research has been featured by U.S. and international news outlets, including CNBC, FOX Business, Bloomberg, BBC, Thomson-Reuters, CNN Finance, Yahoo Finance, TD Ameritrade, Harvard Business Review, Barron’s, the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. Peterson is a member of the Board of Directors of NBER and the Global Interdependence Center, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the New York Association for Business Economics, the National Business Economic Issues Council and the Forecasters Club. She received an undergraduate degree in economics from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

• Domestic Speaker: Sam Khater is vice president and chief economist at Freddie Mac and is responsible for the research, analysis and forecasts of the macroeconomy with a special focus on housing and mortgage markets. Previously, Khater served as vice president of research and deputy chief economist at CoreLogic. Before joining CoreLogic, Khater was a senior economist at Fannie Mae and an economist at the National Association of Realtors. Khater holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from George Mason University and a master’s degree in network economics from Georgetown University. 

• State and Regional Speaker: Mervin Jebaraj is the director of Center for Business and Economic Research and has been instrumental in creating and executing economic studies for clients such as the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the Northwest Arkansas Council, the Walton Family Foundation, Arvest Bank, the U of A and many others. His work has been noted by the state's business media. Arkansas Business and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal recognized Jebaraj in their 40 Under 40 lists and on the Arkansas 250 list. He is an exceptional source of business and economics-related expertise whom journalists and business professionals alike rely on to understand how national and regional issues impact Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas as a whole. Jebaraj serves on the Board of Directors of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport and formerly served on the Community Development Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Board of Directors of the National Association for Business Economics. He received his undergraduate degrees in economics and international relations, as well as his master’s in public policy and administration, from the U of A. 

• Moderator: Rupal Poltack is the chief executive officer of Walton Enterprises. She oversees the Walton family office, Walton Family Foundation and Private Family Trust Company for a single, multi-generational family. Poltack previously served as senior vice president of Fidelity Family Office Services and Fidelity Enterprise Technology. She has over 30 years of financial services experience, including 16 years of working with family offices and seven years at PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. Poltack serves on the Board of Regents and Council for Women at Boston College, where she advises the college trustees and faculty and mentors young adults to define their impact and own success. She also serves as a member of the Northwest Arkansas Executive Council in support of the region’s long-term growth and development and on advisory boards for business families. Poltack holds an undergraduate degree in finance from her alma mater, Boston College.  

Current sponsors

Presenting Partners 

• Signature Bank  

• Walmart and Sam’s Club

Academic Partners   

• Drake Farms  

• Greenwood Gearhart  

• Simmons Foods, Inc.  

• Smith Hurst, PLC

Corporate Partners   

• Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield 

• Centennial Bank   

• Colliers  

• Conner & Winters, LLP  

• Cox Communications  

• Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners   

• Devereaux Real Estate Investments  

• First Horizon Bank   

• Kutak Rock LLP  

• Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP

Business Partners   

• Academy Bank  

• Bank of America and Merril Lynch  

• Bennett Commercial Real Estate   

• Entergy  

• First Community Bank  

• Focus Commercial Real Estate  

• HoganTaylor LLP   

• Intrust Bank  

• Landmark CPAs  

• Lindsey Management Company, Inc.  

• Mathias Properties, Inc.  

• Nabholz  

• Ozarks Electric  

• Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC  

• Regions Bank

For more information on sponsorships or securing a reservation for the 2025 Business Forecast Luncheon, please contact CBER at 479-575-4151 or cber@walton.uark.edu. To register online, visit the Business Forecast Luncheon website. 

About the Center for Business and Economic Research: CBER 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, and timely, relevant business, economic and related public policy information, as well as 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 actively works with the economic development community of the state to build Arkansas’ capacity to create high-wage, high-skill employment. 

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business stands as one of the largest colleges at the University of Arkansas, serving over 9,800 students across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. The college holds AACSB accreditation and consistently ranks among the top business schools in the United States. Walton College ranks 25th for its undergraduate business program among public colleges in the U.S. News & World Report's 2025 national rankings. Its undergraduate supply chain management program is recognized as the top program in North America by Gartner. In 2023, The Princeton Review included Walton’s M.B.A. program in its Best Business Schools list for On-Campus M.B.A. Programs. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.