Oklahoma
Business
Roundtable
The Impact of OBR
Economic development is attracting and growing businesses, retaining and creating jobs, and making our communities a better place to live. The Oklahoma Business Roundtable serves as a vital player in the state’s comprehensive economic development program – working directly with key public and private sector partners to market state assets and grow the economy.
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"Companies are moving to Oklahoma for its' great economy and quality of life."
Recruiting New Business & Talent to Oklahoma
Locating new companies and investment to Oklahoma means more jobs and spurs wealth creation for our communities. The Roundtable annually supports over 100 projects to help secure this important part of the economic development process. New jobs have multiplying effects – for example, it is estimated that one new manufacturing job helps create three additional jobs within the supply and sales chain.
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New locating companies and investments include:
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Advanced Call Center Technologies, Norman (Business Services)
Amazon, OKC & Tulsa (Distribution)
Canoo, Pryor (Automotive)
ClearSign Technologies, Tulsa (Headquarters)
Consumer Cellular, OKC (Business Services)
LUFKIN Industries, Claremore (Manufacturing)
Milo's Tea, Tulsa (Manufacturing)
Northern Data, Pryor (IT)
Signify Health, OKC (Business Services)
Sofidel, Enola (Advanced Manufacturing
Traverse Wind Energy/PSO, Western Oklahoma
USA Rare Earth, Stillwater (Advanced Technology
Woodside, Ardmore (Energy)
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8,100 New Jobs
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Oklahoma's growth is evidenced by a growing workforce. Companies understand that a vibrant economy means more talent is coming to Oklahoma every year.
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Competitive Average Wages
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Because of Oklahoma's low cost of living, higher wages means a better lifestyle. This is extremely attractive for companies looking to attract employees who don't want just a job, but a better way of life.
Expanding Oklahoma Companies
The bulk of Oklahoma’s economic success is the result of expanding business.
Recent company expansions include:
BrucePak, Durant
CaptiveAire Systems, Muskogee
Georgia Pacific, Muskogee
Goodyear, Lawton
Google, Pryor
Kratos Aerospace, OKC
PepsiCo, Lawton
Whirlpool, Tulsa
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OBR encourages B2B & Supplier connections
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The Roundtable, with its partners, annually supports dozens of projects to assist established Oklahoma companies – with plant expansion, infrastructure and trade development, finance programs, workforce development and training.
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Programs include:
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B2B & Supplier Connections
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We support bimonthly B2B supplier networking sessions with Oklahoma manufacturers – to inform and help grow their existing operations.
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We support targeted domestic and international trade missions – such as:
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The Farnborough Air Show (July 2022) – the world’s largest aerospace and defense show. Oklahoma has a significant marketing presence here – including trade show pavilion promoting Oklahoma companies and products, briefing events for new prospects hosted by state leaders.
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MRO America Trade Show – Atlanta (2023) annual aerospace and defense show – which allow Oklahoma companies to market their products and services.
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Battery Show & SEMA – Automotive Trade Events.
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We support Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects to encourage global companies to locate in Oklahoma and to partner with existing OK companies. Major projects include participation in the Select USA Trade Show in Washington, DC and ongoing engagement of an international site location consulting firm - who helps direct business to the state.
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Working with Commerce, we helped create the new Connex platform- a unique Supply Chain database of over 400 Oklahoma companies which connects manufacturers both in-state and with global suppliers.
"The Roundtable provides a unique opportunity for the public and private sectors to connect and interact on economic development issues."
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"Promoting Oklahoma companies means everybody wins."
Marketing Oklahoma to the World
Oklahoma is well positioned to welcome new corporate investment and talent. Telling our positive story is a vital part of the economic development process.
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Focused Marketing Campaign
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OBR is directly involved with the Commerce Department and partners in funding and helping with the creation of ad campaigns and promotional events to targeted regions and business sectors.
A combined in-state, domestic and international marketing effort helps promote existing companies and their products/services, the state’s opportunities for business and our unique quality of life attributes. Target audiences include corporate decision makers, site selection consultants, real estate and finance advisors.
Campaign platforms include advertising, social media (such as Facebook), direct marketing and promotion events and briefings. Messaging highlights Oklahoma’s overall low cost for business and living available sites, industry sectors and opportunities, incentives and culture.
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Oklahoma has a great resource for anyone looking for great brochures highlighting Oklahoma's economic advantages.
Hosting & Visiting Business Prospects
As a result of Oklahoma’s ongoing marketing efforts, companies and business consultants routinely target the state for potential jobs and investment projects. Once a prospect (projects that include information such as an amount of jobs, investment, timetable and site needs) is identified, the local community and/or state team begins confidential communication with the client to further advance the project. Oklahoma’s business location process is “client-directed” and most often requires direct discussions and visits with the prospect. The process of site selection is a process of elimination to identify the “best possible” location – and some clients might visit the state several times before making a final decision.
The Roundtable provides targeted funding to assist state and community leaders when prospects/site consultants visit the state and when projects require confidential out-of-state visits. This also includes consultant familiarization tours of the state, trade events, and one/one briefings.
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Hosting Events for Site Selectors and Visiting Businesses
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Oklahoma Business Roundtable helps host visiting companies interested in investing in or relocating to Oklahoma.
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The Department of Commerce, Select Oklahoma, and the Governor's International Team have accessible calendars that highlight the latest business and promotion/trade events happening in Oklahoma, the nation and at international venues.
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Familiarization Tours for Site Consultants
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OBR often coordinates tours for Site Consultants in order to strategically highlight important areas that are rife for development and expansion. This means we can take a more targeted approach to focused windows of opportunities around the state.
"Roundtable project funding helps leverage state and private sector support many times over."
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"Our state's economy expands when our workforce is stronger."
Preparing Communities for Economic Development Success
Oklahoma’s economic development product is its communities, companies and workforce. Companies don’t just locate in regions or states – they locate specifically in communities. A community that is not well prepared for business growth (infrastructure; workforce, education and training; certified industrial sites; and pro-business attitude) has little chance of economic development success. The Roundtable supports several projects to help advance community economic development.
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Select Oklahoma membership includes over 130 professionals representing economic development organizations, utilities, non-profits, and higher education.
Connex Oklahoma is a powerful supply chain database tool for the manufacturing industry and was developed to support the Supply Chain Oklahoma Initiative.
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Shovel Ready Site Development and Marketing
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Oklahoma provides numerous shovel-ready sites (sites prepared for immediate development) that are perfect for businesses around the state. OBR helps to identify these sites and present to interested parties ready to go.
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Strategic Planning
Roundtable members continue to play a vital role in helping advise state leaders regarding the current progress and vision for the state’s economic development effort.
Strategic meetings and information gathering
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OBR provides multiple opportunities to meet, network, and gather knowledge about the health of the economy and to help identify next-steps for businesses. We coordinate with the Governor's office, State Leaders, and other OBR Members in order to gather data through listening and planning sessions.
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Targeting key industries
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OBR works closely with the Commerce Department by coordinating brainstorming meetings targeting key industries in Oklahoma. By doing this, strategies can be developed that help advance growing and expanding businesses that elevate Oklahoma's status as a progressive and leading state for economic growth in the U.S.
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"We not only sell Oklahoma today, we're working on plans that affect Oklahoma tomorrow."
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“Networking is not about just connecting people. It's about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities." - Michele Jennae
