2020 Annual Report

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A publication of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber | okcchamber.com

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BEHIND EVERY OKLAHOMA CITY BUSINESS IS A PASSIONATE LEADER.

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Throughout the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s 131-year history, when difficult challenges arise, the Chamber has stepped forward to tackle issues while looking for new opportunities to build for the future. When COVID-19 hit the OKC area in March, the impacts to our business community were immediate, and for many devastating. The Chamber began immediately doing everything possible to provide information, identify potential support and look for any possible opportunity to help businesses losing revenue due to this monumental shift. At the same time, we never took our eye off the ball, keeping a strong focus on the future of Oklahoma City. Preparing for the new convention center and post-pandemic L E T T E R F R O M T H E C H A I R

push for tourism growth, supporting local business expansion and recruiting new companies to the region, advocating for business at our state capitol, and helping to bring businesses together for virtual networking and information. This report highlights our efforts this year, but is certainly not an exhaustive list of the work we have accomplished together. Our membership can be proud of what we have done together and confident that we can continue to imagine a bright future. When you look at the major setbacks in the history of Oklahoma City—economic trouble, natural disasters or a terrorist act—we have always ended up as a stronger and more tight-knit community afterward. I remain optimistic. People here are very creative and innovative, and Oklahomans have always been able to face adversity and grow stronger as a result. I look forward to what is next. Sincerely,

P E R C Y K I R K , C H AM B E R C H A I R S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T A N D R E G I ON MA N AG E R FO R CO X COMMU N I C AT I ON S C E N T R A L R E G I ON

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 2020 - Response and a Road to Recovery. ..................................................... 2 Economic Development...................................................................................... 4 Advocacy............................................................................................................. 6 Education............................................................................................................. 7 Community Initiatives.......................................................................................... 8 Criminal Justice Reform..................................................................................... 10 Talent and Entrepreneurship Development...................................................... 12 Visitor Economy................................................................................................. 14 Membership Engagement................................................................................ 16 Marketing Oklahoma City. .............................................................................. 18 2020 Executive Committee .............................................................................20 2020 Board of Directors . ................................................................................ 21 Leadership Investors .........................................................................................22 Web Resources..................................................................................................29

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G R E A T E R O K L A H O M A C I T Y C H A M B E R

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IMPACT OF COV I D Just as the pandemic impacted every business, the Chamber’s operations were also dramatically changed. Here are the primary changes made in Chamber operations in 2020: ◊ Chamber staff worked remotely in March, April and May, with a majority of staff returning in June. Plans were also made for remote work following the December holidays to ensure staff safety ◊ The Chamber’s offices were closed to outside visitors ◊ Business development activities for both economic development and visitor recruitment were moved online, from trade show and conference attendance, to online meetings and even online happy hours with clients ◊ All event activity and networking was shifted online, making maximum effort to keep members engaged and informed ◊ Print publications were shifted online to reach remote workers

The arrival of the pandemic in Oklahoma City brought with it a radical shift in many of the Chamber’s activities, as the need to lift new programs to support our local businesses became paramount. Information was the first lifeline dropped, as an online resource page was populated with information about the virus, CDC recommendations, shutdown regulations and more. That work continued with tele-town hall meetings and online forums to present information and answer questions to settle immediate needs. The next step was to support efforts to get emergency cash to businesses to maintain their viability and keep employees. Assistance and information about federal programs was immediately followed by assistance in standing up local programs that would supplement or fill gaps they left behind. Throughout this process, many of the Chamber staff team spent their days speaking one-on-one

with Chamber members, assessing their needs and helping connect them with resources, recording more than 10,000 individual instances of outreach. And in the summer, the death of George Floyd and other national events spotlighted the institutional racism in our communities. The Chamber created a partnership with the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City to help the business community engage in the important conversations about race and bias and to directly address these issues. As it became clear that a return to normal was not likely until sometime in 2021, the Chamber looked for more creative ways to reach members, and to engage potential visitors and businesses. Strong content on virtual platforms, unique direct mail programs, expanded digital marketing activities, and intentional and focused one-on-one outreach are just a few of the tools implemented in 2020, to be sure that we could pave the way to success on the road ahead.

