The will join the of the for the 2025 Arkansas Economic Forecast Luncheon on Nov. 6. 

The event will take place at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., in Little Rock, with lunch served at 11 a.m. The program will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event will provide insight into the current state of the economy through discussions on economic trends, issues, and developments. Speakers include B. Ravikumar, Kathleen Navin, and Michael Pakko. 

Ravikumar has served as the senior vice president and deputy director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since May 2011. He will discuss national and global economic conditions. 

Navin is a senior economist and an active member of the National Association for Business Economics. She will address regional economic conditions. 

Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, will speak about聽 Arkansas’ economic outlook.聽

“I’m very pleased to be partnering with the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis again this year,鈥� Pakko said. 鈥淭his will be the 17th annual forecast event that I’ve participated in, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best yet. With the addition of a speaker addressing the international economic situation, this conference promises to be of particular relevance for today’s issues.” 

Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, will moderate a panel discussion and Q&A session after the presentation. Attendees may submit questions in advance during the registration process. 

for this luncheon is due by Nov. 3. This is a free event. 

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鈥淭his will be one of the biggest tourism events the state has ever seen,鈥� said Dr. Michael Pakko, chief economic and state economic forecaster at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Arkansas Economic Development Institute. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine any other event that will have the same significant number of visitors as we will get from this one weekend in Arkansas. We鈥檙e expecting to have a lot of visitors come to our region, and visitors tend to spend money so we鈥檙e expecting it to have a significant economic impact.鈥�

that Arkansas can expect to see anywhere from 200,000 to 450,000 people traveling within the state to see the eclipse, with an estimated 75 percent of travelers coming from out of state. That means Arkansas could see between 160,000 to 350,000 out-of-state visitors traveling to see the eclipse.

鈥淚 expect that to generate somewhere between $48 and $105 million in value added or GDP (gross domestic product) for the state,鈥� Pakko said. 鈥淭hat could generate about $27 to $60 million in income for Arkansans from the increased business.鈥�

Statistics from states in the path of totality during the 2017 solar eclipse suggest that visitors will spend an average of 3-3.5 days for the solar eclipse, Pakko said.

鈥淭he No. 1 category that will be most impacted by the eclipse is lodging, including hotels, motels, campgrounds, rental houses, and even staying with friends. Food and beverage is the next highest category, followed by transportation, recreation, and entertainment. We are looking at a typical tourist profile. People will come in for the weekend, shop, eat out, and look for other entertainment in addition to the solar eclipse.鈥�

Pakko advised that Arkansas businesses should be prepared for increased traffic the weekend before the solar eclipse.

鈥淭he best thing to do is to make sure you have plenty of staffing and inventory on hand because it is going to be a very busy weekend,鈥� he said.

As for traffic, Pakko warned Arkansans that they should plan ahead to avoid the post-eclipse traffic.

鈥淭he one thing that we should be aware of is traffic snarls,鈥� Pakko said. 鈥淭he experience of states in the path of totality during the 2017 solar eclipse is that people had staggered arrival times, so there weren鈥檛 significant travel issues leading up to the eclipse. As soon as it ends, that is when traffic tie ups are likely to happen. It will be wise to plan to hang out somewhere until the traffic passes.鈥�

You can learn more about Pakko鈥檚 economic predictions by visiting and learn more about 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 free solar eclipse celebration at .

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They include Chancellor Christina Drale, Christian O鈥橬eal, vice chancellor for university advancement, Theresa Beiner, dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law, Laura Fine, state director of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock-based Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, and Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster for the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

Chancellor Drale and Christian O鈥橬eal are both multi-year honorees of Arkansas 250, having last been recognized for their achievements in 2020.

“I am very honored to be part of the Arkansas 250 and share this recognition with ASBTDC鈥檚 statewide team of more than 40 staff who are dedicated to helping Arkansans start and grow businesses,鈥� Fine said. 鈥淲e are grateful to our clients for choosing to work with us and to our many partners for prioritizing small business success.”

Arkansas 250 is a publication by Arkansas Business Publishing Group that recognizes the state鈥檚 most influential leaders in banking and finance, construction and real estate, economic development, education and health care, government and policy, industry leaders, legal, poultry and agriculture, quality of life, and contemporary legends.

鈥淚t is an honor to be included on such a prestigious list of Arkansans,鈥� Pakko said. 鈥淚t is gratifying to know that the work I do on economic analysis and forecasting is recognized and valued by the public and the business community, and I am grateful to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for providing a platform for me to engage in the sharing of that information.鈥�

Arkansas 250 describes the honorees as:

Drale became the first female chancellor for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2019, at a time when the university faced unprecedented challenges. She has led an effort to rightsize the institution, balance the budget and improve efficiency, redirecting resources to institutional priorities.

O鈥橬eal serves as the vice chancellor for university advancement at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, leading efforts to garner philanthropic support for the university. His leadership has resulted in multiple $20-plus million fundraising years, allowing 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to provide students with the tools they need to succeed and make communities and the state better.

Beiner is the first permanent female dean at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. As dean, she has helped start the law school鈥檚 Veterans Legal Services Clinic and Pro Bono Services Center and successfully sought approval and funding for the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform.

Fine leads a team dedicated to helping small businesses. Over the past year, the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center opened an office at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and launched the Arkansas Business Navigator Program. The team supports more than 9,000 jobs and has acquired more than $83 million in capital.

Pakko is chief economist and state economic forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Before coming to Arkansas in 2009, Pakko was a research economist and officer at the Federal Research Bank of St. Louis. With AEDI, he prepares forecasts and conducts research about the Arkansas economy.

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