VCC Magazine Winter 2018

Thomas Jefferson’s Institute’s Economic Conference Focused on Virginia Business Concerns By Michael E. Belefski

Right after last year’s elections, the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s third Annual Conference on “Virginia’s Economic Future” was held at George Mason University and focused on tax reform and tax cut legislation. The conference was attended by 127 business leaders and featured an Economic Roundtable that included NFIB Economist Bill Dunkelberg, Trump economic advisor Steve Moore, and Virginia’s top financial advisor Stephen Cassaday. The presentations included their thoughts and predictions on tax reform and which policy initiatives work and which don’t to create the strongest economic growth for the nation and in Virginia. Serving as moderator and talking from a congressional perspective was Tom Davis who currently serves as Rector and Professor at the university and is Director of Federal Government Affairs for Deloitte. A former seven-term Member of Congress, he is widely recognized as a skilled legislator and political expert, serving many years as chairman of the National Republican

Congressional Committee. He is co-author of The Partisan Divide: Congress in Crisis . Dr. William Dunkelberg talked from a small business perspective. He is chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation's largest voice for small businesses. He is also a Professor of Economics at Temple University's School of Business and Management and served as an advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and has served on the Consumer Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve System. Stephen Moore spoke from a presidential perspective from his position as an economic advisor to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump and an architect of his tax reform proposal. A commentator on CNN, he has been a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and president of the Club for Growth. He continues to serve on President Trump's Leadership Council and is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Stephan Cassaday gave a perspective as a personal investor and serves as President and CEO of Cassaday & Company, named #1 Advisor in Virginia on Barron's list of "America's Top 1,200 Advisors" and #12 in the nation in Barron's 2017 rankings. In 1993, after 16 years holding senior and management positions with several major NYSE member firms, he abandoned the traditional brokerage model and founded Cassaday & Company, growing it from $40 million in assets to $2.4 billion. Michael E. Belefski is a politics reporter for VCC and President of CPC CORPORATION, a Business, Law and Political Communications and Public Relations Firm. He can be contacted at mike.belefski@capitolsquare.com or cpccorp@verizon.net .

In Service to Our Country Virginia Officials and their Military Service

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Bluefield College alumnus LT. COL. GARY T. SETTLE Superintendent of Virginia State Police

A graduate of Bluefield College’s award-winning criminal justice degree program.

courtesy photo virginia state police

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