Leaders of business and government attending the Madera County Economic Development Commission’s annual economic summit luncheon Wednesday didn’t hear much to cheer them up.
Speakers John Stewart and Mike Winn, in a nutshell, said the economic doldrums currently being experienced probably would continue into the near future, but might start to improve by 2014 — at least in the construction and real estate sectors.
Stewart, CEO of Grubb and Ellis/Pearson Commercial real estate in Fresno, said his outlook is somewhere between “optimism and uncertainty.”
He said confidence among consumers and business owners remains generally weak, although there are exceptions, which give him hope...