Norman Economic Development Coalition Business Practices

[G.Walker]

As a resident of Norman for 12 years, I have seen Norman grow dramatically in population and in the retail sector. However, it seems that Norman has a hard time recruiting high paying jobs or major corporations to relocate to the area. In the past, I know the NEDC gave a great effort for the PETCO relocation of over 500 high paying jobs to only lose them to San Antonio. But it seems NEDC and City of Norman are focused more on retail development, and public improvements, rather than recruiting high paying jobs.

Outside of the University of Oklahoma job sector, graduating students have a hard time finding high paying jobs, which would keep those students in Norman, to live and grow families. The key to successful economic growth of a city is the access to good jobs.

Is it just me, or should the City of Norman and NEDC focus on the development of high paying jobs? Or should Norman always remain a college town, bedroom city, a typical suburb?

[lasomeday]

Norman has a lot more jobs moving in then you think. The Weather center is bringing in some of the jobs. It is hard for them to compete with the big cities. They really need to get with OKC and the other large suburbs and try to get a strategic plan. Maybe unite resources and try to get each suburb to focus on an industry. MWC could focus on aerospace, Norman on high tech jobs that are benefitted by having cheap university research aids, Edmond could focus on attracting forensic research companies, etc.

The resources that each have with Edmond's financial backing, MWC government resources, Norman's University resources, and OKC governmental/oil and gas/and chamber could create resource database and team that could rival the best Texas cities which are the biggest competition we have currently.

[BoulderSooner]

Norman has a lot more jobs moving in then you think. The Weather center is bringing in some of the jobs. It is hard for them to compete with the big cities. They really need to get with OKC and the other large suburbs and try to get a strategic plan. Maybe unite resources and try to get each suburb to focus on an industry. MWC could focus on aerospace, Norman on high tech jobs that are benefitted by having cheap university research aids, Edmond could focus on attracting forensic research companies, etc.

The resources that each have with Edmond's financial backing, MWC government resources, Norman's University resources, and OKC governmental/oil and gas/and chamber could create resource database and team that could rival the best Texas cities which are the biggest competition we have currently.

okc has so many more aerospace jobs then MWC it is not close ... TAFB and south =OKC

[G.Walker]

I think the main reason why Norman has a hard time securing high paying jobs is the lack of Class A office space, and incentives. They need to build a corporate campus with Class A office space, this will help a great deal in the recruitment of high paying jobs.

Norman did have grand plans for a Class A office park UNP Corporate Centre, but it seems that this project is on hold or dead, at least until they secure a major tenant to lease most of the space.

I am a firm believer of the saying "If you build it, they will come". Believe it or not, there is till a lot of companies that don't want to be in the urban core, and want a campus style development. Norman is a great city, and I think if they were to build a Class A office development, they could attract some major jobs.

[catch22]

Norman has a lot more jobs moving in then you think. The Weather center is bringing in some of the jobs. It is hard for them to compete with the big cities. They really need to get with OKC and the other large suburbs and try to get a strategic plan. Maybe unite resources and try to get each suburb to focus on an industry. MWC could focus on aerospace, Norman on high tech jobs that are benefitted by having cheap university research aids, Edmond could focus on attracting forensic research companies, etc.

The resources that each have with Edmond's financial backing, MWC government resources, Norman's University resources, and OKC governmental/oil and gas/and chamber could create resource database and team that could rival the best Texas cities which are the biggest competition we have currently.

So if one of those industries tanks we will have a suburb die overnight. Let's not let each other put all of our eggs in one basket.

[lasomeday]

So if one of those industries tanks we will have a suburb die overnight. Let's not let each other put all of our eggs in one basket.

Really? I don't think having a focus for bringing in business is a bad thing. I am not saying they shouldn't try to get other businesses, just use resources to become a centralized location for research and development for those industries. The weather center in Norman will not tank. I think we will have weather for a while. It is just an idea. I don't see you bringing anything to the table?

[catch22]

I would bring my ideas to the table, but all of mine are in one basket, thus leaving my table empty....

Get it?

[ou48A]

Norman is known for being a very, very difficult place to open a new business.

About a year ago I hired a contractor to do a relatively simple project. The city of Norman Staff building permit staff made this work more costly than necessary for the contractor. Several contractors have indicated that they also have a difficult time working with the city of Norman. One contractor told me that they build in this increased cost in their bids and pass it on to Norman city residents.
Until the attitudes about business change from the mayor’s office and city staff the business atmosphere is unlikely to change.
But I don’t see much hope for change anytime soon. We get what we vote for. Several months ago I heard the current mayor admit that at one time she was a dues paying member of Agenda 21.
UN Agenda 21 makes economic growth more difficult.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/...o_a_neigh.html

[ou48A]

There are many very highly qualified Oklahoma’s with OU connections working in the energy sector scattered across the world. More than a few would be very eager to work, live and raise a family in a quality setting like Norman.

Among other things the city of Norman should recruit small or start up energy companies and encourage their organic growth. Companies would be able to recruit OU graduates from difficult degree programs and keep this intellectual capital and their future high wages in Norman. This would be an investment in our future.

[adaniel]

G. Walker, I thought you moved to Moore?

I think Norman is doing quite a bit in terms of economic development. It may not be as well known but it is there.

I actually don't disagree with ou48's statement that Norman can be a bit hard to do business with. I've dealt with it first hand. IMO that's the biggest reason a lot of retail development deflected to Moore.

But since we are talking about high paying jobs, are you familar with the CCEW through OU? There have been several startups that have come from this, and one of my fraternity brothers is actually a CEO of a nanotech company that was started by the CCEW and a team of OUHSC researchers. Sure most of these comapnies probably only have 4-5 employees but these are jobs that have a lot of future potential and probably won't bail to a neighboring state the minute some tax incentives are dangled out in front of it.

