Meet our speakers

Keynote Speaker

Oren Cass

Founder & Chief Economist of American Compass

Oren Cass is the founder and chief economist of American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives: Restoring America’s Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry. He is a contributing opinion writer for the Financial Times and the New York Times. His 2018 book, The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America has been called “absolutely brilliant” by New York Times columnist David Brooks and “A brilliant book. And among the most important I’ve ever read” by Vice President JD Vance.

From 2005 to 2015, Oren worked as a management consultant in Bain & Company’s Boston and Delhi offices. During this period, he also earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was elected vice president and treasurer of the Harvard Law Review and oversaw the journal’s budget and operations. While still in law school, Oren also became Domestic Policy Director for Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, editing and producing the campaign’s “jobs book” and developing its domestic policy strategy, proposals, and research.

He joined the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow in 2015 and became a prolific scholar, publishing more than 15 reports for MI and editing its popular “Issues 2016” and “Issues 2020” series, testifying before seven congressional committees and speaking on dozens of college campuses. He founded American Compass at the start of 2020.

Keynote Speaker

Taylor St. Germain

Economist & Senior Consulting Speaker, ITR Economics

Economic Signals & Strategic Moves:
A Business Leader Briefing with Taylor St. Germain

Gain a clear, data-driven perspective on the trends shaping the industrial economy with Taylor St. Germain, economist at ITR Economics. In this fast-paced and practical session, Taylor will break down the latest forecasts, leading indicators, and industry insights that matter most to ISA members.

Learn where demand is building, where risks are emerging, and how to align your strategy and resources for growth in the year ahead.

You’ll leave with practical insights you can use right away – a clear roadmap for smarter decisions and long-term success in a shifting market.

ABOUT TAYLOR ST. GERMAIN

As an experienced economist, Taylor St. Germain provides consulting services for small businesses, trade associations, and Fortune 500 companies across a spectrum of industries. Taylor specializes in forecasting at both the market and company levels and is a key contributor to maintaining ITR Economics’ forecast accuracy rating of 94.7%.

His dynamic personality and extensive knowledge of economic trends and their business relevance are highly valued by clients and colleagues alike.

Taylor spent time in the tech industry providing market intelligence to electronics OEMs, semiconductor companies, and component manufacturers. In his five years with ITR Economics, he has worked with various distributors, manufacturers, and producers, helping each client navigate the business cycle and optimize their corporate planning strategy. Taylor has also spent several years in Texas furthering his research in the industrial sector, with a specific focus on oil and gas.

Taylor earned his bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of Vermont and is finishing a master’s degree in applied economics at Southern New Hampshire University. He has been featured in OEM Magazine, NALP, Lawn and Landscape, and on the Fab Lab and Wealth Formula podcasts.