2003 Business Forecast

The Ninth Annual Business Forecast was held on Friday, January 18, 2003 at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers. The luncheon was a big success. Thank you to all who attended.

The video of the 2003 Business Forecast is available online for viewing.
[ video presentation ]

2003 Panelist

John Tyson is chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods Inc. and a member of the executive committee. He has worked as a purchasing manager and retail sales manager for Tyson Foods, Inc. and a retail sales manager for Tyson Foods and served as president of its beef and pork and international divisions. He also previously served as vice chairman. He was Tyson Foods' political liaison to Washington and the state of Arkansas. The Arkansas Poultry Federation selected him its "man of the Year" in 1994. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. He currently serves on the board of directors for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

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 Duncan H. Meldrum is chief economist of Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. is the largest global supplier of electronic materials, hydrogen, helium and select performance chemicals. Meldrum joined Air Products in 1979 as an analyst, became manager of the applied economics and statistics group in 1983 , and senior economist in 1984. He assumed his present position in the Corporate Development Office in 1992. Prior to joining Air Products, Meldrum served on active duty in the U.S. Navy as an aviator and operations research specialist. He holds a B.S. from the U.S. Navel Academy, an M.S. in Operational Research from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and a Ph.D. in economics from Lehigh University.

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Ross DeVol is director of regional and demographic studies of the Milken Institute. The Milken Institute actively communicates opinion leaders in business, finance, government, academia, media, and the non-profit sector, and has a wide-ranging cooperative research program with these groups. DeVol's research focuses on the dynamics of regional economic growth. He is an expert on the so-called -based economy and how regions can prepare to compete in it. Prior joining the Institute, DeVol was senior vice president of WEFA, Inc. (formerly Wharton Econometric Forecasting, where he supervised their Regional Economic Services group. DeVol earned an M.A. in economics at Ohio State University. 

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 Jeff Collins served as director of the Walton College's Center for Business and Economic Research from 1999-2006. He oversaw 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 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Further, Collins actively works with the economic development community of the state to build the Arkansas' capacity to create high-wage, high-skill employment. Currently, Collins is working with Accelerate Arkansas to benchmark the state's progress in building knowledge-based companies and employment. 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.