International speaker headlines chamber’s economic conference

Joel Kotkin, a Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University’s Hobbs Institute in Anaheim, Calif., is keynote speaker at University Plaza Convention Center, 730 St. Louis St.

The conference, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Oct. 9, also will feature three panel discussions with regional leaders on emerging industry issues.

The topics and panelists are:

• Development Community: David Murray of R.B. Murray Co., Tom Rankin of Sperry Van Ness/Rankin Co. and Kevin McGowan of McGowan|Walsh Urban Developers;

• Corporate Headquarters: Neal Spencer of BKD LLP, Bob Noble of Noble Communications and Jack Prim of Jack Henry & Associates; and

• New Economy: Jim Baker of Missouri State University, Robert F. Smith of Nantero and Robin van der Wel of Brewer Science.

Keynote speaker Kotkin is an Inc. magazine contributing editor – he produces the annual Boomtowns feature – and writes a column for The New York Times’ Sunday Money & Business section. Other works have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, San Francisco Chronicle, The American and The Wall Street Journal. Kotkin also has testified before the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

Conference registration continues through 3 p.m. today. Go to www.business4springfield.com or contact Pamela Jenkins, (417) 862-5567 or pjenkins@springfieldchamber.com.

Conference sponsors are BKD, Commerce Bank and Springfield Business Journal.