Atlanta CEO Council Members Optimistic on Economy

/ 16 Hours ago

ATLANTA, August 24, 2009 – An Atlanta CEO Council survey reveals a largely optimistic outlook on the U.S. economy, with 39.9 percent of respondents anticipating a noticeable improvement in the first half of 2010. Other respondents expect even earlier improvements, with 9.6 percent indicating Q3 2009 and 14.65 percent indicating Q4 2009.

The generally positive attitude among CEO council members coincides with a recent Blue Chip Economic Indicators survey of private economists, in which approximately 90 percent of respondents believed the economic downturn will be declared over this quarter.

The Atlanta CEO Council, an exclusive networking forum for Atlanta’s senior business executives, conducts regular polls among its member base to gather perceptions on topical issues. A key concern for entrepreneurs is the availability of investment capital and responses indicate there is still a great deal of caution on the part of investors. In recent surveys, 22.77 percent of executives think the market is loosening up, while 67.82 percent believe it remains stagnant. Executives rate creating a stronger financial/investment community as well as establishing tax incentives to attract business as high priorities for the state’s economic development and health.

“Venture capital dollars are vital for fueling entrepreneurial businesses, which in turn help to stimulate our local and regional economy,” said Atlanta CEO Council Chairman Paliniswamy Rajan. “For the past ten years, a core objective of our organization has been to connect emerging entrepreneurs with the investment community both inside and outside of Georgia. With the current deal-making challenges, this goal is even more key to our area’s economic recovery and growth.”

During the economic downturn in 2001, the Atlanta CEO Council kicked off its venture conference series – now known as Venture Atlanta. Since then, $700 million in funding has been raised by companies through the Atlanta CEO Council’s venture events.

The Atlanta CEO Council encompasses a broad range of industries and markets and provides an exclusive environment for senior executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and key decision makers to network and form valuable professional relationships.

To view the complete results of the Atlanta CEO Council’s most recent member survey, go to https://atlantaceo.org/surveys.php?sid=41.

About the Atlanta CEO Council

Now in its tenth year, the Atlanta CEO Council is an exclusive organization for C-Level and senior business executives and entrepreneurs. The organization fosters professional networking between members and works to support the growth of business in the metro Atlanta region. Members of the Atlanta CEO Council represent companies that employ more than 50,000 people in the Atlanta region and generate over $10 billion in direct annual revenue for the local economy. For more information on the Atlanta CEO Council, visit www.atlantaceo.org.

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