CANFIELD — In its effort to lure, develop and retain coveted workforce talent, the Mahoning Valley is well-positioned to accomplish the task, a noted economist and Warren native said Thursday.

If successful, the Valley 25 years from now will be different from what residents live in today, Dr. Gary Wagner said.

The Warren G. Harding and Youngstown State University graduate served as keynote speaker during the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s annual meeting at Waypoint 4180. He also was honored as one of the Chamber’s two Valley Champion Award recipients.

Editor of the economic journal “Public Finance Review,” Wagner is a professor of economics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He served as vice president and senior regional officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland from 2016 through 2018.

“‘People population’ attracting and retaining ‘population people’ are the best economic resources that we have,” he said to presenter Mike McGiffin, Lake to River Economic Development, and an audience that totaled 500. “So attracting and retaining people are really important.”

Play to the Valley’s strengths, Wagner said in response to one McGiffin question.

“We recognize this region as ‘hammer swingers’ and ‘car pushers,’ we have a strong sense of pride in our ability to manufacture and produce,” McGiffin said. “How do we harness that and use it as a competitive advantage?”

“One of the things that really stands out to me about the Valley and its residents here is just the general work ethic,” Wagner said. “Every place I’ve ever lived, people claim they have a really strong work ethic, but I think one of the things that’s true is folks from the Valley absolutely have.”

He also urged Valley business leaders to leverage and expand a business relationship with Youngstown State University.

Wagner pointed to the success found in Austin, Texas.

“They’ve got some tremendous partnerships with the local business community, and the University of Texas at Austin in terms of their incubator,” he said. “They’ve been very successful in marrying people who want to invest in entrepreneurs who have ideas and talent at the university to create hundreds of new businesses over the last 20 years so to the extent that you can bring all that talent together and move it in the same direction.

“I would like to see Youngstown (State University) get involved as a driver of economic development partnering with Lake to River and partnering with the local chamber

He also proposed committing to those attracted to the area.

“Investing in those people and investing in basic education and workforce, the people who are most likely to live in the Valley 20 years from now are the people who live here today,” Wagner said. “Making those investments in those people that are gonna pay off dividends in the future.

“Housing is important, but quality of life is gonna matter a lot more in the future than it did in the past because now there’s a disconnect between where people live and where people can work.”