As the Shawnee community continues to clean up from the April 19 tornado, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber is providing data and research that will help leaders better connect with businesses impacted along the storm route. The Greater OKC Chamber research team met with Shawnee city leadership to share that more than 1,700 businesses and 16,000 employees may have been impacted by the storm. Jeff Seymour, executive vice president for economic development for the Greater OKC Chamber, said the organization’s support for Oklahoma City’s regional communities is never ending. “One of the real strengths of our organization is the ability to use data to help companies and community leaders make informed decisions,” Seymour said. “The work of the Chamber is important on so many levels — including but not limited to community resiliency.” CHAMBER ASSISTS BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY TORNADO There are still a few more days to register for the DC Visit later this month The Chamber’s annual trip to Washington provides an opportunity for Oklahoma City business leaders to make one-on-one visits with Oklahoma’s congressional delegation and key defense leaders. This year’s event is June 21-22. Each year, the Chamber strives to plan a visit that aligns with our members’ needs and the goals of our organization. The DC Visit includes afternoon briefings on day one with invited Sens. James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin, and Reps. Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, Josh Brecheen and Kevin Hern. We’ve invited federal and military officials to join us at a reception on Capitol Hill that evening. On day two, attendees can attend morning sessions with federal officials and other government leaders that cover specific areas of interests on issues critical to our community including military defense and infrastructure. DC VISIT QUICKLY APPROACHING – STILL TIME TO REGISTER
Interactive maps and spreadsheets curated by the Chamber were sent to Shawnee’s city manager within 48 hours of the tornado. Shawnee Forward, an organization that looks to empower a diverse community through collaborative economic growth, workforce development and education, also received the data. Richard Clements, Greater Oklahoma City Partnership manager, said the city and Shawnee Forward understand a well-organized recovery effort requires good information. He said work done by Ashley Hicks, Chamber GIS research analyst, and Eric Long, Chamber research economist, was particularly impactful. Clements said FEMA and the state’s Homeland Security representatives expressed how unprecedented, in their experience, this kind of collaboration is. Long said, per the data the Chamber’s team was able to gather, it revealed the three industries potentially impacted the most by the tornado were health care and social assistance, retail, and accommodation and food service. Knowing that information is critical to the city’s recovery efforts since the data can be used in applying for future grants and accessing Department of Labor workforce funds. This trip is a rare opportunity to connect with federal policymakers. The $900 registration fee includes one night’s hotel stay, official events, and transportation to and from scheduled events. Air travel to and from Washington is not included, giving attendees the option to extend their stay for additional business in the DC area. To register for the DC Visit or view the agenda, visit okcchamber.com/dc. Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor American Fidelity Assurance Company.
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