From Where I Sit…
March 27, 2024
By Bob Garrett
“Economic prosperity is not just the numbers and charts that I’ve reviewed with you today. But it’s the beating hearts of the people in your area. Their chance for progress. It’s the opportunity for all to rise and to flourish.”
-Dr. Anirban Basu, 16th Annual Economic Forecast
Awakening on the morning after our economic forecast to the horrific images of a collapsing interstate highway bridge in the Baltimore Harbor our thoughts were of the human tragedy and material destruction. Very quickly, at least for me, I reflected on the words spoken by Anirban Basu just 13-hours prior to the bridge collapse.
Dr. Basu spent a good amount of time during his 16th Annual Economic Forecast to our chamber members discussing supply chains and the commercial interconnectedness of our valley to the wider world. Now, his forecast takes on an even more profound and poignant meaning as the days go forward from the tragedy in the Baltimore Harbor.
Our forecast this year was unique in that it kicked off with an update titled: The Economics of Healthcare with Kendra Aucker of the Evangelical Community Hospital. Steve Stumbris of the Bucknell SBDC and a Chamber Board Member did a fantastic job in moderating the conversation. Their conversation filled in a lot of gaps and helped us to better understand the partnership between WellSpan Health and Evangelical Community Hospital.
Their presentation was followed by a somewhat spur-of-the-moment announcement that a critical ‘Barrier Buster’ to employment in our valley, the StopHopper program will continue for the next year thanks to a generous donation from the Degenstein Foundations.
After that, Dr. Matt Rousu, Dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University took Forecast participants gathered in the Chamber Boardroom through a discussion of our local economy. Typical of Dr. Rousu, his comments were spot-on thanks to his deep economic understanding and because he lives and thrives in the Greater Susquehanna Valley economy day-in and day-out.
In the coming days we will be producing short snippets from Dr. Basu’s presentation as well as the other elements of our 16th Annual Economic Forecast. We will try to break these into accessible, easily digestible bites of audio/video for your consumption and understanding. Keep a watch out for those coming to your inbox soon.
Events such as the Forecast simply wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Sponsoring this year’s forecast were: Geisinger, Evangelical Community Hospital, Northumberland National Bank, Weis Markets, and UGI. Thanks to each one of our generous sponsors and supporters.
Working together, our best days lie just ahead.
All the best,
Bob Garrett
