
Join NAIOP NWFL for the monthly What’s Up Chat Series. Rick Harper will present a Northwest Florida Economic Update.
Rick Harper received his BA in Economics from Guilford College in 1978, and an MA in 1986 and a PhD in 1989, both in Economics from Duke University. Rick worked as a professional economist from 1980 – 1984 at Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC, and at the University of West Florida (UWF) from 1989 until retiring in 2017. From 1996 – 2011 (except sabbatical and other time away) he served as Director of UWF’s Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, conducting numerous studies of the local, regional, and state economies and economic sectors. He then served as Executive Director of the UWF Office of Economic Development and Engagement, overseeing activities of the Haas Center and of the State Director’s Office of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network.