REAL ESTATE : 2 Upcoming Seminars Will Take a Look at Industry’s Fortunes

Real estate development has long been a key element of Orange County’s economy, so much so that slumps in both the residential and commercial markets in 1989 and 1990 helped to send the area into a prolonged recession.

Analysts and business executives are watching the industry closely now as an indicator of the region’s health through the end of the decade. To present the latest projections, two real estate seminars have been scheduled for early January.

On Jan. 9, the Building Industry Assn. of Orange County will host its annual economic forecast program, featuring economist James Doti, Chapman University’s president, and home builder Kathryn G. Thompson, chairwoman and chief executive of Kathryn G. Thompson Co., the residential development arm of Koll Real Estate Group.

And on Jan. 11, the Anaheim-based Commercial Industrial Developers Assn. will unveil its 1995 real estate forecast, featuring a panel of three leading commercial real estate specialists: Phillip D. Royster, president of Grubb & Ellis Co.’s Pacific Southwest Region; James E. Munson, senior vice president of CB Commercial, and Richard Davis, Southern California managing director for Cushman & Wakefield.

Both events are dinner meetings at the Irvine Marriott hotel, and reservations are required.

Tickets for the BIA meeting are $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Reservations: (714) 553-9500.

The CIDA event is $45, or $30 for association members. Reservations: (714) 693-0558.