Carmen Mazcias puts spacer between pieces of glass at Kinro Inc., earlier this year. Kinro is a supplier in the RV businessin Elkhart County. The continued comeback in Elkhart County is one of the reasons local economic forecaster Douglas Agbetsiafa sees a positive economic forecast for the area in 2014. Staff file photo by Santiago Flores
SOUTH BEND - The panel at Indiana University South Bend seemed to give the 2014 economic outlook three out of four stars Friday.
"I am very positive," said Douglas Agbetsiafa, professor and chair of economics at the Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics at Indiana University South Bend, in an interview.
"You look at the average income growth," Agbetsiafa said following the panel discussion at the Art and Education Center.
"The easy money, the low interest rates," he said. "Particularly if you look at the business community partnerships, in terms of economic development. It can't get any better."
The partnership Agbetsiafa referred to is the 11 area chambers of commerce in six counties, including St. Joseph and Elkhart, that have banded together to form their own regional chamber group, the Northern Indiana Coalition of Chambers.
"It allows them to plan their resources, remove inefficiencies, to work together to collaborate," he said. "You can't get any better than that. I have never seen that before."
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