Civic Federation and Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to Host Conference on Economic Development in Times of Fiscal Uncertainty

March 06, 2013

The Civic Federation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago are pleased to announce a half-day conference on how taxes and fiscal uncertainty impact state and local government economic development strategies. Scheduled for April 4, 2013, the conference will feature two discussions: 1) an expert panel will discuss economic development successes and challenges in California and Michigan and 2) experienced business location decision-makers and government economic development managers will share a behind-the-scenes look at realistic strategies localities can use to increase business attraction and retention.

The event will feature a luncheon keynote address by Steven Koch, Deputy Mayor of the City of Chicago. Mr. Koch is responsible for advancing Mayor Emanuel’s economic agenda for the City of Chicago, including providing oversight for the Mayor’s Economic Council and working to improve job creation and retention. Prior to joining the Emanuel administration last September, Mr. Koch spent 27 years at Credit Suisse and was Chairman of the global mergers and acquisitions business.

Opening remarks will be provided by Federal Reserve Bank Vice President and Director of Regional Research William Testa. Professor Therese McGuire of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University will provide orienting remarks for the conference. Dr. Testa will speak about how taxes and spending impact a state’s budget and Professor McGuire will discuss the interaction of economic development with state fiscal and tax policy. In addition to teaching at the Kellogg School, Professor McGuire is the Director of the Guthrie Center for Real Estate Research and the Real Estate Program at Northwestern.

Confirmed panelists for the conference include Civic Federation Board members Jon DeVries of Roosevelt University and Stephen Friedman of S.B. Friedman Development Advisors. Mitch Bean of Great Lakes Economic Consulting in Michigan and Ivan Baker of the Village of Tinley Park, Illinois are also confirmed to speak. Professor Rachel Weber of the University of Illinois at Chicago will moderate the panel on business location decision-making.

Registration for the forum is open and space is limited. For more information and to register, click here. You may also email Jennifer Reinhardt at jreinhardt at civicfed dot org for more information.