OKC on map for tech?

[floater]

I was a cynic when it came to the location of CIBERsites in OKC, but it has gotten us some good attention about our workforce. From C/NET is an article that was syndicated to other tech journals and newspapers. You guys may have seen this already, but....

http://news.com.com/Made+in+lower-co...tml?tag=st.num

[mranderson]

Except for the fact the bonehead who wrote the article does not know what a major city is, it was a good article. Oklahoma City a midsized city? I suggest the author of the article pay us a visit.

[floater]

Mranderson, you're forgetting that most media call any metro under two million "flyover country"...

[Luke]

I thought the article was very positive. Great to hear OKC getting some national nods.

[floater]

I'm beginning to like this coverage. But being put in the same category as Sioux Falls irks me a bit:

http://www1.venturacountystar.com/vc...551004,00.html

[HOT ROD]

Thats ok for now. Look we have to start somewhere.

Im glad in the first article, the author at least talked about our population (although he should have used or at least mentioned the metro area and should have correctly stated the city - 523000 city and 1.25m metro).

And I agree, OKC is not a midsized city. Is Kansas City? or STL? OKC is city larger than both and metro not far behind.

But guys, dont get so bent out-of-shape with the lower comparisons. We are getting the spotlight (and jobs and people) which will only enhance OKC and pull us up further, into the +600k city and 1.5m metro by 2010. That is my vision and I think we will make it.

Plus, we could get our Congressman, that we lost in 2000, back! that district that returns, should be just OKC city as a legislative district - since OKC is the population and economic generator for the state.

[floater]

Arrhggg, here's the story from the Ventura County Star:

It's increasingly tough for firms to relocate here
High costs force businesses to leave; few replacing them

By Allison Bruce, abruce@VenturaCountyStar.com
February 16, 2005

The high cost of doing business in California and a renewed focus on the bottom line is driving businesses that once paid a premium for a top address to consider small Midwest towns, according to a location consultant.

That could mean tough years ahead when it comes to attracting new business to Ventura County, with its high cost of living and relatively high business costs, said John Boyd Jr., a consultant with The Boyd Co. of New Jersey. The company provides independent assessments and advises businesses on the value or cost of locating in certain areas.


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Boyd met this week with three clients who have facilities in Ventura County, which ranked eighth most expensive among 30 cities included in his firm's study.

It might be why few businesses have been approaching Ventura Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Zoe Taylor.

"I used to have quite a few call or talk to me ... but I haven't had a lot of that in the past year," she said.

It's a cost-prohibitive state

The cost of doing business in the state is generally prohibitive, keeping out some prospective companies, Taylor said. And there is only so much Ventura's ambience and quality of life can do to overcome the housing challenges. The city lacks affordable housing for employees, as well as executive housing that a chief executive of a major company would consider, she said.

Boyd presented a study to his clients -- whom he declined to identify --that looked at the cost for an information technology company to locate a corporate office with 125 people in 35,000 square feet of office space in 30 cities in the western and central United States, including 18 in California.

Ventura County's estimated annual operating costs for such a business was $11.2 million.

The cost of doing business was most expensive in San Francisco. Fresno was the least expensive city in the state, while Sioux Falls, S.D., was the least expensive city in the entire study.

Cities such as Phoenix or Denver have competed with California cities for business for years, Boyd said. But those areas also have grown increasingly more expensive. The latest trend has been to locate in the Southwest and Midwest -- places such as Oklahoma City or Sioux Falls.

"Companies are continuing to reevaluate the need to have a physical presence in the prohibitively expensive California marketplace," Boyd said.

Gary Wartik, manager of economic development for the city of Thousand Oaks, isn't worried about businesses relocating out of town. The challenge is that some companies might decide to expand outside the area, he said.

California struggles with the increasing cost of land, higher healthcare costs and legislation often deemed "business unfriendly," he said. Not to mention the high cost of living for employees.

"There are certainly some choke points to business and economic vitality," he said.

'Wait-and-see approach'

The state also stumbles on high corporate income and property taxes. Boyd said the efforts by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- preventing the increase of the state's minimum wage, making it more difficult for employees to sue their employers and overhauling workers' compensation -- is heading things in the right direction.

"Companies are taking a wait-and-see approach," he said. There is more optimism than there was a year before.

The outlook isn't completely bleak for Ventura County. Boyd said companies that need to have a presence in California find it more affordable to locate in Ventura County than in Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Wartik said Thousand Oaks is trying to encourage existing companies to grow and add jobs for those people who live in the area but commute to work outside the community.

The city of Ventura is trying to attract companies that will add to the intellectual and creative economy, said Sid White, economic development and revitalization manager. He plans to attend a conference to talk with biotech firms about what they look for in a location.

[Patrick]

As corporations continue to look for more ways to make ore profits, yet still stay in the United States, I think they'll look at OKC more, mainly because of its low cost of living. They only have to pay workers a fraction of the cost they have to pay workers in places like California and New York. Hopefully in due time our college grads will be able to stay here at home, instead of having to go out of state to find work. I remain confident that Oklahoma's best days have yet to come.