Seattle Chapter Adopts New Name, Broadens Focus

A new name was in order, the members of NABE’S Seattle Chapter decided.  So in the summer of 2006, the group became the Seattle Economics Council (SEC), a moniker that officers believe reflects a broader membership base than the old name, Seattle Economics Club.

“We hope to attract noneconomists who work in fields of economics with that name change that should reflect better who our membership is today,” said Alexander Rist, the current president of the Settle Economics Council. He is an economist whose job includes forecasting, economic and financial analysis for the King County Department of Natural Resources, Solid Waste Division.

Rist pointed out that there are fewer and fewer “pure economists” working in private industry or the public sector.   However, as NABE has discovered as it draws upon an increasingly diverse group of professions, there are numerous industries and public entities that employ economists and analysts in a wide variety of positions.

Rist described the members of the Seattle Economics Council:  “Our members are people working as financial analysts, transport planners and environmental planners, real estate agents, financial advisors, consultants and economists from academia. We attract people from a broad field of professions. We have almost 100 paying members.”

Serving with Rist as officers are: Betsy Minden, vice president; Stephen Land, secretary; and Robin Klemm, treasurer.  The four SEC officers serve one-year terms.

Networking, Timely Speakers Top Benefits

When asked what are the most popular benefits for members of the Seattle Economics Council, Rist cited networking opportunities and professional speakers and programs. “Members benefit from the club through the possibility to network with other people and discuss economic issues, such as the way China secures its energy resources all over the world and its implication for America,” he said.

NABE member Evelina Tainer, chief economist of the Labor Market and Economic Analysis branch of the Washington State Employment Security Department, will be the featured speaker at the next SEC program, scheduled for Dec. 13. Her topic is “Economic Indicators for Investing: or How Wholesale Orders of Wrapping Paper Forecast Holiday Sales.”The luncheon meeting will be held at Ivar’s Acres of Clams at Pier 54 on Seattle’s waterfront, one of the group’s favorite spots.

Rist said the SEC meets every second Wednesday from October through June.   Recent events hosted by the council include conferences sponsored jointly with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and meetings at the Federal Reserve Bank branch in downtown Seattle.  Speakers cover many timely topics, including real estate and land use, international trade, environmental issues, and regional and local business conditions and projections.

The SEC was founded in 1968 “to provide a forum for economic issues and a network for local economists and those interested in business economics.”   It is associated with the Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference, as well as being a chapter of NABE.

Visit the Seattle Economics Council’s website at: http://www.nabe.com/chapters/seattle/index.html