JASPER — About 150 people gathered in Klubhaus’ Black Forest Room on Thursday for the 10th annual Jasper Rotary Club Indiana University Economic Forum to learn about the global economy and where Dubois County fits within that scope.
Alan Johnson, one of the event’s co-chairmen and dean at Vincennes University Jasper Campus, started the seminar with a little levity by telling those 150 people that every prediction from last year’s conference was wrong. He let the laughter fade before noting that, even with the wrong predictions, there was still reason to listen.
“We always manage to learn something,” Johnson said.
Darrell Blocker, the event’s other co-chairman, enjoyed the economic forum for the same reasons as Johnson. He could bring in the best of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and have them inform the audience about what is happening outside the county lines.
“We wanted to give back to Dubois County,” Blocker said. “This gives one-on-one exposure from experts to the community.”
The first two speakers on the itinerary were Bill Witte and Charles Trzcinka, professors from IU’s economics department. Witte preached “apprehensive optimism” about the American economy.
“I’m optimistic because of the U.S. economy,” Witte said. “But I’m apprehensive about what’s going on in the rest of the world.”
He thought that America was starting to get better six years into the recovery with a stronger stock market and better economy. But he was still worried about the markets in Europe and the economy in China.
“Over the last year and a half, the glass has been half-full,” Witte said. “But 2015 should be the best year of the recovery period so far.”
Trzcinka, instead of “apprehensive optimism,” preached “optimistic apprehensiveness.” He believes the economy will improve but still sees problems in the energy and housing markets. Even though parts of the economy have recovered, housing hasn’t done as well, Trzcinka said. It was difficult for both Witte and Trzcinka to pinpoint why, but the market wasn’t swinging upward with the rise in the economy and stock market. The energy market suffers, Trzcinka said, because it’s at odds with the rest of the markets. Low oil costs are good for people, helping them save and spend elsewhere, but not good for energy businesses.
“I’m a little more pessimistic,” Trzincka said.
Jerry Conover, a Kelley School professor who spoke on the state of Indiana’s economy, said 2014 was a good year. The state added more than 51,000 jobs and the GDP grew by 2.5 percent. He’s expecting 55,000 new jobs and a 2.7 percent GDP increase for this year. Conover added that Indiana has the 16th-biggest economy in the country but that it was also the 12th-most dependent state for exports.
“A year ago, there was a lot of uncertainty when we made our predictions,” Conover said. “But we ended up doing pretty good.”
Ed Cole, president of Dubois Strong, the county’s economic development group, covered Dubois County’s economic outlook and spoke positively about the future.
“It’s an exciting time for economic growth in Dubois County,” Cole said.
Cole is encouraged by the project to renovate the Astra theater in downtown Jasper, the Stellar Communities designation in Huntingburg, and Jasper becoming a “Giga” city, which will give Jasper Internet speeds of up 1,000 megabits per second for residents and businesses; with speeds that fast, a two-hour high-definition movie can be downloaded in 30 to 50 seconds.
“The best way to improve Dubois County is to improve the quality of place,” Cole said.
But he also noted that Dubois County needs to find more and better housing options.
“Dubois County has 4,500 more people commuting in than commuting out,” Cole said. “We’ve got to find a way to keep these people here.”
Vince Granacher, owner of Jasper Countertop, had attended the economic forum in the past and likes that the discussion reveals what the future might hold for his personal and professional lives.
“I can interpret what they’re saying and see what it’s going to mean for my business and my retirement,” Granacher, 61, said.
Nancy Eckerle, executive director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, enjoyed the event not because she learned new techniques or ways to grow a city, but because she learns how Dubois County can factor into the global landscape.
“We have a great county and we’ve made a lot of progress,” Eckerle said. “This gives you an idea of what’s happening worldwide and where we fit in.”
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