Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, convened state leaders, trade consultants and innovators on the State Capitol final week to current findings from an interim research on Oklahoma’s innovation economic system and the challenges dealing with companies throughout the state.
This is Hill’s eighth annual research on this matter. He informed attendees that he has pursued this research yearly as a result of the enterprise panorama within the state is frequently evolving.
“I believe we’ll be able to identify certain factors that have changed since we began this work,” Hill said. “And I hope by that, we can actually find solutions to current problems for our largest employers across this great state.”
The research, which included displays from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), the Oklahoma Defense Industry Association (ODIA), and the Oklahoma City Innovation District, highlighted measurable progress towards a coordinated innovation framework statewide.
Dr. Krista Ratliff, president and CEO of Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator (FISTA) Innovation Park in Lawton, informed attendees about how FISTA transformed underused actual property right into a thriving protection innovation hub and is now residence to twenty-eight companions. Ratliff stated she frequently receives questions on replicate FISTA’s mannequin in different states.
“No one can do it like FISTA,” she added.
Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) Executive Director Dr. Jennifer McGrail shared about how the company helps startups entry capital and connections.
“Our commitment is clear: innovation in Oklahoma is statewide,” McGrail stated. “A founder in Woodward or McAllister or Guymon deserves the same access to the resources as does a founder in downtown Oklahoma City or Tulsa.”
She stated OCAST has already begun to handle entry to capital by eradicating some funding limitations and are actually figuring out pathways that assist startups transfer from idea to buyer. She stated Oklahoma wants to pay attention on transferring from singular successes to a “coordinated statewide innovation economy.”
“The real question before us is what should come next for Oklahoma?” McGrail said. “We’ve proven that startups can thrive here. We’ve proven that investment, talent and bold ideas exist in every region. Now our challenge is to connect them, scale them and position them to compete nationally.”
She stated that, along with closing capital gaps and focusing on the long run, Oklahoma should start by rewarding innovation and risk-taking relatively than merely incentivizing “what’s familiar and safe.”
Wheeler Bio CEO Pat Lucy stated of the 42 new workers employed within the final yr, 80% of them have been Oklahomans. He additionally identified how one of many largest challenges their firm faces is out-of-state journey, which has been a headache as they work with shoppers from throughout the nation. He suggested working with airways to extend frequency of flights to biotech hubs, like Boston or San Francisco, to assist the sector develop within the state.
Other audio system included Petroleum Alliance President Brook Simmons; Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Amarie Bartel; Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey; Oklahoma Defense Industry Association Executive Director Allyson Carson; Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics Executive Director Grayson Ardies; Dr. Sharon Harrison representing Harrison Consulting Group; Oklahoma Motion Picture Alliance Chair Cassidy Lunnen; Chase Beasley with Tulsa Innovation Lab; OKC Innovation District President and CEO Jeff Seymour; and Chuck Gray, chair of the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Economic Development.
Hill stated that an innovation economic system and a thriving workforce is essential for Oklahoma.
“Regardless of partisanship and all of the rural versus urban divide, at the end of the day, we all want better for our children and our grandchildren than what we had,” he said. “And by investing in ourselves and infrastructure across this great state, not just two urban hubs, but literally moving our state towards the idea of 10 economic hubs [where] every kid is within one hour of an economic opportunity, that, to me, is success for our long-term play.”