The chamber-sponsored Project Next meeting is today from 3:30 - 6:30 PM at the Cox Convention Center. Try to be there and share our ideas on how to keep OKC workers here and to attract the ones who left:

To attract and 'attract back'

By Renzi Stone

Brand new state, brand new state, gonna make it great!

Project Next: A Regional

Economic Evolution
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce will host a session Thursday at the Cox Convention Center to discuss economic development, attracting an educated work force and promoting a more diverse community. Call the chamber at (405) 297-8940 for more information.

Every fall at football stadiums across our state, the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "Oklahoma" blares from our trumpets and voices as we gather to cheer on our gridiron gods. The beginning part of the song is oft forgotten. Think about it: As a state, we are still young.

The ground floor is still available in Oklahoma City. The sun has not risen. The fruit is still on the vine. Over the last year, you have probably heard this message at some point.

Oklahoma City has completed the last MAPS project and Dell is coming to our region. Other cities talk about grand projects, but Oklahoma City is seeing results. There is much to celebrate and much to build on. I believe any deep and sustained urban revival will be based on our ability to attract and "attract back" the New Economy, idea-driven workers. No longer can we chase the next Microsoft, but we can seek a business and social environment Bill Gates would drop-out into.

The daunting question was recently posed, "How are we supposed to attract someone back to Oklahoma City from somewhere else?" Moreover, what "spin" do we use to keep our best and brightest from locating elsewhere after graduation? At a recent focus group sponsored by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce's "Project Next," when the question was asked about how to bring them back, a voice from the back quipped, "Get them married." Laughter erupted.

We all know that Oklahoma is a great place to raise a family. We have improving schools, high quality of life and a great value for the dollar. But we must devise a plan to get this valuable work force here first and then let them get married.

It is vital that central Oklahoma appeal to the labor force that will shape our economic future. It's time to woo young people (aged 25 to 34), experienced older professionals and former Oklahomans with the same doggedness we invoked to get Dell or other corporations. We need the best and brightest to choose Oklahoma.

Without an influx of these workers, the notorious "brain drain" will continue. Employers will flock to hipper cities to attract this labor force. Even worse, the dynamic businesses they create will start-up somewhere else.

We must also appeal to talented, smart and energetic older workers who can enliven our economy and our cultural offerings. Oklahoma City is playing in a demographic-numbers game we have to win. The equation is easy. There are nearly 78 million retiree-age baby boomers. There are only 40 million workers in the 25-34 age bracket in their early prime. If Oklahoma City loses the battle for this crucial demographic, the city will not continue to grow.

I've been involved in the chamber's "Attract and Attract Back" committee for the new and important Project Next. We have discussed several strategies designed to make central Oklahoma a talent and economic magnet.

As a city and a state, we must move out of the "idea" phase and into "implementation" phase. Feedback, inclusion and ideas are only the start. Widespread community feedback is the next step.

I invite readers to take part in the Project Next community forum Thursday at the Cox Convention Center, where all members of the community, young and old, will have the chance to share their ideas on how Oklahoma City can attract and "attract back" a quality work force.

In many ways, we are a brand new state. By asking for participation from all areas of the city, Oklahoma City can be a leader in building a prosperous, quality work force that will excel us to truly become a great state.