Center for Business & Economic Research

Located in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the Center provides applied economic and business research to federal, state, and local government, as well as to businesses currently operating or those that desire to operate in the state of Arkansas. The Center further works to improve the economic opportunities of all Arkansans by conducting policy research in the public interest.

State of Northwest Arkansas Region, Business Analysis Set for Oct. 8

U of A economist joined by Northwest Arkansas Council COO Mike Harvey to discuss economic trends and regional recruitment efforts.

The Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Council, will release the ninth yearly State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report on Oct. 8. The slides for the presentation are available here.

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report, first published in 2011, was shared during a Zoom webinar which is now available to view here.

Mervin Jebaraj, the center's director, will outline the economic highlights in the State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report and will report economic data and insights about the impact of COVID-19.

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is viewed as one of the best measures of the area's economy, comparing that to peer regions such as Madison, Wis.; Raleigh, N.C.; Provo-Orem, Utah; Des Moines, Iowa; and Austin, Texas.

Northwest Arkansas Council Chief Operating Officer, Mike Harvey, will give an overview of the Council's efforts to attract talent to the region by highlighting quality of life and job opportunities. The Finding NWA program uses social media platforms like LinkedIn to help recruiters identify top talent from places such as San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas and Kansas City for careers at Walmart, Tyson Foods and other companies. Human resources managers at these companies have praised the Finding NWA efforts since its program expanded in June, the council reports.

Karen Roberts, Northwest Arkansas Council 2020-2021 presiding co-chair, will moderate the event. Roberts is executive vice president and general counsel for Walmart. In this role, she oversees the legal department, which is responsible for handling all legal matters affecting the company in its domestic and international markets.

Registration is free. The deadline for pre-registration is Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Download the State of the Region Report here.

Arkansas Business Forecast Luncheon
January 30, 2020

Each year, the Center for Business & Economic Research hosts the Arkansas Business Forecast Luncheon, bringing together national and international experts to discuss the economic outlook for Arkansas, the nation and the world. The luncheon draws more than 1,200 business and community leaders. This year, the 26th Arkansas Business Forecast Luncheon was held on January 30, 2020!

The luncheon was held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2020 at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in the World Trade Center District in Rogers.

Speaker Presentations are Below

View Presentations: Manuel Balmaseda, Constance Hunter and Mervin Jebaraj

Moderator Claiborne Deming is chairman of the board of Murphy Oil Corporation. Previously, he served as president and chief executive officer. Deming also serves on the board of directors of Murphy Oil, USA and previously served on the board of directors of the Entergy Corporation. He was a member of the Arkansas State Board of Education from September 1999 to June 2002. He is the past president of the 25 Year Club of the Oil and Gas Industry, past chairman of the National Petroleum Council and past treasurer of the American Petroleum Institute.

Global Forecaster Manuel Balmaseda is the chief economist at CEMEX, a leading global building materials corporation. Previously, he served as chief economist for Spain and Europe at BBVA, chief economist for Capital Markets at BBV, professor of economics at CEMFI and visiting researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. He is also vice-president of NABE (National Association of Business Economics).

Domestic Forecaster Constance Hunter is the chief economist for KPMG in the United States. She heads the macroeconomic research, analytics and forecasting for the firm and is a member of the KPMG pension advisory board where she advises on pension investment decisions. Hunter works closely with the firm's leadership and clients to identify the inflection points, risks and opportunities that arise in the constantly evolving economic landscape. She is known for correctly calling economic indicators that signal market turning points. Hunter is the president of the National Association of Business Economics.

State and Regional Forecaster Mervin Jebaraj is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research. He is an exceptional source of business and economics-related expertise that journalists and business people alike rely on to understand how national and regional issues impact Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas as a whole.

Detailed biographies of the speakers are below.

State of Northwest Arkansas Region Report Release, Quarterly Business Analysis Set for November 5

The Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Council, released the eighth yearly State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report on Nov. 5. The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report, first published in 2011, was shared at a luncheon, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors Event Center at 314 N. Goad Springs Road in Lowell. Highlights from Mervin Jebaraj, Center for Business and Economic Research, director, were presented.

Registration is closed. Event filled to capacity

Speakers included Greg Pogue, of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas which is a "think-and-do tank" that explores factors promoting economic development and creating programs to promote good business practices around the world, and economist Mervin Jebaraj, director of the university's Center for Business and Economic Research.

Greg Pogue and his team at the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas spent more than a year studying entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas. Pogue shared his final report, called "Innovate Again, Innovate Here,". His Northwest Arkansas research and assessment was funded by the Walton Family Foundation.
Economist Mervin Jebaraj, director of the university's Center for Business and Economic Research outlined the economic highlights in the State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report as well as economic data and statistics from the Center for Business and Economic Research's Quarterly Business Analysis.

The cost for the program and luncheon was $45. Preregistration is required, and the deadline is Friday, Nov. 1. Reservations can be made at the link below or by calling 479-575-4151. Attendees can arrive at 10:45 a.m. for networking.

Gregory P. Pogue
Deputy Executive Director
Senior Research Scientist
The University of Texas at Austin

Greg Pogue

Mervin Jebaraj
Director
University of Arkansas
Center for Business and Economic Research

Business Forecast Luncheon
February 1, 2019

The 25th Annual Business Forecast Luncheon was held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, February 1, 2019 at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in the World Trade Center District in Rogers. To register, please visit the Business Forecast webpage or follow the registration links below. For questions or other registration options, please call 479-575-4151. We hope to see you on Friday, February 1st for an informative event.

Moderator Steve Gibbs is senior vice president, chief accounting officer and controller at Tyson Foods, Inc. Steve is responsible for leading, coordinating and directing Corporate Finance and Accounting to provide complete, accurate, timely and actionable financial information that contributes to the achievement of business and strategic objectives.

International Forecaster Carolyn Evans, is head economist and senior data scientist at Intel Corporation. Prior to joining Intel, Carolyn held the positions of Associate Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University, Senior Economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Senior Staff Economist for International Trade on the President's Council of Economic Advisers, and Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Domestic Forecaster Ross DeVol is a Fellow at the Walton Family Foundation and is currently transitioning to lead the new Core Economic Institute (a think and do tank) improving economic performance in the center of the United States. The Institute will pursue its mission through independent, data-driven research, action-oriented convening and impactful policy recommendations.

Regional Forecaster Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, will provide the usual state and local economic forecast at the luncheon.

Detailed biographies of the speakers are on the Business Forecast page.

Thank you for your support of our Business Forecast 2019

Individual tickets are $85 each with the option to purchase a table of ten for $850.00. Pre-registration is required. The deadline for registration is January 25, 2019. Reservations can be made by registering online or by calling 479-575-4151. For sponsorships opportunities, please call our office or complete the Business Forecast Sponsor Packet. Additional sponsorship information can be found at our Business Forecast Sponsor Page.