“I want to make an impact in the city just as much as I desire to improve individuals’ personal lives with real estate. Considering the Chamber’s role in the economic development of our city, I fully believe if the Chamber isn’t doing well, the city is negatively impacted and my business won’t be thriving either. All businesses should support the driving force of our city if they want to continue to grow.”
has the right knowledge and expertise to support planning for the bomber’s depot maintenance. The decision to use Tinker marks the next milestone in the development and eventual deployment of the B-21, a long-range and highly survivable aircraft capable of penetrating air defenses and conducting a range of critical missions. The plane is expected to be delivered in the mid-2020s. BOOSTING THE REGION’S WORKFORCE With programming and events throughout the year, the Greater Grads program continued to connect regional businesses with Oklahoma college students and recent graduates, encouraging Oklahoma’s brightest to stay in the area after graduation. New to the Greater Grads suite of programming in 2018 was RecruitOKC, a networking event where more than 250 students connected with 44 employers from throughout the region. Greater Grads also continued to host its career fair and the InternOKC program. In 2018, InternOKC hosted 348 interns from 73 employers for three educational sessions that included professional development tips, information on the region’s culture and business environment and networking opportunities. In addition to its work strengthening Greater Oklahoma City’s young workforce, the Chamber’s talent team hosted several events to better connect newcomers to Oklahoma City’s opportunities and further strengthen key sectors. The Chamber continued to partner with Leadership Oklahoma City to host two OKConnect classes, where more than 90 new company leaders received behind-the-scenes insight into Oklahoma City’s story. The Chamber also hosted a reception for people who recently relocated to Oklahoma City. The talent team continued its work to help companies have the skilled, trained workforce they need to succeed. With a focus on strengthening and better connecting the manufacturing industry in Oklahoma City, the Chamber hosted more than 50 people for a manufacturing networking lunch with the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance and OCAST.
- M E L I S S A B A R N E T T OWN E R , B A R N E T T R E A L E S T AT E K E L L E R W I L L I AMS E L I T E
company’s largest and will have a total estimated economic impact of $122.5 million over the first seven years. Other companies announcing more than 100 jobs are Del Real Foods, SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions, Booz Allen Hamilton, Halliburton Energy Services, American Fidelity Assurance Company, Dell Technologies and TriCorps Technologies. GROWING THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY As one of the region’s strongest industries, the Greater Oklahoma City aerospace industry experienced several successes in 2018. One announcement by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. allowed Oklahoma City to re-enter the world of aircraft production. Kratos opened its manufacturing facility in November, where their company will design and manufacture a new version of its jet drones that will be used in combat alongside manned aircraft. The proximity to Tinker Air Force Base, the high quality of life and low cost of living in the region, the business-friendly regulatory environment and state and local tax incentives all helped attract the company. Tinker Air Force Base also continued to grow with the announcement that it was selected to coordinate the maintenance and sustainment of the B-21 Raider, the next generation long-range strike bomber. The Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker AFB has an Air Logistics Complex with a deep and accomplished history. In selecting Tinker AFB, Air Force leaders acknowledged that the organization
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