Economics Club to Honor Newport News Shipbuilding at Luncheon
March 12, 2014
The history and strategic location of Hampton Roads have made it a hub of shipbuilding and ship repair for generations.
Old Dominion University's Economics Club of Hampton Roads will celebrate the shipbuilding and ship repair industries and their enormous impact on the regional economy by honoring Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) with its Economic Impact Award for 2014.
The award will be presented at the Economics Club's seventh annual Economic Impact Award Luncheon on Friday, March 21, at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside, beginning at noon. The event is free for Economics Club members and $40 for non-members. Individual registration can be made at: www.2014econclubawardlunch.eventbrite.com.
The award honors individuals and organizations whose reach and vision have had an outsized impact on the Hampton Roads region and beyond.
Previous winners include Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., co-sponsor of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2001; Arthur Levitt, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Elizabeth Duke, former governor, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and an ODU graduate; former Virginia Gov. Gerald Baliles; G. Robert Aston Jr., founder and CEO of TowneBank; and the founders of Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Bruce Rubin, associate professor of finance in ODU's College of Business and Public Administration and executive director of the Economics Club of Hampton Roads, said the shipbuilding and ship repair industries of NNS and its spinoff employers have a tremendous impact on the regional economy.
"Newport News Shipbuilding is the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy submarines. With more than 23,000 employees, the shipyard is the largest industrial employer in Virginia with an annual economic impact of more than $5.5 billion," Rubin said.
The Economics Club of Hampton Roads is a business-oriented organization for those who share an interest in the practical implications of economic trends, events and principles.
It was established in 1991 as a community service by former ODU President James V. Koch, and is administered by Gil Yochum, dean of the College of Business and Public Administration, under the supervision of an elected board.
Membership is available to anyone who would enjoy the opportunity to hear timely, varied and valuable presentations from nationally known experts and regional business leaders. Except for the annual Economic Outlook Luncheon, programs are not normally open to the general public. However, members are encouraged to bring guests. Corporate membership is also available, enabling organizations to send up to three individuals to each program.
For more information about the Economics Club and its events, contact Rubin at brubin@odu.edu or 683-3590; administrative assistant Katrina Davenport at kdavenpo@odu.edu or 683-5138; or visit the website http://bpa.odu.edu/bpa/econclub.shtml.