1. NAPCS as critical to the ability of the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican statistical agencies to develop sorely needed improvements in vital economic measures related to the growth of GDP, output, prices, productivity, and trade in today’s New Economy that is dominated by service industries.
   
   
2. An overview of NAPCS objectives, progress, plans, and international interest in NAPCS.
   
   
3. The central role played by industry experts from the private sector in developing NAPCS.

The balance of the morning session was devoted to the third topic– the central and vital role that industry outreach and expert participation plays in the NAPCS process. Mike Mohr, the U.S. Coordinator for NAPCS, indicated that expert participation is both the hallmark of the NAPCS process and the characteristic that is responsible for the international recognition and interest in NAPCS. Susan Powers, Chair of the U.S. subcommittee responsible for product development for most industries in NAICS sector 54– Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services– described the outreach activities and methods of her subcommittee, and she discussed the important contributions that expert participation played in the success achieved by the subcommittee. Finally, participants were provided a perspective from the experience of two industry experts that participated extensively in Phase I of NAPCS– Anne Griffith, Research Director, Software and Information Industry Association, and James Plasker, Executive Director, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Both highlighted how they participated, why their participation was important and useful to their industries, and encouraged their business colleagues for Phase II industries to participate in the NAPCS process.

During the afternoon, the four U.S. subcommittees for Phase II held their first (introductory) subcommittee meetings. These meetings were well attended by experts from many of the industries to be covered under Phase II. Subcommittee members and experts discussed the scope of industries to be covered by the subcommittee, issues related to defining products, procedures for industry expert participation, and assistance in obtaining participation from other experts. In addition, preliminary plans for organizing the subcommittee members into teams, selection of team leaders, and industry work assignments were discussed.