Business leaders to speak at outlook conference Thursday

The conference begins at 10 a.m. at University Plaza Convention Center, 333 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway, and is presented by the city of Springfield and the Springfield Business & Development Corp.

The event will focus on current conditions and future trends in the local and global business environment.

Futurist Lowell B. Catlett, Ph.D., will speak, followed by presentations by local leaders Jay Eckersley of St. John’s Health System, Joseph Metzger of Kraft Foods, Rob Rector of Battlefield Mall and Robert H. Spence, of Evangel University. Catlett is a professor at New Mexico State University.

Tickets are $40 for general admission and $30 for SBDC investors. They can be purchased online or by phone at (417) 862-5567. The cost includes lunch.

This year’s conference is sponsored by BKD, Commerce Bank and Springfield Business Journal.