Community Calendar
Diamond Sponsors
An
economic summit focused on Tuscaloosa and West Alabama was held on Wednesday,
Jan. 28, 2009, in the Sellers Auditorium at the Bryant Conference Center on
The University of Alabama campus. About 400 people attended.
The free event, presented by UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, the Industrial Development Authority of Tuscaloosa County and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, focused on West Alabama’s business climate in light of national economic trends and forecasts.
“The
University of Alabama has a long history of partnering with the chamber and
its members to increase and enhance opportunities that build on the area’s
economic strengths,” said UA President Robert E. Witt before the Summit.
Witt is the outgoing chairman of the board of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce.
“This summit will allow us to continue to look at those opportunities,
even as we deal with the potential impact of the national financial crisis on
our regional economy.” Gov. Bob Riley and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox
addressed the group at lunch.
With
a slate of top-notch state and regional speakers, and experts in business and
economic policy, the summit looked at various segments of the area’s economy,
including banking, real estate, the auto industry and the retail sector.
“This summit took a candid look at area economic conditions, including short- and long-term challenges, and brought together key leaders in the public and private sectors,” said Johnnie Aycock, president of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
Speakers included Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University
of Alabama System, who discussed the present state of the area’s economy;
Sam Addy, director of UA’s Center for Business and Economic Research,
who presented the outlook for the area; Grayson Glaze, executive director of
UA’s Alabama Center for Real Estate; and Ron Davis, plant manager at ZF
Lemforder. A segment on the Tuscaloosa-West Alabama retailing community was
also presented.
Speakers Presentations
(click on the link below to view the speakers PowerPoint
presentation or you can download the PowerPoint file directly to your computer.
Downloads may take a few minutes):
