From the economic implications of marijuana legalization, to delivering gourmet meals to your front door, California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) 2017-18 South Bay Economic Forecast conference on Oct. 5 will showcase some of the most innovative local business models and thinkers, and provide a broad analytical report of the current economic drivers in the region.
The South Bay Economic Forecast will take place Thursday, Oct. 5, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in the Loker Student Union ballroom on the CSUDH campus, located at 1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747. Click here for a campus map.
Titled “A Region in Transition: Changes and Trends in Consumer Behavior,” the morning conference will be hosted by Frank Mottek, anchor for KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, and will provide a comprehensive, data-driven report on the current state of the South Bay and Los Angeles County economies, as well as the outlook for 2018.
The economic report will be delivered by Robert Kleinhenz, executive director of research at Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics, the independent research and consulting firm that developed the economic forecast report for CSUDH.
“The South Bay is one of the more dynamic regions in Southern California, as it has been for decades. Its economy has effectively reached full employment, but this doesn’t mean we will stop growing. Rather, we will proceed at a more measured pace in 2018,” said Kleinhenz regarding one of the findings in the report. “Of course, recent economic prosperity has also translated into higher rents and home prices, contributing to a housing affordability problems that South Bay resident know all too well.”
The third annual forecast event will also include reports by CSUDH professors on regional economic issues, and a consumer trends panel featuring top local industry and education leaders discussing some of the most current trends in business and the news, such as the implications of marijuana legalization, and the rise of online shopping and food delivery.
South Bay Economic Forecast presenters and panelists:
· Shawn Gold, corporate marketing officer, Techstyle Fashion Group in El Segundo. Techstyle’s brands include Fabletics and JustFab. Gold’s remarks will highlight online shopping, including the changing fashion landscape, growth in e-commerce, the struggle of traditional retailers, and the future of fashion retail.
· Daniel Duran, associate professor of business administration at Whittier College, will cover cannabis production and the environmental and economic impact of growing it in doors, as well as the cost of production, and the tax benefits cannabis offers cities and LA County.
· Kyle Ransford, chief executive officer of the meal kit delivery service Chef’d in El Segundo. Ransford will discuss what goes into the company’s global meal kits, future players in the industry, and Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods and how it may affect the market.
· Giancarlo Filartiaga, vice president of development for Macerich Real Estate, will discuss brick and mortar shopping with an overview of shopping trends, and the City of Carson’s fashion outlets project.
· Christine Cooper, regional economist for the commercial real estate research firm CoStar, will focus her remarks on changing consumer behavior, the use of new technology, and the fast changing influence of social media on the market.
· Fynnwin Prager, assistant professor of business administration and co-director of CSUDH’s South Bay Economics Institute, will share data from the institute’s research project on trends in foreign-owned businesses in Southern California.
· Jose Martinez, assistant professor of economics and co-director of CSUDH’s South Bay Economics Institute, will provide an update of the South Bay housing market, and changes in commuting trends.
