Brownwood native Roy Spence, Jr. will speak Friday in Brownwood at the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit presented by TexasBank.

Spence was co-founder and chairman of GSD&M Idea City, the agency that helped grow some of the world’s most successful brands including Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart and BMW.  He has been a trusted advisor to legendary business leaders including Sam Walton and Southwest Airlines founder, Herb Kelleher.  Most recently, Spence co-founded The Purpose institute, a consulting firm dedicated to helping people and organizations discover and live their lives with the understanding that purpose drives performance.

The economic summit will also feature an overview of the local economy for the past year. The program will include sales tax, employment, and real estate information as well as an update on local retail recruitment efforts.

The summit will take place Friday, April 27th at Howard Payne University’s Jackson Room of the Meyer Leadership Center from 9am to 1pm.  The cost is $20 which can be paid at the door and includes lunch.

Sponsors for the event include TexasBank, Brownwood Board of Realtors, Brownwood Economic Development Corporation, Abilene Regional Airport, Brownwood Industrial Foundation, Brownwood Regional Medical Center, Coldwell Banker-Mark Campbell and Associates, and Mills County State Bank.