Top leaders from the NFL Network, Harkins Theatres, the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), and the Arizona Diamondbacks are among those who will take the stage during the new season of the Economic Club of Phoenix speaker series. Every year, Phoenix-area audiences are invited to attend the club’s luncheons and hear from some of the biggest names in the business world.

“We want Valley businesspeople to be able to hear from the heads of major local companies and top executives from international firms,” says W. P. Carey School of Business Dean Robert Mittelstaedt. “This series brings leaders from a variety of industries to talk about what’s happening in their own companies, as well as in the business arena as a whole.”

The Economic Club of Phoenix (ECP) was founded by a group of prominent business executives called the Dean’s Council of 100, in conjunction with the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. The club is now the preeminent Arizona forum for the exchange of ideas about business and the economy. Its monthly luncheons and other activities offer business leaders and others opportunities to network and engage.

This season’s speaker lineup (subject to change) is:

Thursday, Oct. 11 – Dan Harkins, owner and chief executive officer, Harkins Theatres
Thursday, Nov. 8 – William Toler, president and chief executive officer, AdvancePierre Foods
Wednesday, Jan. 23 – Derrick Hall, president and chief executive officer, Arizona Diamondbacks
February – TBA
Wednesday, March 13 – Kim Williams, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, NFL Business Ventures/NFL Network
Thursday, April 25 – Maj. Gen. Josue Robles Jr., president and chief executive officer, United Services Automobile Association (USAA), Dean’s Council of 100 Executive of the Year
Thursday, May 16 – Annual Economic Outlook Luncheon

All luncheons run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The first event will take place at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, with the rest of the locations still to be announced.

Non-members are welcome for a $75 luncheon fee. Funds in excess of the cost of lunch are used to support scholarships and faculty research at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

For more information about the club or to reserve seats, call (480) 727-0596, e-mail wpcarey.ecp@asu.edu or go to www.econclubphx.org.