The first Power Breakfast of the new year is coming up on Tuesday, Feb. 28. It will be held at the Ralph and Linda Huff Orangery at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

Through a collaboration with the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal was able to arrange to have Ted Abernathy speak at this Power Breakfast titled “Our Future Economy."

Ted Abernathy is a nationally respected economic strategist based in North Carolina. At the breakfast he will talk about the Fayetteville region’s competitive strengths and weaknesses as well as how the changing landscape in global trade, technology and demographics will impact our community in 2023 and beyond.

“I’ve heard Ted Abernathy speak twice now, and not only does he have a really good grasp of the global and national economy, but also, his firm does a lot of research on the region, so he’s got a good understanding of our local economy,” shared GFBJ Publisher Marty Cayton. 

This is the first Power Breakfast that will feature an individual speaker rather than a panel. Cayton noted that Abernathy is skilled at presenting complex thoughts and ideas in a way that individuals who are not experts in economics or finance can understand them. 

Ted Abernathy is the Managing Partner of Economic Leadership, which helps communities and other clients analyze competitiveness, develop strategies and reimagine the future. 

“I got into the field by looking at how communities grow and how [the] workforce fits into that,” shared Abernathy. 

In the past nine years, Abernathy and his team have worked on 146 projects in more than 20 states and internationally. He currently serves as economic advisor to the Council of State Chambers and previously held a similar position to the Southern Governors’ Association. 

At the conclusion of Abernathy’s presentation there will be 20 minutes reserved for questions from the audience. 

In addition to hearing Abernathy speak, attendees will take home a copy of the brand new 2023 GFBJ Book on Business. The book will be debuted during the last few minutes of the event. This is the second annual Book on Business which provides readers with carefully curated ranked lists detailing organizations within the area that offer services across many industries.

“I think the excitement of having something to take away, not only intangible, the ideas and the content from Ted’s speaking, but something tangible and that’s new and fresh and represents our region’s economy is a good thing to have. This will be the second year that we’ve introduced it through the Power Breakfast Series, so I think it’s a great venue to do that,” added Cayton.

“We’re excited about 2023 as Greater Fayetteville Business Journal, and we’re looking to continue to serve the business community here in Fayetteville and the region around us,” concluded Cayton.