Business, Academic Panel Will Explore Irvine Prospects at Daylong Conference

A panel of local business and academic leaders will discuss the economic outlook for Irvine at a one-day conference scheduled Friday at the Irvine Hilton and Towers.

Sponsored by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, “Irvine ’86 . . . A Look at Irvine’s Future” will present a picture of the economic trends and predictions for the area, said Ted Haring, executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce.

Topics will include the effects of real estate development, the future of manufacturing in Irvine and in the county as well as the strength of the dollar in the U.S. trade imbalance, Haring said.

The featured speaker will be Bruce Herschensohn, KABC-TV “Eyewitness News” political commentator and a former assistant to President Richard Nixon.

Other guests will include Jack Johnston, professor of econometrics at UC Irvine; Rex Bright, president of Herbert Laboratories, a subsidiary of Allergan Pharmaceuticals; Stan Ross, co-managing partner of Kenneth Leventhal & Co.; Kathryn Thompson, president and chief executive officer of A & C Properties Inc. and Gore Development Corp., and Michael Lewis, vice president of development at the Koll Co.

Haring said he expects more than 300 people to attend the second annual conference, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $50 per person or $350 for a corporate table of eight. Reservations may be made by calling the Chamber of Commerce at (714) 660-9112.