Oklahoma is a good spot for organization. We see it in the strength of our business enterprise natural environment. It’s documented with Oklahoma obtaining the third speediest-developing financial state in the country during the past reported quarter and with us staking our assert as the 10th swiftest-expanding web-in migration point out in 2022. In 2022 on your own, 327 businesses appeared at Oklahoma for potential initiatives. Which is up 90% above 2018, and if you consider that selection is much too old, it’s extra than double what we observed in 2021. We have bundled up this factor known as freedom and chance and have marketed it to the planet, and they are getting it.
A person of the initial matters we did when Gov. Kevin Stitt came into business was adjust the mission of the Oklahoma Section of Commerce. Our mission statement generally has been some variation of “creating high-excellent jobs,” on the other hand I never believe that Commerce generates careers. Commerce’s purpose, and our mission, is “to create an Surroundings the place Oklahoma Firms are empowered to build careers.” The cards on the table are not just incentives and internet site selection, but also small business allowing, taxation, expense of performing business enterprise and support solutions.
As you very likely know, one of the entities intrigued in joining today’s Oklahoma was Volkswagen. We worked with them to place their most recent battery cell producing plant at MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor. Dozens of experts on the condition and area levels worked for months to satisfy their requires and offer anexcellent location for them to be rewarding. At the conclude of the working day, they decided to locate nearer to their offer chain and proceed to access Inflation Reduction Act incentives, and that suggests we misplaced out to our neighbors to the north, Canada.
Getting the silver medal in financial development does not shell out pretty very well, specifically in the general public arena. With Volkswagen, Oklahoma conquer out extra than 100 other web sites across the United States ― areas like California, Ohio, Florida, Texas and Mississippi. Immediately after seeking at many sites and considering varying small business environments, they decided that ours was the finest in the United States. When we did not wander away with the offer, I’m left with a tremendous quantity of encouragement that ahead of far too prolonged, one particular of these huge projects is heading to land right here.
It disappoints me that some people imagine mainly because one particular corporation made a enterprise decision to track down closer to asupply chain alternatively than find in our condition it by some means signifies Oklahoma is failing. That’s absolutely not the tale the figures explain to. We are more robust than any one undertaking. The legacy firms of our point out are the backbone of our financial state. During 2022, Commerce assisted more than 800 present firms in a selection of strategies including, but not limited to, the awarding of particular organization grants, money and other money help. We will keep on to serve as the conduit of achievement for corporations in Oklahoma. Good providers ― Oklahoma grown or recruited ― like Boeing, Activity Chassis, Google, Optomi, BrucePak, Parrish Enterprises, Sofidel, Navistar, Horizon Ag, Seaboard, Flogistix, Spiers New Engineering and Bar S Meals ― the list goes on and on.
Oklahoma is a shining star in The us proper now, and we need to be proud of where by we have occur from and wherever we are heading. We are fervently functioning to showcase the very best Oklahoma has to give, and the world is having see. The proof is in our project pipeline, our conversations with possible businesses, and just as importantly, the innovation and growth of our existing companies. It is all a make a difference of point of view.
Brent Kisling is govt director of the Oklahoma Office of Commerce.
