The Year Ahead: What Consultants Should Look For In 2014

It’s been a while since SPC presented a look into the future. We aren’t much into crystal balls, but for our January dinner meeting, we’ll present a panel of experts who can help us identify the challenges and opportunities for consultants in 2014.

Among the topics they’ll cover:  

• Developments in science and technology
• Trends in the business climate, specifically within the New England region
• The overall national economic picture, including the effects of the ongoing federal budget problems (the sequester) and the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)    

And our panelists will help you connect the big picture with what goes on in your consultant practice.As always, there will be time for your questions. In fact, you’re encouraged to submit them in advance. Click here contact@spconsultants.org to e-mail us.

About Our Panelists

Tom Biggins is the founder and CEO of Atlantis Technology, a software engineering consultancy, and Atlantis Data Resources, a provider of big data applications.  Tom will provide insight into how the use of publicly accessible data from the open web is acting as a force multiplier for leading organizations in healthcare, business intelligence, mobile technology, sales and recruiting. 

Michael Goodman  is associate professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he directs the face-to-face and fully online Master of Public Policy program. 

Dr. Goodman has authored or co-authored over two dozen professional publications on a wide range of public policy issues including regional economic development and housing policy as well as demographic and other applied social science research topics. He has supported this research by generating over $4 million in external grant and contract funding from a diverse array of public and private sources.

An economic sociologist, Professor Goodman is a three time past president of the New England Economic Partnership, a nonprofit organization made up of leading regional analysts that produces semi-annual economic forecasts of the economic outlook for each of the six New England states.

He currently serves as Co-Editor of MassBenchmarks, the journal of the Massachusetts Economy published by the UMass Donahue Institute in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Garry Holmes is president of R.W. Holmes Realty, a Wayland, Massachusetts based commercial real estate brokerage firm. Since 1976 R.W. Holmes Realty Co., Inc. has served the local, national, and international real estate needs of corporations as well as commercial property owners. Garry joined R.W. Holmes in 1986 and has completed over 550 lease and sale transactions totaling in excess of 10 million square feet of office and R&D space.

Garry is a past recipient of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board's "Suburban Office Deal of the Year" and was recognized by SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) for "International Deal of the Year".  Garry serves on the Executive Committee at NAIOP (Massachusetts Chapter), holds the prestigious SIOR designation (past President of the New England Chapter and serves on the Board), and is a trustee for the Foundation for Metrowest.  Garry is a graduate of Bates College.