Since June 2008, Wendell Cox has been speaking all over the United States educating people on energy demand trends. Many factors—including population and economic growth as well as other lifestyle trends like consumer electronics purchases, energy use in the home and, of course, on the road—lead to increased energy consumption both in the United States and abroad, particularly in developing nations.
He has been delivering his message to places where it matters most—growing metropolitan areas. To date, Mr. Cox has spoken in nine states at 12 events comprising Rotary Clubs, chambers of commerce, economic organizations and energy conferences.
Below, please find more information about the places he has been and what makes them important in terms of energy demand.
St. Louis
Mr. Cox gave his first Energy Demand Road Show presentation to members of the Rotary Club of St. Louis on June 12. Greater St. Louis is the 16th largest metropolitan area in the United States with a population of more than 2.8 million.
Click here to listen to Mr. Cox’s interview on KFTK-FM’s Allman and Crane Show.
Greenville, S.C.
Mr. Cox gave his second presentation to members of the North Greenville Rotary Club on July 18. Greenville is the largest city in The Upstate, which is the northwest region of South Carolina and the fastest-growing region in the state.
Click here to read an article in the Greenville News.
Dallas
Mr. Cox gave his third presentation to members of the Rotary Club of Dallas on Aug. 13. He brought his message to Dallas because the area is booming—the Dallas-Fort Worth area was ranked first in population growth in the nation, increasing by 162,250 people from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007. The U.S. Census reported that two of Dallas’s suburbs ranked third and 10th, on the bureau's list of fastest-growing cities. As the area expands, the city of Dallas has instituted energy efficiency measures and sustainability goals for a variety of local businesses and utilities.
Lake Charles, La.
Mr. Cox gave his fourth presentation to members of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance on Aug. 14. The Alliance is located in Lake Charles, La., the fifth-largest city in Louisiana and a major petrochemical refining center.
Click here to read an article in the American Press.
Austin, Texas
Mr. Cox gave his fifth presentation to members of the Rotary Club of Austin on Aug. 19. As the third-fastest-growing city in the nation, Austin is heavily affected by our nation’s rising demand for energy.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Austin’s population has increased by 27.9 percent from 2000 to 2007, and another 2.9 percent since 2007. Energy consumption in Austin reached a record level in June 2008 and continues to rise.
Atlanta
The first in a series of joint events featuring former Congressman Charles Stenholm (D-Texas) and Mr. Cox, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted the pair for its public affairs meeting in Atlanta on Sept. 12. Public and government affairs representatives from Chamber member organizations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia attended the event.
Columbia, S.C.
Mr. Cox gave his seventh presentation to members of the Columbia World Affairs Council on Sept. 15. He appeared as part of the “Distinguished Speaker” series, which presents international experts and policymakers speaking on current issues.
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in South Carolina.
Click here to read Mr. Cox’s op-ed in The State. Click here to read an article in the Midlands Biz News LLC. The Midlands is an area made up of eight counties surrounding Columbia.
Phoenix
Mr. Cox gave his eighth presentation to members of the Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Business Economics on Sept. 23.
Did you know that Phoenix is ranked among the fastest-growing cities in the United States? The metropolitan area grew from 3.3 million in 2000 to 4.2 million in 2007. State projections forecast a population of 7.1 million by 2030—nearly as large as the San Francisco Bay Area is today. A century ago, Phoenix was not even among the 100 most populous cities in America.
Click here to read an article published in the Phoenix Business Journal on Sept. 23. Click here to listen to Mr. Cox’s interview on KFNN-AM’s Business for Breakfast.
Murrieta, Calif. (Lake Elsinore)
Mr. Cox gave his ninth presentation to members of the Economic Development Council of Southwest California on Sept. 25. The Southwest California region comprises Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore and Riverside, among others, and is an hour drive from Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. It is also one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation.
Click here to read Mr. Cox’s op-ed in The Business Press.
Hartford, Conn.
Mr. Cox gave his 10th presentation to attendees of the "What’s the Deal?" Business and Energy Conference presented by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and the Connecticut Power and Energy Society on Oct. 10. He served as the luncheon’s keynote speaker, presenting to more than 250 attendees.
Connecticut had the highest per capita income in the United States in 2007—that is 10 percent above second place New Jersey and more than one-third higher the national per capita average. This keeps Connecticut’s purchasing power and energy demand at a steady rate.
Aurora, Colo.
Mr. Cox gave his 11th presentation to members of the Rotary Club of Aurora on Oct. 15.
Did you know that the city of Aurora is Colorado’s fastest-growing city? People are moving to the Denver-Aurora-Boulder metropolitan area from all over the United States, especially from more costly housing markets like California. So it is no surprise that the region is one of the fastest-growing in America, ranking seventh among metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million people. According to the 2000 census, the Denver-Aurora urban area was denser than Chicago and 20 percent denser than Portland, Ore.
Click here to listen to Mr. Cox’s interview on KOA-AM.
San Antonio
Mr. Cox gave his 12th presentation to the San Antonio Business and Economics Society on Oct. 22.
The San Antonio metropolitan area is one of the fastest-growing in the nation. From 2000 to 2007, San Antonio’s net domestic migration was 7.7 percent—by comparison, San Diego (often compared to San Antonio in domestic migration) dropped by 4 percent.
Click here to read Mr. Cox’s op-ed in the San Antonio Express-News.