KERN ECONOMY SHOWING SHIFTS.

Byline: Daily News

BAKERSFIELD - A report showing Kern County's economy has changed from a dependency on agriculture and oil to one supported by industry and services highlights the fifth annual Kern County Economic Summit.

The summit, scheduled March 29 in the Doubletree Hotel in Bakersfield, is jointly presented by California State University, Bakersfield, the Kern Economic Development Corp. and the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.

CSUB economics professor Abbas Grammy, publisher of the Kern Economic Journal, will tell summit attendees that a nearly 2-decade-old effort to diversify the county's economy has borne fruit, lowering unemployment to a rate not seen in decades.

The summit begins at 7 a.m. with registration and a full breakfast, followed at 7:30 a.m. by welcoming remarks by Leslie Golich, chairman of the Kern EDC board of directors; Soraya Coley, provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSUB; and Sheryl Barbich, chairwoman of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The summit will conclude by noon.

Registration is $50 in advance, or $75 at the door, and includes breakfast and a midday snack. Mail checks payable to Kern EDC and the registration form to Kern EDC, 2700 M St., Suite 200, Bakersfield, 93301. Registration forms are available at the Kern EDC Web site, www.kedc.com.

For more information, call the Kern EDC, [phone], or Grammy at [phone].