May 2019 
Newsletter
Port Authority of Allegheny County Generates Nearly $1B in Annual Economic Activity
ESI used a number of different measures to evaluate the impact of Port Authority of Allegheny County's (PAAC) expenditures and its services on the economy. We calculated expenditure  impacts of PAAC as a major employer, purchaser of goods and services, and initiator of capital activity, all of which have both direct and spillover economic effects. Our analysis indicates that these impacts total $929 million annually within Pennsylvania, supporting more than 6,200 jobs and $480 million in earnings. It is also a crucial component of Pittsburgh's regional transportation network, carrying 63 million passengers a year.
Highlights
PREC Q2 Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Survey
Real Estate professionals, we want your insights. How has the market performed and what are your expectations for the next quarter's performance? Let us know by filling out the survey.  The survey is open until July 1.
ESI Joined Medium 
Medium is an online publishing platform where the topics on business, economics and technology are discussed. We have joined Medium to offer insight on current issues involving economic development, real estate, transportation, public policy, finance and urban planning. Read more at Medium.
Pennsylvania's Tax on Online Sales Exceeded
Forecast
If online sales were taxed, how much would Pennsylvania collect? We were asked the same question in 2011 and we came up with a range of $241M-$344M.  After 7 years later, The Inquirer reports the online sales taxes equal $300M.  Read More.
Proud to Sponsor
Delaware River Waterfront Promenade 
  May 30
Campus Philly 2019 Annual Meeting,


2019 Annual Preservation Achievement Awards
June 5
Chambers Executive Forum
Staff and Senior Advisor News
ESI is happy to announce the promotion of  Brooke Queenan  to Associate Director. Brooke has always shown excellent management skills, often going above and beyond what is expected of her. Help us in congratulating Brooke and wish her luck for all her future undertakings!
Stephen Mullin will moderate " Clean-Energy Models for the Global Market " panel at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia's Energy Pathways on May 29. Recently, he was quoted in  Philly.com about the economic development in the City of Chester. 
Steve Wray will speak at Driving the Future of Mobility Summit on Finance and Policy on May 21, hosted by Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. On May 20, Steve will also speak at the " Economics of Mobility" at the GVFTMA Annual Meeting.  He will also  partner with I-95 Corporation Coalition on May 21 at a session titled "State Officials and Tolling - Why Some Like It and Others Don't." In addition, Steve will speak at Florida City County Managers Association Annual Conference in Orlando on May 30.
Brittany Forman presented at the Upper Darby Township Council Meeting on April 17. Brittany and Dan Connelly made a presentation to the City of Chester Economic Development Committee, which Stephen Mullin, ESI Principal co-chairs. She also presented to the Philadelphia Senate Delegation on May 7th with Bellevue Strategies and Shift Capital with Dan Connelly. 
Peter Angelides spoke at the Harvard Club of Philadelphia's Symposium "  King of Prussia's Transformation "  on May 9. Peter's  leadership on the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force Incentives subcommittee resulted in a series of practical recommendations that have been published in the  Key Recommendations of the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force Report .
Lee Huang offered insights into Philadelphia's job growth on The Inquirer. He also spoke at Campus Philly's Young, Smart and Local Conference on April 10. 
ESI is happy to announce the recent promotion of  Wendy Gabriele  to Chief Administrative Officer. Her new title accurately reflects the key and trusted role that Wendy plays in the continued success of ESI. Join us in congratulating Wendy!
Ethan Conner-Ross spoke at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia's Roadmap for Growth: Defining Growth for Philadelphia, April 17.
Ethan also spoke at the summer quarterly meeting of the Philadelphia Real Estate Council on May 8.  Ethan discussed a series of analyses that ESI has undertaken for SEPTA including a recent study of the potential future impacts of SEPTA's proposed projects of regional significance.
Daniel Connelly and Brittany Forman presented to the Philadelphia Delegation of Pennsylvania State Senators on May 7th with Bellevue Strategies and Shift Capital.  
We are grateful for all the hard work of ESI director, Andrea Mannino. It was a pleasure working with Andrea, her leadership has been appreciated and her contributions have been numerous. We wish her the best luck in her new position. 
Natalie Nixon, a senior advisor at ESI, contributed "The 'Future of Work' is more human than you think" as a guest columnist on Philadelphia  Business Journal.
Bernard Markstein, a senior advisor at ESI, was quoted in the article "February Construction Unemployment Rates Down in 46 States Year Over Year" and also contributed to the article by doing the analysis. 
Robin Winston, a senior advisor at ESI, was recently a guest on NPR's All Things Considered.  Robin discussed the report of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller and its implications for the Democratic Party and the 2020 elections.  
Terry Gillen, a senior advisor at ESI, was o n  a panel about Pay For Success and Health Care at the ImpactPHL conference on May 2. 

ESI is pleased to announce Corinne Packard Beasly as our newest senior advisor. Welcome to the Team!
ESI is pleased to welcome, Arty Altanzaya our Co-op from Drexel University, into our Business Development and Marketing team. 
We bid a fond farewell to our research intern,  Ben Kaufman from University of Pennsylvania. Thank you for your hard work and we wish you the best at school and beyond! 
Brittany was on Ladies First 10th Annual Public Finance Forum Panel on April 25
From left to right: Molly Bryson (Ballard Spahr) Marita Kelley (PA DCED), Jonathan Cox (Eckert Seaman)
News from the Lab

ESI ThoughtLab announced the launch of its 2019 Smart City Research Initiative,   Building a Hyperconnected City: Business models, use cases, and benchmarks behind high performance.   Given the rapid pace of digital change, urban leaders need an evidence-based playbook to help them identify the technologies and data solutions that will provide the greatest social, economic, and business benefits to citizens and companies.   This ground-breaking follow-up to last year's study, Smarter Cities 2025, will fill this void by examining the ROI of smart city programs of 100 leading cities around the world of varying sizes and levels of economic development.

Please contact Lou Celi or Barry Rutizer to learn more.
US-China Research



ANBOUND recently published an article, "Keep calm in the face of sudden changes in U.S.-China trade talks", which analyzes the U.S.-China trade talks, which has had an impact on capital markets.  ANBOUND writes that  "As the two largest economies in the world, if China and the United States continue quarreling over trade negotiations, it will undoubtedly create a 'huge earthquake' with global impact." 

Find out about Chinese think thank ANBOUND's position on current economic events affecting China, United States, and the world at ANBOUND Newsletter.   To learn more about ESI's partnership with ANBOUND, contact us .   
Present Value

Boosting the ROI on Thought Leadership

By Lou Celi

Read here.

The Convergence of History, Geography, and Economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania

By John J. Jablowski

Read here.

Q&A: A Conversation on Higher Ed Part 1

By Leroy D.Nunery

Read here.

Q&A: A Conversation on Higher Ed Part 2

By Leroy D.Nunery

Read here.

The Future of Higher Education

By Lloyd Russow

Read here.

Higher Education: What Will it Look Like in Five Years?

By Elmore Alexander

Read here.
Client Spotlight
 Jastech/Overbrook Environmental Education Center organized and Environmental Justice and Community Wellness Event and had a round-table discussion with the PA Department of Environmental Protection on environmental issues, April 12 & 13.
released a new guiding plan " Growing with Equity: Philadelphia's Vision for Inclusive Growth". The plan focuses on three key areas: jobs, talent, and neighborhoods. 

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