Conference focuses on city comparison, new economy

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce is busy preparing for the sixth annual Economic Outlook Conference, scheduled for Wednesday at the Doubletree Hotel, and the keys this year are a look at how Springfield stacks up to the competition and how prepared the city is for a rapidly changing economy.

The highlight of the conference is a presentation by J. Mac Holladay, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Market Street Services. The Springfield Business & Development Corp. hired the market analysis firm earlier this year to perform a competitive assessment of the Springfield metro area and how the city is preparing for the "new economy," which relies more on technology, information and innovation.

Holladay will present the findings of his company's research, which compares Springfield against the state, the country and three similar communities to provide a look at the city's closest competition for business. The report was commissioned to demonstrate the city's overall economic health, along with the quality of education and work force, potential areas for growth and potential weaknesses, as well as quality of life and infrastructure issues.

The event begins with a continental breakfast at 7:30, followed by Holladay's presentation. The schedule also includes an update on local economic development efforts and a roundtable with community leaders to respond to the market analysis.

For more information on the conference, go to the chamber's Web site.