The Sacramento Regional Research Institute Adds Expertise through Partnership with Sacramento State University

Sacramento, Calif. – Two economists from Sacramento State’s Department of Economics have joined the team of the Sacramento Regional Research Institute (SRRI), a joint venture of California State University, Sacramento and SACTO, the region’s leading economic development organization.

Dr. Stephen J. Perez earned his Ph.D. in Economics in 1994 from the University of California, Davis after earning a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. He is currently the chair of the Economics Department at California State University, Sacramento which he joined in 2001. From 1997 to 2001, Dr. Perez was a member of the Economics Department at Washington State University and from 1994 to 1997, he was a member of the Economics Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Perez has published research on topics such as macroeconomics and monetary policy as well as econometrics, causality, and sports economics. 

Dr. Suzanne O'Keefe is an Assistant Professor of Economics at California State University, Sacramento. She earned her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1999, and conducts research in the fields of public finance and labor economics. Current research interests include migration within California, the effect of the living wage on disposable income, and the effectiveness of enterprise zones.

Dr. Perez and Dr. O’Keefe will provide the Institute with overall strategic direction and guidance, research expertise and staff training, and serve as media experts on the regional economy.  They will also be responsible for assisting the Institute’s marketing and new business development.  Dr. Robert Fountain will leave SRRI to pursue a venture to supportfaculty research at Sacramento State.

Since its inception in 2001, SRRI provides businesses, government entities and non-profit organizations unique economic and demographic research expertise to help them realize their economic development objectives. In the past four years, SRRI has doubled staff, and experienced a 250 percent increase in research work. Some of the Institute’s most notable projects include the Sacramento Region Life Sciences and Medical Devices Industry Study, the Economic Benefits of Housing in California, the Highway 50 Corridor Economic Development Study, and the California Business Scorecard.  Through their affiliation with SACTO, SRRI staff plays a key role in attracting business to the region by providing research and data to businesses looking to locate or expand here.  Additionally, the region benefits from a joint SRRI/Sacramento State internship program that connects students with a real-life work environment and valuable research experience.

“The addition of Dr. Perez and Dr. O’Keefe is an important point in the evolution of the Institute. It will allow us to increase our portfolio of high quality clients and work.  It will also strengthen SRRI’s position as a leading economic resource for the region’s business and research communities,” said Gary Orr, SACTO Chairman and Wells Fargo Senior Vice President.

“Sacramento State is dedicated to advancing research regarding the many social and economic issues affecting the region and the state, and our partnership with SRRI is a vital part of our mission,” said Ric Brown, Sacramento State’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

 
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About SRRI:

The Sacramento Regional Research Institute (SRRI) provides knowledge and tools to help organizations – inside and outside the Sacramento Region - be successful. It acquires, analyzes and distributes economic information for the purpose of providing a greater understanding of the regional and statewide economies. Businesses, government entities, and non-profit organizations, inside and outside the Sacramento Region, look to SRRI’s unique economic and demographic research expertise to help them work smarter and more competitively in realizing their economic development objectives.  Their primary services include Economic and Demographic Profiles, Industry Studies, Economic and Tax Impact Studies, Market and Feasibility Analyses, Workforce Studies, Economic Development Strategies, Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation Support, and Site Selection Information and Research.