OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – Oklahoma’s deputy secretary of state will lead a new office that was recently created to revitalize economic development in the state through focused business recruitment and retention efforts.
Gov. Kevin Stitt tapped Evan Brown to lead the Oklahoma Office of Economic Development, Growth, and Expansion (OkEDGE). Stitt signed the bill that creates OkEDGE into law in June.
“Evan has a knack for economic policy that will help make Oklahoma the most attractive state for investment and opportunity,” Stitt said. “Evan knows what businesses need to be successful and he’ll play a crucial role in expanding our economy like never before. We’ve made incredible progress in making Oklahoma the best state for business, and I expect Evan’s leadership to take us to the next level.”
As deputy secretary of state, Brown worked closely with members Stitt’s administration to advance pro-business policies, support economic growth and encourage capital investment, according to officials with the governor’s office.
He was previously the director of legislative affairs and the deputy director of business development at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, playing a crucial role in recruiting new businesses to the state, as well as supporting existing industry in Oklahoma.
OkEDGE will exist within the Department of Commerce.
“I’m honored to take on this role and join the team at Commerce,” Brown said. “There’s never been a more exciting time to do business in Oklahoma, and EDGE will be a driving force that moves the needle on economic development. I’m thankful for Governor Stitt’s Top Ten vision for our state, and look forward to working with local businesses and economic development professionals to make Oklahoma the best state in the nation to do business.”
Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, and Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond, wrote Senate Bill 1447 and House Bill 3252 – complimentary pieces of legislation that chart a new course for accelerating economic and business development in the state.
SB 1447 established the Oklahoma Office of Economic Development, Growth and Expansion (OkEDGE) and the Division of Community Outreach and Revitalization Enterprise (CORE) within the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The bill also created the Legislative Evaluation and Development (LEAD) Committee, a legislative committee that will review certain incentive packages for relocating or expanding businesses.
HB 3252 modified the functions and programs of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to ensure its focus is on economic development and community development.
The LEAD Committee is composed of five Senate members and five House members and is chaired by the Senate pro tem and House speaker. The committee will review and determine each economic development initiative’s viability and benefit to Oklahoma.
The committee is a legislative branch, therefore it will make economic development recommendations to the Department of Commerce as well as the Senate and House of Representatives, according to Hilbert.
OkEDGE will serve as the state’s leading entity in matters pertaining to economic development, with a focus on recruiting companies to either expand or start in Oklahoma, as well as retaining companies that already exist in Oklahoma. Its duties will be as follows:
- Being empowered to strategically drive opportunities for economic growth and diversification across the state;
- Collaborating with local, regional and state entities;
- Coordinating the funding and investment activities of each element of the state’s economic development efforts and marketing campaigns to achieve better results for the state’s recruitment and retention of businesses; and,
- Acting as the principal point of contact regarding investment in this state for public officials, businesses and the public.
CORE will focus on the long-term development of local communities to increase competitiveness and enhance economic opportunities. CORE’s duties will pertain to local economic opportunities and economic development, including, but not limited to the following:
- Creating new and higher-quality jobs for the people of the state through long-term development of local communities;
- Maintaining communication of information between the department and communities through regional organization and representation;
- Carrying out policy development and research in support of the long-term competitiveness of this state;
- Providing technical assistance to local communities in securing federal funding, incentive availability and community development;
- Providing assistance and funding in development of potential sites for economic development;
- Coordinating with other state agencies deploying federal and state funds for infrastructure development including, but not limited to, the Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Water Board and the Oklahoma Broadband Office; and,
- Assisting in compliance with the laws and regulations of economic incentives and economic development initiatives.
The original version of SB 1447 envisioned an entity that worked within the Department of Commerce, but was solely focused on economic development through business retention and recruitment. The entity would have been managed by a board of directors.
The bill was amended, with changes making OkEDGE part of Department of Commerce operations and scrapping the board of directors. The amended version of the bill added CORE to focus on developing Oklahoma communities so to make them more desirable for companies to remain in.
Osburn and Thompson said the essence of SB 1447 remains the same, with OkEDGE and CORE cooperating through unique functions to grow the state’s economy.
“They’ll be two separate divisions so that each division can be laser-focused on what it is that they do. The business recruiting and retention will be laser-focused on business recruiting and retention, and the community development side of things, which is kind of the rest of what Commerce does, can be laser-focused on that,” Osburn said. “They will work together, but they will have their singular focus, and I think that will work out way better.”
