The event, sponsored by the Foothill Workforce Investment Board (WIB), was held at the Pasadena Convention Center. An estimated 175 people attended from all corners of the Foothill WIBs marketing region.

Joumana "J.B." Barakat, Master of Ceremony, and business liaison with the Foothill Workforce Investment Board put the event together, stating that she was pleased with the turnout and interest shown by attendees.

Pasadena Economic & Entrepreneur Summit business summit featured breakout sessions on small business and entrepreneurship. The event also featured displays from several local businesses, along with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena Enterprise, Altadena, So Pasadena and Monrovia Chambers. The event presented an excellent opportunity for networking.

Keynote Speakers

Lawrence E. Harris, Ph.D., CFA, Fred Keenan Chair in Finance of the USC Marshall School of Business was one of the featured speakers.  Dr Harris presented the short and long run implications of the aging population, growing the middle classes in the emerging markets; rising resource costs, expanding entitlement programs, increasing political partisanship and innovative technologies. Economic growth inflation, taxes, retirement incomes, social stability and real estate values and stock market prices in Los Angeles, the United States, and the rest of the world. Harris stated the U.S. probably won't face another recession in the near future, but competition from developing countries is placing increasing pressure on our economy. He went on to say wages in countries like China and India are considerably lower. This impacts the cost of products that are being produced for much less and that puts pressure on U.S. companies to earn higher profits.  He further noted that our nation’s aging population having an impact on our economy 

Robert Padilla, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Program for Caltrans/Statewide Small Business Enterprise and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Programs. He introduced a ‘new strategy for Caltrans called “Partnering with Communities on Major Projects,” an initiative designed to incorporate workforce development into the highway construction contracting, creating more than 100,000 new jobs annually.

Entrepreneur Breakout Sessions

Entrepreneurs session were presented by Mike Alpert, LaunchPad Careers, Inc. His workshop provided information for becoming successful entrepreneurs. Alpert gave a high-level overview of the 5 areas that Entrepreneurs must master in order to be successful: Strategic Planning; Business Operations; Process Management; Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness. Alpert had attendees at his session fill out an Execute for Growth 2012 worksheet to better hone in on their entrepreneurial goals.

The Small Businesses workshop session moderator was Brandon Shamin, Project Director, Best Academy and President/CEDO of Beacon Management Group. “Transforming Your Business to Achieve Success,” was the theme of this session.  This provided interactive discussion with seasoned business owners and advisors who provided tips and techniques to propel business in the new-year.

The Foothill Workforce Investment Board, FWIB, oversees the Foothill Employment and Training Connection, FETC, a comprehensive One-Stop Career Center offering resources and services to both employers and job seekers. FWIB and FETC, are located at 1207 E. Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91106, and are funded through the federal Workforce Investment Act. For additional information contact Foothill WIB 626-584-8381 www.fwibworks.org