ESU Partners with Community for Economic Outlook Summit

Monroe County is competing for jobs, resources, talented people and innovative businesses. The economic vitality of the county has been an ongoing topic of discussion by businesses, educators, healthcare and social service providers, government officials, and the economic development partners in our region for decades. Leading Change – Thinking Outside the Box is the theme for this year’s Economic Outlook Summit scheduled for Friday, September 11 at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. The Summit will feature keynote speakers, a panel discussion, and a candid conversation on change and the future of Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

The summit is open to the general public for $35 per person, payable to ESU. Seating for the summit is limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. The keynote speakers will be Stan Silverman and Adam Sacks. To register for the 2015 Economic Outlook Summit, contact the office of Research and Economic Development at 570-422-7920.

Silverman, leadership catalyst for the Tier 1 Group and guest columnist for the Philadelphia Business Journal, has decades of experience as a CEO and board member of successful global corporations. With a unique perspective on leadership in the C-suite, he hopes to provide insights and techniques to help businesses and organizations create leadership cultures that are based upon aligning all employees with the organization’s vision and implementing strategies to achieve that vision.

Like Silverman, Sacks has spent many years wrapped up in the business world. He is the founder and president of Tourism Economics, a company focused on analytically-based forecasting and marketing assessments for the tourism sector. He has consulted with multi-national hotel chains, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, theme parks, resort developers and retail operators to measure current and future market opportunities. He is an expert in developing custom systems for quantifying relevant tourism market segments and tracking the competitive landscape for clients. Sacks has developed tourism forecasting models with unrivalled track records.

Other highlights of the Economic Outlook Summit will be the presentation of the 2015 Monroe County Regional Economic Scorecard. This year’s report has been expanded to include two additional counties: Carbon and Wayne, and a new economic indicator: Business Climate and Innovation. The report measures Monroe County’s performance in six economic indicators: Employment, Earnings, Education, Healthcare, Housing and Business Climate/ Innovation and compares Monroe County’s performance to seven neighboring counties: Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Northampton, Pike and Wayne.

The panel discussion Leading Change…Thinking Outside the Box will be facilitated by Philip Hosbach, Vice President for New Products and Immunization Policy, U.S., Sanofi Pasteur.  The panelists include Joy Oakes, senior director, Mid-Atlantic Region, National Parks Conservation Association; Carol Adukaitis, Ed.D., director of workforce initiatives, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; and Alan Jennings, executive director, Community Action Committee of Lehigh Valley.

Erik R. Pages, President of EntreWorks Consulting, an economic development consulting and policy development firm focused on helping communities and organizations achieve their entrepreneurial potential, will facilitate a working luncheon. Pages was recently hired by the Monroe County Commissioners to assist the county in its implementation of the Monroe County Economic Development Plan.

Since its founding, EntreWorks has worked with customers in forty states and overseas. Recent strategic planning engagements include projects for the Pacific Mountain Alliance for Innovation (WA), the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance, and Virginia’s Region 2000 Partnership. EntreWorks has also helped design statewide entrepreneurship and business development programs in Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Dr. Pages received his Ph.D. from Georgetown University, where he has served as an Adjunct Professor. He is a graduate of Dickinson College (Phi Beta Kappa) and the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He has written and published widely on business trends, economic development, technology policy, and national security policy. His work has been featured in national and international media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, and National Public Radio.

ESU Economic Outlook Summit Agenda

7:30 a.m. Registration and Networking Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Welcome

• Marcia Welsh, Ph.D.,  President, East Stroudsburg University

8:10 a.m. John Moyer, Ph.D. Chair, Monroe County Commissioners

• Monroe County – Leading Change … Thinking Outside the Box

8:30 a.m. Monroe County Regional Economic Scorecard – Presentation and Questions

•  Business and Economic Research Group, East Stroudsburg University
• Todd Behr, Pats Neelakantan, Ph.D., Constantino Christofides, Ph.D.

9:00 a.m. KEYNOTE: Stan Silverman, Leadership Catalyst for the Tier 1 Group. Stan’s unique perspective on leadership in the c-suite will provide insight and techniques to help businesses and organizations create leadership cultures.

9:45 a.m. Networking Break10:00 a.m. KEYNOTE Adam Sacks, Founder and President of Tourism Economics. Adam is an expert in developing custom systems for quantifying relevant tourism market segments and tracking the competitive landscape. (sponsored by the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau)

10:45 a.m. Panel Discussion – Monroe County – Leading Change…Thinking Outside the Box

• Phil Hosbach, Moderator
• Joy Oaks, National Parks Conservation Association
• Carol Adukaitis, Ed.D., Director of Workforce Initiatives, PA State System of Higher Education
• Alan Jennings, Executive Director, Community Action Committee, Lehigh Valley

Noon – Working Lunch

FACILITATOR: Erik Pages, Economic Development Consultant, Monroe County

1:25 p.m. – Closing Remarks

• Marcia Welsh, Ph.D.,  President, East Stroudsburg

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