One of the most anticipated events in the annual NeighborWorks Waco calendar is our Breakfast Banquet. In years past, we gathered with friends, colleagues, and community partners for a delicious breakfast at the beautiful Ridgewood Country Club. We like to recap the amazing achievements of our team and our clients from the previous fiscal year, and we forecast the goals we hope to achieve in the coming year.

This event is really our only annual fundraiser, and its a small one at that. However, we love the buzzing atmosphere that results from having so many talented people in one spot, and we always do our best to go all out. Sadly, out of an abundance of caution, we were unable to meet for our annual celebration during fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Needless to say, we are excited at the prospect of getting together this year.

That is why we are so proud to announce that the renown economist, Dr. Ray Perryman, will be our special guest at this year’s banquet! Dr. Perryman is the CEO of an economic research firm based in Waco. His website and bio say that he has “served the needs of more than 2,500 clients, including two-thirds of the Global 25, over half of the Fortune 100, the 12 largest technology firms in the world, 10 US Cabinet Departments, the 9 largest firms in the US, the 6 largest energy companies operating in the US, and the 5 largest US banking institutions.”

He is the author of several books, more than 400 scholarly papers, and nearly 3000 trade articles. In 1987, Dr. Perryman was names “Outstanding Young Person of the World for Business and Economic Innovation”. He earned the distinction of “Texan of the Year” in 2012. In 2013, he was awarded the Baylor University “Distinguished Service Medal”. The following year he was inducted into the Texas Leadership Hall of Fame. His humanitarian efforts earned him the “Cesar E. Chavez Conscience Builders Award” in 2016. Two years later, he was named the “Most Dynamic Economic Researcher in the US” by Global Business Insights, and in 2019 he received the Chairman’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in Economic Development from the International Economic Development Council as well as being selected for the “Go Global” Award from the International Trade Council as the outstanding global economic analyst for his work on trade, energy, the environment, and other international issues.

It is our belief that Dr. Perryman can lend his insight on the global, national, state and local economic trends and help NeighborWorks Waco and our partners better understand and prepare for the years to come. We are beyond delighted to have Dr. Perryman’s genius to help shape the conversation around affordable housing in our community.

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