Bill Conerly

Economist also known as an Economic Futurist

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Business Speakers Strategic Planning Economics Speakers Inspirational Speakers Motivational Storytelling Artificial Intelligence (AI) Speakers Virtual Keynote Speakers Future of Work

Bill Conerly

Economist also known as an Economic Futurist

Add To My Favorites Check Fee/Availability

In-Person Fee Range:

Call For Fee

Fee Details

Traveling from:

Oregon

Why Book

Bill always has strong content, emphasizing actionable ideas that corporate executives and small business owners can implement immediately.
His short-term economic forecast is sometimes optimistic, sometimes pessimistic, but he always expresses his long-run vision of a world growing in prosperity and freedom.
Dr. Conerly brings energy, humor and business insights to his presentations. He keeps the visual images changing, has flair in his voice, and presents actionable ideas in common-sense language.

Biography

Dr. Bill Conerly connects the dots between the economy and business decisions. He has the unique combination of a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University and over 30 years’ experience helping companies adapt to changing economic conditions. He was formerly Senior Vice President at a major bank and held positions in economics and corporate planning at two Fortune 500 corporations. Dr. Conerly has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Companies have used Dr. Conerly’s expertise to help with decisions regarding capital expenditures, inventory levels, expansion into new markets, pricing, business models and financial structure. As a diagnostician, he sometimes identifies opportunities and challenges that require additional expertise, at which times he recommends a colleague to help his client.

Dr. Conerly is an on-line contributor to Forbes and the author of The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy (2016). He also wrote Businomics (2007), a book about economics for business leaders. He is co-author of Thinking Economics, a multi-media high school economics curriculum used in 34 states.

He has been interviewed on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CNN and local television and radio stations across the country. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and USA Today. He has spoken to business audiences in five countries and 31 states.

Dr. Conerly is chairman of the board of Cascade Policy Institute.

Programs

THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Your Company’s Opportunities and Risks in the Evolving Business Cycle

Business rises or falls with the economy. Business leaders want to know what the future holds, and they also need to be ready for the unexpected.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Outlook for major sectors of the economy, emphasizing those most important to the audience
The path of inflation in the coming years
Interest rates and Federal Reserve policy

Dr. Bill Conerly is an experienced economist with a Ph.D. from Duke University. He developed forecasts for two Fortune 500 corporations and a major bank, where he was a senior vice president integrating economics with strategic planning. His emphasis on business implications of economic changes provides actionable information to both corporate executives and small business owners.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE ECONOMY Winners, Losers and How Business Will Change

AI is on people’s minds. It will make some occupations more productive, add business opportunities in some sectors while curbing sales elsewhere, with impacts on the total economy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

AI will stimulate the overall economy
There will be losers as well as winners
The industries and occupations with large gains
The industries and occupations with small gains
Impact on overall economic activity
Business challenges of implementing AI programs

Dr. Conerly is a professional economist who has studied past technological change and understands current business practices. He has written about AI and the economy for Forbes.com. He knows the math behind neural networks, but he focuses on actionable implications for business leaders.

THE FUTURE OF WORK Remote work, artificial intelligence and demographic change

Remote work changed employment practices, and artificial intelligence will upend many jobs, while demographics will limit labor force growth. Every manager will have to adjust to massive change in the coming years.

Key Takeaways:

Recruiting and retaining workers will be difficult for years to come.
Artificial intelligence will alter many jobs in large ways, and most jobs in at least small ways.
Remote work can be made productive—and must be, for a company to survive.

In 2005 Dr. Bill Conerly alerted business leaders to the coming demographic slump in the working age population, and he evaluated best practices for labor retention and recruitment. In the pandemic, he addressed the significance of remote work. In 2023 he began writing a series of articles for Forbes about AI and the economy. Nobody is better prepared to address these three issues in a unified presentation.

SURVIVE THE NEXT RECESSION, THRIVE IN THE NEXT BOOM Proven Business Strategies to Succeed in any Economy

Some companies, even in highly cyclical industries, come out of recession smelling like a rose, ready to grasp upside opportunities as the economy recovers. The same strategies also work for unexpected changes in technology, social attitudes, government regulation and competition. This presentation will have your audience taking notes while laughing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Cheap and easy steps to take now, before the recession comes
Vital items for a recession contingency plan
How to look for upside possibilities
Checklist for expansion constraints

As an experienced forecaster, Dr. Bill Conerly has seen projections go awry, so he collected success stories from businesses large and small to understand how some companies thrive in recessions. He also found that some companies could not take advantage of good times, because they were not flexible enough to expand on short-notice—and he learned what top companies do about this.

THE NEXT DECADE What Businesses Should Do TODAY to Prepare for Tomorrow

Most business leaders spend time on urgent matters, but not much time on the big picture of how the world is changing. Having some key trends in mind helps executives make better day-to-day decisions.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Takeaways depend on the audience – here are some possibilities:

Demographics and worker availability: what to do now to prepare for when the Baby Boomers retire.
Borrowing will be very cheap for those with great financials, but unavailable for others. How to protect your business’s access to credit.
Your future taxes will be higher due to upcoming growth of the federal deficit; how to incorporate this into your business and personal financial planning.
Business cycles will be more extreme than in recent years; how to protect your company from recessions, and how to gain all you can in booms.
Technology, costs and customers: how new capabilities will allow you to clean your competitors’ clocks—or risk having your own clock cleaned.
Globalization: Will changing political attitudes about foreign trade take us back to less globalized business? What you should do now to protect your overseas sales or supply chain.

Dr. Conerly is a futurist who avoids excessive speculation and uncertainty. Emphasizing the most likely paths, he provides action steps that business leaders can take today to prepare for the coming decade. Specifics are adjusted for the particular audience. This topic can include some audience interaction.

Topics

Business Speakers, Strategic Planning, Economics Speakers, Inspirational Speakers, Motivational, Storytelling, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Speakers, Virtual Keynote Speakers, Future of Work,

Bill Conerly Reviews

“It can be difficult to find economists who provide good substantive information who are also entertaining and engaging. I received many enthusiastic comments about Dr. Conerly from members and others in the audience.”

— Idaho Telecom Alliance

“Our audience of local business and community leaders not only valued the economic data you provided, but they really appreciated that you made it applicable to their businesses, their personal lives and moreover – that you presented it in a clear and entertaining manner.”

— Mountain Pacific Bank

“Bill did a great job! There were many in the audience who liked him and many in the audience who loved him! Bill shared pertinent and timely information with our audience of commercial real estate professionals and added interesting stories and a funny sense of humor twist.”

— BOMA Boise

“Bill Conerly is one of the most interesting and engaging speakers I have ever heard. The fact that he is a very funny man is a bonus.”

— Oregon Medical Association

“AgFirst Farm Credit Bank has benefitted from Bill Conerly’s unique insights and perspectives several times over the past five years…his materials consistently cover the points that we agree on…he has been very well-received by our groups, and we look forward to having Bill with us again in the future.”

— AgFirst Farm Credit

“The ratings you received from our banker evaluations were among the highest I’ve seen, which matched my impressions exactly. Your presentation style is quite engaging, you bring interesting and valuable content, and our ability to interact in a stimulating way during “Q&A” sessions makes you a valuable addition to any meeting agenda. As a bonus, you are a genuinely enjoyable participant in conference activities beyond your presentation.”

— Montana Independent Bankers