Need To Know, Part 9

Jerry Henry, corporate director of research for Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., addresses 80 guests at the September installment of Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know breakfast series. During the Sept. 16 event at Clarion Hotel’s Newsroom Café, Henry said Branson’s 2008 visitor numbers through July are down 4.7 percent from 2007. Henry, who oversees market research for Herschend’s 20 properties across the country, said visitor numbers will likely stay near that level for the remainder of the year. He attributes the decline to record rainfall and the effects of a sluggish economy on consumers.

The next 12 People You Need to Know breakfast will introduce Von Ebron, technical lead at Crosslink at Jordan Valley Innovation Center, on Oct. 14. Event details and registration are available at sbj.net.