JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)—The state of the economy has raised several questions, many of which East Tennessee State University aimed to answer at its annual economic forum.

The forum served as an opportunity for local officials, business leaders and other community members to gain insight into the current economic standing in the Tri-Cities region. Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear from ETSU faculty and outside partners about a variety of topics.

“We have some external speakers that are going to talk about things like the housing market and entrepreneurship and the workforce development,” ETSU Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance Taylor Stevenson said.

Stevenson added that the forum continues to stay relevant throughout the years.

“Everybody has experienced the inflation over the past couple of years,” Stevenson said. “And we know how that is impactful to everyone and everyone that buys groceries and everyone that buys houses. And we’ve seen the housing market change a lot over the past three or four years.”

This year’s keynote speaker, John Silva with Dynamic Economic Strategy, gave the audience a look into national economics. He spoke about several aspects of the economy from tariffs to the stock market to prices at the grocery store.

“This election is specifically [meant] to be very different,” Silva said. “It’s a break from the past and that’s why I think you’ve got so much volatility in the stock market, volatility with respect to our allies, Canada, Mexico, the European Union. What’s going on? It’s change and a significant change.”

Silva also commented on rising prices, using history as a way to look towards the future.

“The history of tariffs is that they will raise prices and those prices stay higher for a longer period of time unless there’s a recession of sorts,” Silva said. “And we saw it. And we know that when we see aluminum and steel prices and tariffs in the past, we put a tariff on aluminum and steel. Those prices rose, they did not go down to the old level when the tariffs were removed.”

With everything going on, Silva said the best thing for the region to do is look ahead.

“The reality is, people are moving here,” Silva said. “I think you have to look forward, and I think a number of the speakers focused on the opportunities going forward in terms of this region.”

But some said there is a sense of optimism. Following the forum, those attending said they left feeling good about the future.

“We heard a lot about the tariffs today and potential impacts,” President of TCAT Elizabethton Heath McMillian said. “But at the end of the day, I think everyone’s optimistic. And as long as we’re communicating together, then you see growth here.”