Thank you to all who attended the Outlook 2021 Economic Summit! We look forward to hosting you again next year.
John Gnuschke, Ph.D., is currently President of 901 Economics and previously served as Director of the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research (1985), the Center for Manpower Studies (1976), the Applied Technology Research Center and the Real Estate Research Center at the University of Memphis. The Sparks Bureau and the Center for Manpower Studies were the oldest, largest, and most successful applied research and service units in the history of the University of Memphis. Dr. Gnuschke is a graduate of Utah State University (1969, B.S. in Economics) and the University of Missouri (1975, M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics) and has more than four decades of experience conducting research and training focused on the economic issues that impact Memphis and the Mid-South states. He has conducted more than $70 million of sponsored research and was a full Professor of Economics at the University of Memphis. His expertise includes economic impact studies, labor market research, market studies, and a wide variety of other applied projects for both public and private sponsors. Dr. Gnuschke has served as President of the national organization, the Association of University Bureaus of Economic Research and as Secretary Treasurer for the real estate organization, Lambda Alpha International, Memphis Chapter, for 25 years.
Dudley Carter is an Economist for Vining Sparks, a fixed income broker/dealer serving institutional investors. Dudley writes daily commentary covering the U.S. and global financial markets, as well as foreign economic developments. He also assists with the projection and publication of Vining Sparks’ economic and interest rate forecasts and contributes to research articles for Vining Sparks. Dudley is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Tennessee and member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants. Prior to joining Vining Sparks, Dudley was an audit manager at KPMG LLP, with a focus on the financial services sector. He graduated from The University of Mississippi with a master’s degree in Accounting and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in Economics.
Ernest Strickland, President and CEO of the Black Business Association of Memphis, holds an MBA from Bethel University and a Bachelor of Professional Studies from the University of Memphis. Ernest has led a multitude of successful economic and workforce development projects throughout his career. In addition to his 15-year career with the Greater Memphis Chamber, he has also served as an architect of Memphis’ community-wide workforce development initiative, UpSkill 901 – a program aimed at upskilling 10,000 individuals over a three-year timeframe. As a native Memphian, Ernest is passionate about growing the city. He enjoys investing in his community and was recently appointed to serve on the Greater Memphis Local Workforce Development Board of Directors. Also, he is Past Chairman of the Downtown Memphis Commission, as well as a former Board member of Memphis World Trade Club and Leadership Memphis.
The Outlook 2021 Memphis Economic Study is now available. Get it now for even more insights into the minds of Memphis consumers.