2005 Business Forecast

The Eleventh Annual Business Forecast was held on Friday, January 28, 2005 at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale. The luncheon was a big success, attracting 1200 business professionals. Thank you to all who attended.

The video of the 2005 Business Forecast is available online for viewing.
[ video presentation ]

The Panelists

Harold Korell is chair of the board, president and chief executive officer of Southwest Energy Company. He joined the company in 1997 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Previously he served as senior vice president - operations at American Exploration Company, as executive vice president of McCormick Resources and in various positions at Tenneco Oil Company. He is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines and a Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and Colorado. Korell serves on the Walton College Dean's Executive Advisory Board.

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John B. Menzer is president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart International and executive vice president of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He holds full operating responsibilities for all of the company's international operations, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. Prior to 1999, he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. after joining the company in 1995. Previously, he was president of Ben Franklin Retail Stores. He led the Wal-Mart team in the acquisition of Asda in the U.K. In 2004, Menzer received the "Retailer of the Year" award for Wal-Mart International from DSN Retailing Today. In 1999, he received the CFO Excellence Award from CFO magazine. Menzer holds a BBA and MBA from Loyola University and is a CPA.

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Gene Huang is is chief economist for FedEx Corporation and a managing director of the company's economic and industry analysis group. He is responsible for forecasting global economic and financial conditions and tracking and monitoring all industries served by FedEx. He is a member of the Blue Chip Consensus Panel, which provides economic consensus used by policy makers, the business community, Wall Street Journal economic panel, and Business Week business outlook panel. In 2002, Business Week profiled Huang and its "Most Accurate Forecast." He is a member of the board of the National Association of Business Economics. Huang holds an MA from Yale University and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a law degree from Fudan University in Shangai and is the author of two books on business economics.
 

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Jeff Collins served as director of the Walton College's Center for Business and Economic Research from 1999-2006. He oversees applied economic research as part of the College's outreach mission. Recent studies have been conducted for the City of Fayetteville, Arvest Bank Group, and the Benton County Prosecutors' Office. In September 2004, Collins completed a study with the Milken Institute, which analyzed opportunities and challenges faced by the state to develop high wage/high skill employment. The study was conducted for Accelerate Arkansas and funded through the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Study recommendations are designed to make the state more competitive and raise per capita income. Collins has published in scholarly and applied journals, and he is regularly interviewed by national and local media. He earned his PhD in economics from the University of Tennessee in 1996.