Nationally Recognized Economists to Be Featured at Walton College 2009 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 15th annual Business Forecast luncheon to be held Friday, Jan. 23, 2009. 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 Rogers, Ark.

The panelists include:

• Moderator: Dave Rader, executive vice president and CFO of Frito Lay, Plano, Texas

• International outlook: Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty III, president, McLarty Associates, Washington, DC.

• National outlook: Ross C. DeVol, director, regional economics and the Center for Health Economics, Milken Institute, Santa Monica, Calif.

• State and local outlook: Katherine A. Deck, director, Center for Business and Economic Research, Sam M. Walton College of Business, Fayetteville, Ark.

“Once again, the Walton College is fortunate to have an 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 unique 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 1,300 business and community representatives attended the lunch.”

Deck said, "The turmoil in the financial markets has wide-reaching implications for businesses, consumers and local governments. But, even in a ‘crisis’ there is an opportunity for strategic behavior for well-informed decision-makers.  At last year's Business Forecast luncheon, our speakers told the attendees that we were already in a recession, so local leaders had valuable insights ahead of the general public.”

The sponsors to date for the 2009 Business Forecast luncheon include the following: M.A. Greenwood & Associates; Center for Retailing Excellence; Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.;AEP/SWEPCO; Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield; J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.; Moore Stephens Frost Financial Group; Union Bank of Mena; Arvest Bank; city of Fort Smith; Cooper Communities; Friday, Eldredge & Clark; First Security Bank/Crews and Associates; McKee Foods Corporation; Regions Bank; Regions Insurance Inc.; Southwestern Energy Co.; Tullius Taylor Sartain & Sartain LLP; and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP.

David C. Rader is also member of Frito-Lay’s Executive Committee and is responsible for finance, strategic sourcing, supply chain productivity, strategy, control and transformation. Previously he was senior vice president for finance and purchasing for PepsiCo Food Systems Worldwide. Rader joined PepsiCo as analyst for Frito-Lay in 1975. He moved to Taco Bell in 1978 as director of business planning and marketing, and subsequently held the position of vice president and controller. Prior to PepsiCo, Rader was with Chrysler Corporation. He holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and an MBA in marketing, both from The Ohio State University.

Ross C. DeVol oversees the Milken Institute's research efforts on the dynamics of comparative regional growth performance. He is also an appointee to the California State Controller's Council of Economic Advisors, a panel formed in 2007 to advise the controller on emerging strengths and vulnerabilities in the state's economy. Since joining the Institute, DeVol has put his group in the national limelight with groundbreaking research on technology and its impact on regional and national economies. He is an expert on the new intangible economy and how regions can prepare themselves to compete in it. DeVol is ranked among the "Super Stars" of Think Tank Scholars by International Economy magazine. He holds a Master of Arts degree in economics from The Ohio State University.

Mack McLarty also serves as a senior adviser of the Carlyle Private Equity Group and as chairman of Randall and Dewey, a leading global energy industry advisory firm. In addition, he continues to lead the McLarty Companies and most recently formed the partnership, McLarty-Landers Automotive Group. He served former President Bill Clinton as chief of staff, counselor to the president and special envoy for the Americas.  A native of Hope, Ark., he holds a bachelor’s degree from the Walton College.

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 variety of clients including: Arvest Bank Group, Chesapeake Energy, the Jones Center for Families, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and the cities of Fayetteville, Bentonville and Lowell. 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 2009, 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 at: http://cber.uark.edu/383.asp.