By Patrice Bayyan, Knightdale Chamber of Commerce
On Wednesday, January 11, 2017, business professionals, elected officials and community leaders gathered for Knightdale Chamber’s Economic Forum & Forecast Breakfast, presented in partnership by AT&T North Carolina. Guest Speaker, Dr. Michael Walden, NC State University Economist, provided a high-level economic outlook of the anticipated predictions for the year ahead at the national, state and local level. Walden’s presentation, “Economic Outlook: Faster Growth Ahead”, highlighted the growth trajectory that the Knightdale area had experienced between 2015-2016, reflecting an increase of 124% based on the increase in building permits.
The program also featured a panel of elected officials and business executives who discussed the critical matters — current and future, impacting our region. Panelists included Mayor James Roberson, Town of Knightdale, Sig Hutchinson, Chair, Wake County Commissioners, Will Collins, Assistant Secretary, Division of Workforce Solutions and Sandy Wheat, Executive Director, NC Council on Economic Education. The diverse group of panelist engaged in dialogue with the audience during the Question & Answer session, emphasizing that the greater impact of economic growth thrives in communities where residents can live, work and play.
Patrice Bayyan, Executive Director, Knightdale Chamber of Commerce included the Survey Highlights from the Economic & Business Outlook Survey. The survey was conducted through the Chamber business network between November-December 2016, and was designed to gauge the business community perspective on their organizational outlook, region’s economic position and other issues that affect their ability to remain competitive. The full survey results will be available via the Knightdale Chamber of Commerce website, www.knightdalechamber.org.
