2021 Economic Forecast Night presented by Chmelik Sitkin & Davis

EDASC's annual Economic Forecast Night, presented by Chmelik Sitkin & Davis, is set for March 11, providing the opportunity to hear about economic and business trends shaping Skagit County and beyond.

With restrictions on gatherings, the event this year will be held virtually, featuring a video produced by EDASC starring Chip Hunter, Dean of Washington State University's Carson College of Business. With the college's recently released business outlook report, Hunter will share details on what to expect in 2021 before pivoting to the ever-important topic of income inequality.

Co-star EDASC CEO John Sternlicht will open the video, providing an organization update as well as a look ahead at exciting new economic development initiatives for 2021.

Thanks to Title Sponsor Chmelik Sitkin & Davis, the video will be available for the public to view at no cost on EDASC's website and social media channels.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for the Economic Forecast night. By sponsoring this event, your organization not only aligns itself with EDASC’s mission of dynamic, sustainable and inclusive economic development, but also gains exposure to Skagit County’s most influential business and community leaders. Click here to view sponsorship information. For sponsorship questions, contact Communications Manager Aaron Weinberg at aaron@skagit.org or 360-336-6114.

Title Sponsor

About the Speakers

Larry W. (Chip) Hunter was appointed Dean of Washington State University’s Carson College of Business in 2015. He leads the college in its mission to create insight and opportunity through the study of business and the power of our community, for Washington state and the world. Hunter is committed to building educational opportunities that create upward mobility for students and strengthen the Pacific Northwest’s economy. He believes that such a premier education ought to be available to all students willing and able to do the work expected. Under his leadership, the Carson College aims to be “the model school of business for tomorrow’s land-grant university.” An award-winning scholar specializing in human resources and industrial relations, Hunter’s research spans industrial settings, with a focus on managing workplaces and human resources to promote organizational goals and positive outcomes for workers. Prior to his WSU appointment, Hunter served as the Senior Associate Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Pyle-Bascom Professorship in Leadership. Before joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002, he spent eight years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. Hunter earned his doctorate in industrial relations and human resource management from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his master’s in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University, and his bachelor’s in business at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

John Sternlicht, attorney and certified economic developer, was selected as the third leader of EDASC and the EDASC Foundation in its 43-year history. He brings to the organization senior executive expertise in law, economic development, community relations, public policy, finance, and government relations with a domestic and international focus. John has over 20 years high-level experience negotiating and executing multi-billion-dollar business locations and expansions involving public and private sector financing, higher education, infrastructure, and legislative initiatives. John currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council, and speaks nationally and abroad on various topics in economic development, including: the design, protection and assessment of incentives; economic development practices in the United States; the process of negotiation; building public consensus; strategic planning; commercialization; and innovation. John, a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the University of North Carolina School of Law, also studied journalism and communications at the Université de Fribourg. He became a Certified Economic Developer in 2001 and was named a Fellow Member of the IEDC in 2017, a designation recognizing career service and innovation in the profession.