• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Oklahoma’s new economic development initiative

By Becky McCray

Oklahoma’s economy is strong, even though the national economy is not. We’ve benefited from a strong energy sector as we produce oil and gas. How will Oklahoma stay strong as things continue to change? The Oklahoma Department of Commerce reported on the state’s new economic development initiative in their newsletter, Community Developer.

Electrical Wind turbine
Wind power is a significant energy sector
in Western Oklahoma. 

The state evaluated industries based on wealth generation, growth potential, and competitive advantage. They have picked out the five strongest industries:

  • Aerospace and Defense
  • Energy
  • Agriculture and Biosciences
  • Information and Financial Services
  • Transportation and Distribution

“Instead of primarily focusing on business recruitment, the strategy addresses a broader set of policies that can expand and accelerate industries and infrastructure needs,” the Community Developer reported.

The listed actions are to:

  • train an appropriate workforce, 
  • remove unnecessary regulation, 
  • create pro-growth incentives, 
  • identify infrastructure needs and 
  • align the state’s policies so that they become even more competitive in the global economy 

Here’s the list of “high priority” industries for Oklahoma with examples and “ecosystems”.

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

  • Parts and Components Manufacturing
  • Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems

ENERGY

  • Machinery Manufacturing
  • Natural Gas Products
  • Distribution
  • Engineering Services

AGRICULTURE & BIOSCIENCES

  • Food Manufacturing
  • Commodity Production and Distribution
  • Fertilizer Manufacturing
  • Research and Development

INFORMATION & FINANCIAL SERVICES

  • Data Centers
  • Banking and Investment
  • Cyber Security
  • Computer Systems

TRANSPORTATION & DISTRIBUTION

  • Air, Rail Water and Pipeline
  • Equipment Manufacturing
  • Warehousing and Storage
  • Wholesale Brokers

Energy, Agriculture, and Transportation are all industries with a significant rural component.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
  • Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
  • 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022
  • Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value - December 17, 2022
  • Extra agritourism revenue from camping, cabins and RVs with HipCamp - December 12, 2022
  • Harvest Hosts attract vanlifers and RV tourists, Boondockers Welcome - December 2, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 marketing: Tell your founding story - December 1, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 Marketing: Tell your customers’ stories - November 30, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 Marketing: Introduce your people - November 29, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 Marketing: Share your holiday traditions - November 28, 2022

January 16, 2013 Filed Under: economic development

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2023 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in