The Philadelphia Mastermind Group had the opportunity to hear from Paul Flora from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Mr. Flora discussed the 10-year period of economic expansion and talked about the indicators of the strength of the economy, both locally and nationally. He discussed the GDP growth rate (which was a surprising 3.2%), the comparison of growth among states, low unemployment rates, the leveling off of the labor force participation rate (with a rise among prime age workers), the accelerated wage growth, the low inventory in the housing market and the steady decline of manufacturing jobs. The group related personal experiences from their own industries and discussed the possibilities of a future slow down.