Karried
05-07-2006, 05:50 PM
From the Oklahoman.. with a few tidbits inserted by me... whoo hooooooooooooooo!!
City ranks 13th on list of top business sites
By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman
The latest annual Forbes Magazine listing of the best places for business and careers starts with a nod to the famous British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who once advised "in a progressive country, change is constant."
The new listing gave Oklahoma City the highest ranking (13) since the list was started back in 1999. Tulsa was ranked 77. (ouch!)
The top spot went to Albuquerque, N.M., dethroning perennial winners including Atlanta and Austin, Texas.
In the ranking and story released on www. forbes.com, author Kurt Badenhausen attributed the fall of such cities to slowing income growth. Oklahoma City took the top spot, followed by Tulsa, in the same category.
"Newcomers that cracked the top tier include Houston, riding high on oil profits, and Phoenix, lifted by a housing and population boom," Badenhausen wrote. "Overall, half of the top ten places are new this year."
Badenhausen credited research firm Moody's Economy.com, which provided data for the rankings. The business cost index weighed labor, energy, tax and office space costs. Other factors included job growth, migration, crime, education and quality of life.
Mayor Mick Cornett said he was surprised by Albuquerque (??) winning the top spot, but expected to see other high-placed cities, including Houston and Indianapolis. Cornett attributed the improvement for Oklahoma City to pro-business legislation promoted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.
Roy Williams, chamber president, said the rankings provide the chamber "another tool" in recruiting new businesses to Oklahoma City.
"Whenever we're dealing with an out-of-town company or a company that is considering expanding, they look at the data, the economics, and third party information," Williams said. "They expect us to sell the community. But they rely heavily on third party information. And this is third party information that has credibility."
City ranks 13th on list of top business sites
By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman
The latest annual Forbes Magazine listing of the best places for business and careers starts with a nod to the famous British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who once advised "in a progressive country, change is constant."
The new listing gave Oklahoma City the highest ranking (13) since the list was started back in 1999. Tulsa was ranked 77. (ouch!)
The top spot went to Albuquerque, N.M., dethroning perennial winners including Atlanta and Austin, Texas.
In the ranking and story released on www. forbes.com, author Kurt Badenhausen attributed the fall of such cities to slowing income growth. Oklahoma City took the top spot, followed by Tulsa, in the same category.
"Newcomers that cracked the top tier include Houston, riding high on oil profits, and Phoenix, lifted by a housing and population boom," Badenhausen wrote. "Overall, half of the top ten places are new this year."
Badenhausen credited research firm Moody's Economy.com, which provided data for the rankings. The business cost index weighed labor, energy, tax and office space costs. Other factors included job growth, migration, crime, education and quality of life.
Mayor Mick Cornett said he was surprised by Albuquerque (??) winning the top spot, but expected to see other high-placed cities, including Houston and Indianapolis. Cornett attributed the improvement for Oklahoma City to pro-business legislation promoted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.
Roy Williams, chamber president, said the rankings provide the chamber "another tool" in recruiting new businesses to Oklahoma City.
"Whenever we're dealing with an out-of-town company or a company that is considering expanding, they look at the data, the economics, and third party information," Williams said. "They expect us to sell the community. But they rely heavily on third party information. And this is third party information that has credibility."