NFIB: National economists to speak in Madison May 15

CONTACT: Suzanne Stoltenberg, NFIB Senior Media Manager

suzanne.stoltenberg@nfib.org  Cell: 717-779-4721

Area business owners to get peek into the economy ahead

MADISON —Two nationally prominent economists will share their insights on the state of the national economy and trends specific to Wisconsin at a luncheon with invited small-business owners on Tuesday, May 15 at noon. The Small Business Economic Roadshow will take place at the Sheraton Madison Hotel located at 706 John Nolan Drive in Madison. Members of the media are welcome to attend and cover the event.

Wayne Best is the head of Business and Economic Insights for Visa Inc. Best is the in-house chief economist and resident prognosticator for the trillion-dollar American payments industry. Because he stays close to the underlying dynamics of the business, Wayne offers a unique perspective on both industry and global trends and is frequently quoted in the media and appears on television. Before joining Visa in 1990, Best worked as a consultant providing cost-benefit analyses to the power industry. He holds an M.B.A. in management from Golden Gate University and a B.S. in nuclear engineering from Arizona State University. He has participated in the Kellogg School of Management Executive Program and the Stanford Executive Series. 

Dr. William Dunkelberg, NFIB’s chief economist, has overseen the widely-watched Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) survey and the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index since 1973. Dunkelberg is a nationally known authority on small business, entrepreneurship, consumer behavior and consumer credit and government policy. He is also a Professor Emeritus of Economics at the School of Business and Management, Temple University, where he served as Dean from 1987 through 1994 and as Director of the Center for the Advancement and Study of Entrepreneurship. His prior appointments were at the Krannert Graduate School of Management, Purdue University, the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, and the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. He has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of Michigan.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visacorporate@tumblr.com, and @Visanews. 

About NFIB

For more than 75 years, NFIB has been the voice of small business, advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C. and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit NFIB.com/WI.