Futurist addresses economic conference

By DAVID HULSE

	Contributed photo Ed Barlow

ROCK HILL, NY — The Center for Workforce Development sponsored an all-day, October 21 conference on economic development at the Lodge at Rock Hill featuring keynote speaker, futurist Ed Barlow.

Barlow holds a master's degree in management from the University of Notre Dame, operates a Washington, DC consulting firm and is President of Creating the Future, Inc.

Using his Analysis of a wide variety of data and statistics, Barlow, makes predictions about trends in society and business. He makes about 120 speaking appearances annually.

The Shoreline Business Monthly in Michigan reported that “according to David Pace, owner of the Business Speakers Bureau,… ‘(Barlow) has been uncanny about being able to tell people what’s going to be here five years down the road and the things they need to be doing, or this is what’s going to happen,’”

According to the publication, Barlow told a Grand Rapids, Michigan audience, “The role of a futurist is to look at how the convergence of trends in the future will significantly change the external environment in which people operate," he said. "(This) provides a context within which people can start to think about these things (and) then start doing what they need to do to engage the future.

“If business and community leaders do not think ahead, which Barlow calls "anticipatory thinking," he said they will be the big losers in the 21st century…,’”the Michigan publication reported.

Barlow is not without critics. Correspondents on the op-ed page at www.command-post.org ,a news forum site, were critical of Barlow’s remarks on the post-Iraq world. “The guy makes some good arguments,” wrote D. Smith. “Some others I think are specious. There is a tendency to hyperbole, pronouncement, and the use of inflammatory language. I get the impression he doesn't have problems with self-esteem, and that his political views are what most would call leftist. When I see phrases like "... this obscene inequality of wealth and privilege in our shrinking global village, ..." alarm bells start going off.

So, as just one more guy putting up ideas and opinions, he's not bad at all. Well, worth reading. As a pronouncer of the future, I'm not so convinced,”

On his website, Barlow writes, “Every aspect of an industry, organization, and profession has a lifecycle. Whether it be products and services, organizational capacities, or professional competencies, association executives must know when it’s time to let go of something and when it’s time to create something entirely new. This awareness needs to be reflected in every aspect of the association’s planning and management. The future is in the hands of those who choose to understand it. The necessary changes will not be easy ones. But the challenges of the future can met successfully if people and organizations are willing to make necessary adjustments.”

A Norwalk, Connecticut publication The Hour reported that Barlow said "the single most critical issue for American business in the next 10 years is worker dearth. The workforce pool coming out of educational institutions doesn't have the skills for the jobs that are in existence, and there aren't enough people in the labor pool."

Their reporting continued, “Barlow says new job creation is exceeding worker availability, because the U.S. economy is robust. The U.S. workforce is comprised of 145 million workers, including 60 million baby boomers who are getting to the end of their career paths and may retire or shift to part-time work.

‘We've got a real challenge to figure out a way to have enough workers to fill the jobs we are creating,’ Barlow says. ‘That challenge is going to be met by rethinking immigration and probably identifying the kind of people we need who can come into this country and help add value to this workforce situation.’”

For more information, see his website, www.creatingthefuture.com