Economist Rich Wobbekind named among Colorado's most influential business leaders.
Rich Wobbekind walks an executive-level class through a presentation. His insights on the economy鈥攁nd the lengths he goes to in听sharing听them with Coloradans鈥攁re why he's so well regarded, both in the classroom and in the media.
In ranking Rich Wobbekind among its 30 most influential business leaders, said he 鈥減robably ranks as the most-sought-after voice on the Colorado economy.鈥�
That characterization is likely to draw criticism from those who鈥檝e benefited from Wobbekind鈥檚 insights over more than three decades with the University of Colorado Boulder: What do they mean, 鈥減robably?鈥�
鈥淩ich is so deserving of this honor because has a unique ability to interpret a complex set of economic data for a broad variety of audiences,鈥� said Brian Lewandowski, executive director of the Business Research Division at the Leeds School of Business. 鈥淎nd while most people think about industry in Colorado in terms of tourism, or tech, or urban areas, Rich is as capable talking about agriculture and mining as he is finance.鈥�
Road warrior
Wobbekind and the BRD develop an annual economic forecast for Colorado that he presents at a statewide conference. But he also takes those insights on the road, where he shares tailored presentation at smaller events in more rural areas of the state, as well as in the classroom.听
鈥淚鈥檝e been really fortunate in that, through my work, I鈥檓 able to help people interpret what they鈥檙e seeing in a larger context,鈥� Wobbekind said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to make sense of all these issues they鈥檙e facing鈥擟OVID, supply-chain issues, inflation鈥攁nd we鈥檙e trying to give them a sense of what to expect, and convey information that helps them make better decisions in business and live better lives.鈥澨�
The BizWest list is a who鈥檚 who of influential Coloradans in entrepreneurship, banking, law, nonprofit, government, healthcare, media and manufacturing; Wobbekind, associate dean for business and government relations at Leeds and the BRD's faculty director, is the only economist.听
鈥淭here are a lot of significant people on that list, people I have a lot of respect for. I am honored to be included among them,鈥� he said.听
Wobbekind has been a fixture at CU Boulder since earning his master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in economics 35 years ago. In that time, much about the field of economics has changed鈥攊ncluding, like in many fields, the ability to use data to understand trends and make decisions鈥攂ut what he said hasn鈥檛 changed is the discipline鈥檚 ability to add context to situations and form actionable strategy, a perspective he readily brings to the classroom.听
鈥淎t the end of the day, I hope I am contributing to people having better lives.鈥�
Richard Wobbekind, faculty director, Leeds Business Research Division
鈥淚n our economics classes, we鈥檙e teaching students the tools to help them be better managers and make better decisions, whether that鈥檚 in hiring, or anticipating product demand, or looking at interest rates or inflation,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of value in having the skills to interpret the broader environment you鈥檙e working in.鈥澨�
That鈥檚 especially evident in the extensive outreach he does to the Colorado business community. His traveling road show takes him from the Front Range to the Western Slope and the eastern plains, and from advisory meetings with the government to small, industry-specific sessions to people in agriculture, technology or banking.
Something that might surprise anyone who鈥檚 sat in one of his classes or attended the annual Business Economic Outlook Forum is that, for all his poise on stage, Wobbekind isn鈥檛 immune to a case of nerves before he starts talking.听
鈥淭hat鈥檚 even true on the first day of classes, I try to figure out something to say to calm myself down,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut ultimately, when you鈥檙e providing this kind of information and interpretation, and you see the reaction of people in the audience and you hear their questions and know they鈥檙e learning something that will help them make decisions鈥攖hat鈥檚 the best cure for being nervous.听
鈥淎t the end of the day, I hope I am contributing to people having better lives鈥擨 believe that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for.鈥�
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