I also know that both Astellas and Hitachi expanded their workforce over the past year and a half as well.

All small stuff here and there, very organic-type growth, but over time it adds up. Its important to note that the vast majority of growth in Norman has come from people who work in OKC. So there's litte net benefit to Norman to convince an OKC company to plop down a huge corporate campus out in some corn field.

A 15 story office building was planned off of West Lindsey some time ago (I was still at OU, so it was before 2009). Obviously the ship for speculative office space anywhere sailed the minute Lehman Brothers crashed. I HATE the stupid little "garden offices" that have popped up all over suburban OKC, but they are very attractive and affordable to small firms that would be attracted to Norman.

[G.Walker]

G. Walker, I thought you moved to Moore?

I think Norman is doing quite a bit in terms of economic development. It may not be as well known but it is there.

I actually don't disagree with ou48's statement that Norman can be a bit hard to do business with. I've dealt with it first hand. IMO that's the biggest reason a lot of retail development deflected to Moore.

But since we are talking about high paying jobs, are you familar with the CCEW through OU? There have been several startups that have come from this, and one of my fraternity brothers is actually a CEO of a nanotech company that was started by the CCEW and a team of OUHSC researchers. Sure most of these comapnies probably only have 4-5 employees but these are jobs that have a lot of future potential and probably won't bail to a neighboring state the minute some tax incentives are dangled out in front of it.

I also know that both Astellas and Hitachi expanded their workforce over the past year and a half as well.

All small stuff here and there, very organic-type growth, but over time it adds up. Its important to note that the vast majority of growth in Norman has come from people who work in OKC. So there's litte net benefit to Norman to convince an OKC company to plop down a huge corporate campus out in some corn field.

A 15 story office building was planned off of West Lindsey some time ago (I was still at OU, so it was before 2009). Obviously the ship for speculative office space anywhere sailed the minute Lehman Brothers crashed. I HATE the stupid little "garden offices" that have popped up all over suburban OKC, but they are very attractive and affordable to small firms that would be attracted to Norman.

I did move to Moore, thats why I said as a resident of Norman for 12 years.

[G.Walker]

G. Walker, I thought you moved to Moore?

I think Norman is doing quite a bit in terms of economic development. It may not be as well known but it is there.

I actually don't disagree with ou48's statement that Norman can be a bit hard to do business with. I've dealt with it first hand. IMO that's the biggest reason a lot of retail development deflected to Moore.

But since we are talking about high paying jobs, are you familar with the CCEW through OU? There have been several startups that have come from this, and one of my fraternity brothers is actually a CEO of a nanotech company that was started by the CCEW and a team of OUHSC researchers. Sure most of these comapnies probably only have 4-5 employees but these are jobs that have a lot of future potential and probably won't bail to a neighboring state the minute some tax incentives are dangled out in front of it.

I also know that both Astellas and Hitachi expanded their workforce over the past year and a half as well.

All small stuff here and there, very organic-type growth, but over time it adds up. Its important to note that the vast majority of growth in Norman has come from people who work in OKC. So there's litte net benefit to Norman to convince an OKC company to plop down a huge corporate campus out in some corn field.

A 15 story office building was planned off of West Lindsey some time ago (I was still at OU, so it was before 2009). Obviously the ship for speculative office space anywhere sailed the minute Lehman Brothers crashed. I HATE the stupid little "garden offices" that have popped up all over suburban OKC, but they are very attractive and affordable to small firms that would be attracted to Norman.

Yes, I am familiar with the CCEW or Center for Creation of Economic Wealth. I am also familiar with the OU community, I finished my undergrad degree at OU in 04' and received my MPA in 11'. But the main focus of my thread is the City of Norman and NEDC creating high paying jobs out from under the OU umbrella, independently, or raw job creation. The PETCO deal was the perfect example, 500 high paying jobs, but we lost them to San Antonio, and this had nothing to do with OU.

[adaniel]

The NEDC has partnered with the university and CCEW to provide support as well as deeply discounted office space at one of its eTec centers (one is off Campus Corner, the other off Flood). There has been plenty of success stories, including Albon Manufacturing (which is now in a huge facility off OK 9) and another weather technology company, of which the name eludes me, now in Partners Place.

I think its great that a lot of Norman's job growth comes from "OU's umbrella" and I certainly don't take it as NEDC being lazy. Rather, they are just leveraging their city's greatest asset, the university, and the magnet of knowledge and learning it serves. No, its not Harvard, but not even DFW or Houston can boast a public university as highly ranked as OU. The university is what keeps Norman from being another Guthrie, El Reno, or other dumpy county seat in OKC's periphery.

Norman lost out on PETCO a couple of years ago. Oh well. I personally thought it was odd that Norman OK (population 110K) was in competition with San Antonio (population 1.2 million). No surprise San Antone was victorious. Plus it wasn't HQ, but a support center, so I question how many of those jobs were high paying.

FWIW I don't know of many graduating students from any big state school finding jobs in their school's hometown, especially of Norman's size. Even much larger college towns like Austin and Columbus usually suffer a net outmigration of college grads because there simply are too many students. That doesn't indicate those places are doing poorly. Plus I think new grads should spread their wings a little.

[pw405]

As an OU Alumni, Norman Resident, and downtown OKC employee, I would LOVE if there were more professional jobs in the Norman area. I moved here back in '06 so I wouldn't have to commute to school, but now I am commuting to work. I really like living here - the city has tons of character, its relatively small/dense which makes it much more walkable than most of the metro, and it certainly is more liberal than most of the state. Problem is, I am looking for a house in the city now, as that's where my job is for the foreseeable future.