Dr. Marc Fusaro, Associate Professor of Economics and the Director of the Center for Business and Economic Development 
at Emporia State University, announced at our Rotary Club meeting a new ESU Economic Index produced by the Center for Business and Economic Development at ESU. According to Dr. Fusaro, this index will provide more timely information on our local Kansas economy than other economic indicators that are not typically available until several months later. To be rolled out at the Emporia Area Economic Outlook Conference on October 26 at ESU, this index will utilize several metrics that are combined into a single index providing economic indicators estimating the state of the local Kansas economy. Various metrics included in the index are those that measure the Kansas labor market, the Kansas housing market, and Kansas import & export data. The results are to be compared to other states in our region. Data for the second quarter of 2017 provide an early indication of a continuing upward economic movement for Kansas.