Cautiously optimistic, speakers at the eighteenth annual Business Forecast Luncheon spoke to a crowd of 900 at the John Q. Hammons Center on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.   Kathy Deck, director of the Center was on the panel of forecasters. Paul Thomas, chief economist and manager of market sizing at Intel Corp., provided the international forecast; and Eugene Flood, executive vice president for diversified financial services at TIAA-CREF,  delivered the U.S. forecast. Thomas said the growth of new technologies, mainly driven by young people should create demand for devices that enrich communication and interconnectedness to create jobs. Cautious optimism in the short term, and more optimistic in the long term dominated the discussion.  Flood said the country's job landscape is changing indicating that most of the jobs lost in the recession won't revive, but new jobs will be created through new technologies. He anticipates an increase of about 5 percent for the economy to retain its pre-recession heights. Flood predicted growth of approximately 2% for the U.S. Economy, but has concerns that the national budget policy will affect results. Deck says, “It’s not going to feel like the good old days. But, it’s certainly on the right track.”