Despite the pandemic, the Brazos Valley Business Summit pushed ahead for 2020 in a modified format.
The September 25 event put on by the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation was held with options to attend in-person at the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center and virtually. In-person attendance was limited. In total, 216 people registered to take part, the most in the Summit’s history.
In the face of an economic downturn, much of the Summit was focused on how the pandemic has affected the past seven months, and what the recovery is projected to look like.
Opening the event were a trio of economists. From Texas A&M’s Private Enterprise Research Center, Dr. Dennis Jansen and Dr. Andrew Rettenmaier gave their year in review of the Brazos Valley economy, based in part on their monthly “Economic Indicators” report sponsored by the BVEDC. They were followed by the first keynote of the day, as Dr. Ray Perryman, the president/CEO of The Perryman Group, gave his projections for the path forward.
The middle of the event featured viewpoints on the Brazos Valley and the State of Texas. Texas A&M Mays Business School Executive Assistant Professor Tony Okoromadu put the Brazos Valley and its potential in a global perspective. Then, Texas Secretary of State Ruth Ruggero Hughs provided an update on business in the state.
The day concluded with the day’s second keynote, as Flippen Group Founder/Chairman and College Station’s own Flip Flippen spoke about how stress affects the brain, and best ways to deal with it.