05/01/2026
Tuesday’s double-header events, the 2026 Southern California Economic and Global Trade Forecast and the Orange County/Southern California Trade Forecast Roundtable, were a resounding success for all parties. Hosted by the Orange County/Inland Empire SBDC Network and Cal State Fullerton, College of Business and Economics the events, held at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, brought together local business owners, community leaders, and resource partners for a comprehensive look at the economic and trade forces shaping 2026.
We would like to extend our thanks to the many speakers who contributed to this event, including Consul of Mexico Maxaira Baltazar, Jiangsu Provincial Representative to the USA Zhenhua Li, Consul of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea Mookyung (Megan) Cho, Co-Director of the CSUF Center for Economic Analysis and Forecasting Mira Farka, Chief Deputy Director, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Emily Desai, Acting Director of the Orange County U.S. Export Assistance Center Richard M Swanson Jr, Lead Export Finance Manager of the Office of Manufacturing and Trade of the U.S. Small Business Administration Pellson Lau, CSUF College of Business and Economics Dean Sridhar Sundaram, Title Sponsor Commercial Bank of California CEO Ash Patel, Director of the OCIE SBDC Global Trade Center Manal Richa, and Director of The Woods Center at Cal State Fullerton Anil Puri, Ph.D.
We would also like to thank our Title Sponsor, Commercial Bank of California, as well as our Event Sponsors: Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation, Gorman & Associates, Infinity Bank, Jamboree Housing Corporation, and Totten Tubes, Inc.
