Growth summit featured former White House economic adviser

Todd Buchholz, economist and former White House senior economic adviser for former President George H.W. Bush, was the keynote speaker for the 18th Annual Economic Growth Summit that took place on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, at the Crown Reef Conference Center in Myrtle Beach. Economist Frank Rainwater and Robert Salvino, Ph.D., a professor at Coastal Carolina University, also spoke at the event, which was sponsored by the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at CCU and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Buchholz, a frequent commentator on the state of various markets, is a past managing director of the $15 billion Tiger hedge fund, a former teacher of economics at Harvard, a frequent guest on ABC News, PBS CBS, and the host of his own CNBC special, “Open Exchange with Todd Buchholz.” He is a best-selling author, has written articles for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Reader’s Digest, and has been a keynote speaker for groups such as Microsoft, IBM, Goldman Sachs and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Buchholz is co-producer of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys.” He has an M.A. in economics from Cambridge and a law degree from Harvard, and he received the Allyn Young Teaching Prize from the Harvard University Department of Economics.

Rainwater, executive director of the S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, was the guest speaker at the summit. He has a diverse background of nearly 30 years of economic and legal experience. Prior to his appointment as executive director in 2014, Rainwater served as chief economist and assistant general counsel to the S.C. Budget and Control Board, where he provided economic and revenue forecasts, fiscal analysis of tax law changes, and legal advice to board programs. He has also served as deputy state treasurer and general counsel, where he focused primarily on investments, debt, banking and cash management issues for the state and its agencies. A native of Columbia, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Clemson University, a master’s degree in economics from the University of South Carolina and a juris doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Salvino, CCU’s research economist, provided the economic outlook for the Grand Strand area. Salvino, associate professor of economics, joined the CCU faculty in 2007. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Marshall University in 1997, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from Georgia State University in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Previously, he was a research associate at the Fiscal Research Center in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. He has served as a financial research consultant for the CThree Group in Atlanta and taught economics at Georgia Military College.

All proceeds from the Growth Summit benefited the Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development. The center, which was recently named after Tony and Carrie Grant, serves as an information hub for real estate and economic data, and provides an industry-focused, collaborative environment where students, faculty members and the real estate industry can gain and share knowledge, information and international real estate business experiences.