Kenneth Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America, will present his take on the national economic outlook at the Arkansas Economic Forecast Conference, hosted by the Institute for Economic Advancement, Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock.

Simonson’s talk from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Roby Brock, editor-in-chief of “Talk Business.” Panelists will be Ray C. Dillon, president and chief executive officer of Deltic Timber Corp.; Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association; and J. French Hill, chief executive officer and chair of Delta Trust and Banking Corp.

From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Dr. Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster at the UALR Institute for Economic Advancement, will present Arkansas’s economic outlook.

Jon Harrison, former general manager of  North American Motor Grader Operation for Caterpillar Inc., will deliver the luncheon keynote speech at 12:30 p.m.

Registration for the conference is $50. Checks can be made payable to the IEA Forecast Conference. For more information, contact Tonya Hass at 501-683-7407.