Public invited to free event Jan. 10
FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two economists from the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will present an economic forecast for 2017, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 5-7 p.m. at the Baker College of Flint Center for Business, 1050 W. Bristol Road. The event is free and open to the public; registration is not required. The Fed presenters, Paul Traub, senior business economist, and Martin Lavelle, business economist, will look at what 2017 may hold economically for the state of Michigan, the region and the nation. Baker College and the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsors of the event.
“Learning about economic trends and how they may affect you is knowledge that would well serve all of our area residents in their professional and personal lives,” said Wen Hemingway, MBA, CTP, Baker College of Flint president. “This is an incredible opportunity to hear from two of the region’s top economists who will offer valuable insights, delivering them in an engaging and understandable way.” Baker College sponsors this event annually for its students, faculty and staff and opens it to the public as a community service.
Traub is responsible for research and current analysis at the Detroit branch. Prior to joining the Fed, he was president of Scenario Economics LLC and senior economist for Americas Commercial Transportation Research Company LLC. In 2008, he retired from the position of corporate economist after 25 years of service at Chrysler Group LLC. He worked in the Chrysler corporate economist office for more than 17 of those years, where his responsibilities included tracking the economy and forecasting its impact on North American auto sales, supporting new product development, and speaking to auto dealers and numerous professional organizations.
Traub is a member of the Baker College of Flint Board of Trustees, Detroit Association of Business Economists Board of Directors, the National Association of Business Economists and the Detroit Economic Club. He also serves on advisory boards for the Baker College of Flint Center for Business, Lawrence Technological University’s College of Management and the U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, and has served as adjunct faculty at Oakland University’s School of Business. He earned a bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and an MBA from Oakland University.
Lavelle is responsible for economic research, education and outreach at the Detroit branch. His research topics include the auto industry, consumer spending, business activity, the U.S.-Canada border and how they impact Michigan’s economy as well as the Fed’s Chicago District and national economies. In addition to work at the Fed, Lavelle teaches managerial economics at the University of Michigan–Dearborn and volunteers with Junior Achievement teaching high school students about entrepreneurship. He holds a bachelor’s in business and a master’s in economics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is one of 12 regional Fed banks across the country that, together with a board of governors in Washington, D.C., serves as the central bank for the United States. The Chicago Fed serves the Seventh Federal Reserve District, which includes Iowa and most of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Congress created the Federal Reserve System in 1913, charging it with fostering a sound banking system and a healthy economy. This remains the broad mission of the Fed and its components. For more information about the 2017 economic forecast presentation, contact Kevin Pnacek at kevin.pnacek@baker.edu or 810.766.4000.
Baker College is a private nonprofit college based in Michigan. Founded in 1911, Baker College grants doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as certificates in diverse academic fields including applied technology, business, education, engineering, health science, information technology and social science. Baker College has on-ground campuses throughout Michigan and offers online programs that can be completed 100 percent online without ever visiting a campus. In 2016, the Online Learning Consortium recognized Baker College Online with the OLC Quality Scorecard Exemplary Endorsement, the highest ranking for online higher education programs. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.