Two successful Atlanta-based entrepreneurs with positive outlooks on the future of their enterprises and the U.S. economy clashed with the more somber views of Rajeev Dhawan, at the Feb. 10 IndUS Entrepreneurs (Tie Atlanta) meeting.

Dr. Dhawan is a professor at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and director of the university’s Economic Forecasting Center. He was the main speaker at the event co-hosted by Tie and the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce that drew some 250 attendees.

During his presentation, he said that unlike previous recoveries that were accompanied by a strong bounce back in jobs, the economic climate today is plagued by a lack of investment spending. "Corporate spending is the only solution," he added. "Companies are extremely concerned that new investments will not guarantee future sales."

Following his presentation, Dr. Dhawan participated in a panel discussion with Rajiv Deshpande, who currently is CEO and founder of Pulseworks, an owner and operator of motion simulator attractions at sites such as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and CyberScrub, a security software developer.

He has founded and sold a number of companies including FrameFlow, a visual effects studio that was acquired by Sony Pictures.

Vibha Rustagi, president and CEO of Itaas Inc., a provider of digital broadband service, also participated in the panel discussion. Itaas also serves cellular providers, set-top manufacturers, application and content developers and middleware and operating system providers.

She was optimistic about the prospects for her company because of the attention broadband was getting from communications giants AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. as well as satellite companies.

Mr. Deshpande argued that because of the economic crisis consumers of entertainment would be looking for less expensive forms of entertainment. The sorts of products that he and Ms. Rustagi were developing would benefit from this trend, he said.

Dr. Dhawan granted that some sectors would benefit even during the current downturn, including some environmental jobs in the “green sector,” but that they would amount to “drop in a bucket” compared to what was necessary to put 8 ½ million Americans back to work.

Dr. Dhawan added that among many factors he is following car sales and the earnings of the General Electric Co., a multinational firm with a presence in a wide variety of economic sectors, particularly closely as gauges of the U.S.'s economic comeback.

Car sales will have to amount to an annual sustained level of more than 13 million before he said he considers consumers back in the marketplace. And GE’s earnings will have to improve before he has confidence in the U.S.’s comeback in the global economy.

The Tie group jointly hosted the event for the first time at the Ravinia Club with the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce accounting for the large turnout.

Dr. Dhawan said that a recovery would not occur until U.S companies start investing once again. He also discounted the impact of foreign direct investment.

C. N. “Madhu” Madhusudan, president of Tie Atlanta, served as the master of ceremonies and Stan Sthanunathan, president of the Georgia Indo-American chamber, attended the meeting.

The Indus Entrepreneurs is a global nonprofit organization that fosters entrepreneurs, networking and integrating businesspeople of South Asian origin into the American mainstream. It was founded in Silicon Valley, Calif., in 1992 and has expanded to 15 chapters in three countries with nine in the U.S., one in Canada, and five in India.

The Georgia Indo-American chamber was launched in Atlanta in 2000.