About This Event

This forum is hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in partnership with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). This program will include a panel of Kansas City manufacturing executives speaking on key investment areas taking place in Kansas City. It will also include economic updates from experienced economists and experts from the Federal Reserve and MARC.

Who Should Attend?

Business and community leaders in the Kansas City area.

Agenda

Oct. 9, 2026

8:00 a.m.

Registration and Breakfast

8:30 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks
Jeffrey Schmid
 | Speaker President and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Jeremy Hill
 | Host Assistant Vice President and Regional Executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
9:00 a.m.

National Macroeconomic Update

Federal Reserve Executive Vice President and Director of Research Joe Gruber will provide an overview of the state of the national economy and macroeconomic conditions that are at play.
Joseph Gruber
 | Speaker Executive Vice President and Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
9:40 a.m.

Tariffs & Trade
Johannes Matschke
 | Speaker Senior Economist, Economic Research
9:55 a.m.

Energy Inflation
Nida Çakır Melek
 | Speaker Senior Economist, Economic Research
10:20 a.m.

Break

10:40 a.m.

Regional Economic Update

Federal Reserve Regional Executive and Assistant Vice President Jeremy Hill will provide insights into the factors impacting the regional economies of Kansas and Missouri.
Jeremy Hill
 | Speaker Assistant Vice President and Regional Executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
11:20 a.m.

Kansas City MSA Economic Update

Frank Lenk, the Director of the Office of Economic Research at the Mid-America Regional Council, will discuss the conditions and factors impacting the Kansas City economy, setting the stage for the panel discussion on specific industries within the Kansas City economy.

external Frank Lenk
| Speaker Director, Office of Economic Research, Mid-America Regional Council
11:50 a.m.

Lunch

12:50 p.m.

State of Manufacturing Panel

Manufacturing plays a key role in the economic conditions driving and impacting the Kansas City economy. We will be joined by three experts from the manufacturing industry who will share their insights on the manufacturing sector and the larger part it plays in the development of the Kansas City and regional economy.
Jeremy Hill
 | Moderator Assistant Vice President and Regional Executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Gina Riekhof
| Panelist General Counsel, Riega Foods
Drue Duncan
| Panelist Senior Director, Pfizer
Mike Stradinger
| Panelist Chief Executive Officer, Holland 1916
2:00 p.m.

Adjourn