How Will Boomers, Millennials Affect Entrepreneurism?

They say that “demographics is destiny.” But exactly how is the U.S. economy going to change as Baby Boomers retire and Millennials assume a larger role in the workplace?

Wendy Guillies, the acting head of the Kauffman Foundation, is going to dig into that question next Wednesday during the organization’s sixth annual State of Entrepreneurship address.

Guillies will give her presentation at 11 a.m. Feb. 11 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Viewers in Kansas City can catch the livestream at this site.

The yearly speech is a Kauffman effort to call attention to the overarching trends influencing business creation and growth, and to put forward possible solutions. Last year, for example, the foundation looked at the problem of regulation reform and proposed an independent Regulatory Improvement Commission that would review federal rules and make suggestions.

The Kauffman president and CEO will be joined onstage by SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

They’ll be followed by a panel discussion including members of Congress, experts on Boomers and advocates for Millennials. They will talk about policies that could encourage (or discourage) Boomers and Millennials from pursuing an entrepreneurial path. Mark Zandi, the chief economist from Moody’s Analytics, will serve as the moderator.

You can share your opinions, too, through a Kauffman-backed survey. What kinds of changes would help create more entrepreneurs? And do you think Millennials or Boomers are going to have a greater influence on business creation?