2023 Economic Outlook Conference draws record crowds, economy experts, and industry leaders

THE WOODLANDS, TX – A record number of attendees descended upon The Woodlands Waterway Marriott for the 37th Economic Outlook Conference, hosted by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce with presenting sponsorship by Kean | Miller, LLP. More than 750 people braved lack of sleep and early morning traffic to catch every available minute of the conference, with networking commencing at 7:00 in the morning.

By eight o’clock, the EOC was in high gear. After welcoming remarks, pledges, and invocations from local luminaries such as Chamber president and CEO JJ Hollie, Howard Hughes Corporation’s president of Houston Region Jim Carman, and former District 8 Congressman Kevin Brady, the crowd was treated to a live, virtual speech by the current representative of Congressional District 8, Dan Crenshaw, who stressed the hard work to fight against a stifling economy that seems to plague the outside world but leaves The Woodlands relatively unscathed.

Next, keynote speaker Bill Ackman took the stage, alongside moderator and market president and publisher of the Houston Business Journal Bob Charlet, for an in-depth Q&A panel style discussion on foreign affairs, technology, centralized banking, artificial intelligence’s impact on jobs, and more. Ackman, chairman of the board of The Howard Hughes Corporation and CEO of Pershing Square Management, L.P., braved the chances of being caught off-guard when he opened the session to “questions about anything and everything,” but the hour passed smoothly by, thanks to his steady hand at the helm and an engaged audience.

JJ Hollie spoke to Woodlands Online in an exclusive interview after the moderated session. “My takeaway is, if you’re not here at the Economic Outlook Conference today, you’ve missed out, because just our first two speakers – Congressman Dan Crenshaw and Bill Ackman – have literally told us a wealth of information, with topics from the war in Ukraine, energy, balanced and rational environmentalism and how we can use it help instead of hurt our economy, even about investing in music because people are apt to keep their music subscriptions even in the middle of a war zone, and more. It’s just an amazing take on how real world scenarios affect economies and how we can develop positive policies that help everybody,” he said.

Dr. Shelly Sekula-Gibbs, a director on the Township Board, was enthralled with Ackman’s session at the conference. “This has been an amazing day so far,” she said to Woodlands Online. “I didn’t know what to expect with Mr. Bill Ackman, but I have just been totally blown away by his passion and his intellect and his perspective on local, national, and global issues. I wish he was here to talk to us more often; my idea is for him to do a podcast for the Township. I think it would be wonderful for the rest of the community to get to know him.”

Also during the break, Woodlands Online managed to ask a few questions of Gil Staley, CEO of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership. “It’s exciting, record numbers are here. More than 750 people showed up. It is one of the most successful EOCs – based on this crowd and our guests – that I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Bill Ackman’s mere presence says volumes about the popularity of the speakers we have today. I’m also very excited, because I’m about to deliver one of the most robust reports that I’ve ever delivered.”

True to his word, Staley took the stage and while delivering his Community Update broke the happy news that The Woodlands economy is as strong as it has been in living memory. “After delivering a very somber report last year – where I discussed how we were in the worst downturn since 1974 – I’m thrilled to announce that for the first time in history, the Township is at over 40,000 jobs with major employers,” he said to thunderous applause. He commented on the steady growth of major – aka non-retail – employers, which has multiplied from 33 twenty years ago to 86 today.

“We live in a vibrant, populated area, and it’s not going to stop or slow down,” he said.

Next, featured speaker Joel Krotkin took the podium. Kotkin is an internationally recognized authority on global, economic, political, and social trends, and is the author of The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class.

By 12 noon, the crowd was hungry for food and more information alike, and both palates were assuaged with the served luncheon and the corporate relocation panel session, composed of Jaime Castle of Obagi Cosmeceuticals, Robert S. Barnwell IV of Centric Infrastructure Group, Deborah Wild of Cellipont Bioservices, and moderator Charles Blain, president of Urban Reform and Urban Reform Institute.

Former Congressman Brady took time to speak exclusively with Woodlands Online during the event and remarked how different-yet-same it was to not be providing the congressional update to the conference for the first time in decades. “The EOC is just this iconic conference where you learn so much, and you get a sense of how our local economy is doing, where the strengths are, what some of the challenges going forward are, and more,” he said. “I think it’s just super informative and really one of my favorite events every year. Plus, you get to network with all these businesses and leaders. What a great event.”

After the event, JJ Hollie reflected that the growth of this august conference mirrored the growth of The Woodlands Township itself.

“I think The Woodlands is best positioned more than anywhere in the entire world to be ready for growth, mainly because we have forward-thinking leaders at Howard Hughes and on the Township Board looking at things like how we handle water, transportation, education, and all those things that people don’t pay attention to until it’s too late. We are looking at those things right now for five, ten, even fifty years in the future.”