Entitled "The Road Ahead ... Are We There Yet? Navigating Forward Through Economic Recovery", the University of Hartford's Construction Institute and its Fairfield County affiliate chapter will hold their annual I-95 Corridor Regional Construction Forecast on Thursday, March 29th, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. at The Bijou Theater. Program registration and networking will begin at 3:30 p.m. with a reception to follow the program. To register for this program, or for sponsorship opportunities, go to www.construction.org.
Last month, the Construction Institute's Regional Construction Forecast series focused on the I-91 Corridor in Springfield, Mass. This event will again feature an economic overview of the design and construction marketplace, this time highlighting and defining ongoing and future architectural, engineering and construction (A/E/C) projects along the I-95 Corridor region, including Southern Connecticut from New Haven to Stamford.
The Forecast Series typically provides near term insight into a region's design and construction industry, coupled with a broad macro and micro-understanding of the market perspectives driving the current economic climate. Participants in this month's program will provide a broad range of expertise both geographically, and in market intelligence to highlight upcoming trends and challenges developing along the I-95 Corridor in New Haven and Fairfield Counties.
With regional forecasts in recent years indicating limited opportunities for A/E/C growth, this year's outlook will explore both public and private sector markets in Southern Connecticut and will look beyond today's headlines to identify and uncover active, growth-oriented market segments. "Last year was an eye-opening experience learning that it is no longer business as usual in the Southern Connecticut region," according to George Perham, vice president at Antinozzi Associates in Bridgeport and chair of the Institute's Fairfield County Task Force. "We have invited last year's economic leaders from all across our region to share how their experiences and/or predictions have fared in the past year, and how this and the next few years are shaping up based on what they are observing. It is critical to the continued growth and well-being of our industry that we understand the intricacies of the region's current and upcoming activities and what those possibilities mean for building design and construction."
This program will not only discuss potential work for the A/E/C community in each of the represented municipalities, but will also be meaningful for developers, commercial brokers, and other vendors and manufacturers. Through their direct involvement supporting the industry, all participants will leave with a better understanding of today's regional economy and possible ideas for how to position their businesses for future commissions.
The 2012 I-95 Corridor Regional Construction Forecast will be led for second year in a row by economic development experts from municipalities in Fairfield and New Haven County including:
Moderator
Joe McGee, vice president, Public Policy & Programs, The Business Council of Fairfield County
Panelists
* Laura Aubuchon, director, Office of Economic Development, City of Stamford
* Mark Barnhart, director of Economic Development, Town of Fairfield
* Donald Eversley, director of Planning and Economic Development, City of Bridgeport
* Hal Kurfehs, chairman of Economic Development, Town of Brookfield
* Kelly Murphy, economic development administrator, City of New Haven
* Tim Sheehan, executive director, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, City of Norwalk
* Steve Vavrek, first selectman, Town of Monroe