14th Focus Event To Provide Tampa Bay Economic Insights

CLEARWATER, FL — Labor shortages. Political strife. International conflicts. Election 2020. What will it mean for Tampa Bay's economy in the year to come?

Get some perspectives at Focus on 2020: A Tampa Bay Economic Forecast on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Sheraton Sand Key, 1160 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater. Coffee and registration is at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and the program from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

The cost to attend is $57 a person with reserved tables of eight for $415. Reservations can be made online.

This is the 14th year of Focus, a signature program of the Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce. It will feature a panel of business experts who will share predictions and provide insight on significant global, national and regional issues destined to impact the Tampa Bay economy. This year’s panelists include:

State of the Economy Forecast – Jerry Parrish

• Jerry Parrish is the chief economist and the director of research for the Florida Chamber Foundation. He is responsible for conducting in-depth analyses on economic trends, Florida’s industry clusters and on solutions to help secure Florida’s future.

Energy Forecast – Catherine Stempien

• Catherine Stempien is Duke Energy’s state president in Florida, serving approximately 1.8 million electric retail customers. She is responsible for the financial performance of Duke Energy’s regulated utility in Florida and for managing state and local regulatory and government relations and community affairs.

Tourism Forecast – Jay Saylar

• Jay Saylar is senior vice president of special projects at at Miles Partnership and he has worked in tourism and hospitality marketing for more than 18 years. Miles Partnership markets destinations and hospitality businesses by working with state tourism offices, convention and visitors’ bureaus, hotels and other organizations in the tourism industry to create forward-thinking digital and print content marketing solutions.

Healthcare Forecast – Mary Lou Brunell

• Mary Lou Brunell is executive director for the Florida Center for Nursing. She administers the center’s goals to address issues of nursing manpower in the state. In partnership with the Florida Blue Foundation, she co-leads the Florida Action Coalition in its effort to insure that all Floridians have access to high-quality, patient-centered care.

The event will also feature the presentation of the Focus on 2019 Tampa Bay Economist of the Year Award and the distribution of surveys to compete for that honor in 2020.