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◊ Oklahoma City re-entered the world of aircraft production with Skydweller Aero, Inc. announcing Oklahoma City as its headquarters. The developer of ultra-persistent drones for commercial and military applications plans to increase operations to 120 aerospace engineering and field technician jobs by 2024. ◊ Job and expansion announcements included: Costco Member Service Center; Aerokool Aviation; North Star Scientific Corporation; Malarkey Roofing Products; BancFirst; Caliber Completion Services, LLC; FueldUp; Tailwind; Dolese Bros. Co.; Amazon; and more.

for one year, the Criminal Justice Advisory Council reported a one-year average of 1,624. That low level for jail population had not been seen in two decades and down from a recent high of nearly 2,600 in 2015. ◊ The Oklahoma City Public Schools Compact began implementing a robust mental and emotional health plan for the district called EmbraceOKC. The program provides training to teachers, and support staff to help identify behavioral health issues so they can intervene and connect students and their families with support services.

◊ The Chamber’s partnership with the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City and City of Oklahoma City provided the framework of a first- of-its-kind aid program that resulted in the allocation of $32.5 million to qualifying Oklahoma City small business owners. Launched on March 31, the Small Business Continuity Program (SBCP), helped small business owners better maintain jobs/payroll, add technology, purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and renovate physical space for social distancing. ◊ The downward trend of jail population in Oklahoma County continues. At the end of October 2020, after tracking the average daily population

◊ The Chamber led an effort to improve legislation passed last year creating a new software and cybersecurity program to provide a tax credit up to $2,200 annually for qualifying employees who have received a bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an accredited institution, or $1,800 annually for qualifying employees who have been awarded a certificate from a technology center. This program is designed to address an extensive shortage of qualified software and cyber engineers at high growth companies across the region, and is vital to our future growth.

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story building altered the skyline view for anyone traveling into downtown from Interstate 235 and added density to a stretch of Automobile Alley that comprised surface parking. The company then announced another 400 new positions that will be located in the Mideke building in Bricktown. Heartland joins a growing list of technology companies with operations in Oklahoma City, including software development company Rural Sourcing and Paycom. HELPING AEROSPACE SOAR The Chamber has been actively developing the aerospace and aviation industry in Oklahoma City since 1919. This century of strategic economic development created a dynamic industry that is continuing to attract aerospace companies. Skydweller Aero, Inc. made it official in July that it would establish its corporate headquarters and engineering operations in Oklahoma City. Skydweller’s plans will increase its operations to 120 aerospace engineering and field technician jobs in Oklahoma by 2024. Skydweller owns solar design technology that uses un-manned aircraft capable of circumnavigating the globe using only solar power. It will convert the design and technology to an autonomous drone, capable of “dwelling” over a location for months at a time with no refueling or maintenance work. The technology has applications that will enhance commercial and government telecommunication, geospatial, meteorological and emergency operation efforts. One of Oklahoma City’s biggest aerospace employers, Boeing, started construction on a new high-bay addition at its facility. The expected work inside will create more engineering positions to support its B-52 modernization and sustainment efforts. Five years ago the Greater OKC Chamber led a coalition of local and state government leaders in the acquisition of 158 acres of land on the west side of the Tinker Air Force Base to house maintenance of its next-generation aerial refueling aircraft, the KC-46A Pegasus. The vision became a reality in 2020 as Tinker maintenance crews welcomed their first KC-46 mid-air refueling tanker in September.

Eventually, Tinker will host 90 of the aircraft each year on a rotating maintenance schedule. Construction is ongoing to accommodate the mission. When complete, there will be14 hangars to house the aircraft with an estimated 1,300 workers assigned to the job. Construction costs are projected to be $600 million over the next 10 to 12 years. Kratos Defense and Security Solutions arrival in OKC dates back to 2018. Now in two years the company now doubling in size at its Will Rogers Business Park plant. The company will use the expansion for manufacturing and integration of the XQ-58 Valkyrie tactical aircraft and two other classified projects. In 2018, Kratos began manufacturing its “target” drones, which advanced UAVs programmed to mimic hostile aircraft and missiles. The company added Valkyrie production last year after announcing all of its tactical drones would be built in Oklahoma. Kratos CEO Steve Fendley said the plant production will continue increasing for the foreseeable future with additional quantities and vehicle types. North Star Scientific (NSS) Corporation, a Hawaii- based company, announced plans to expand to Oklahoma City. The company will ramp up to 40 jobs once its manufacturing site is fully operational. “NSS chose the state of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City as the site of our expansion because of the favorable business environment and the availability of personnel and other resources that benefit aerospace companies, especially those focused on radar and electronics,” said Dr. James Stamm, CEO of North Star Scientific Corporation. “We are excited about the opportunities we see for our business in this environment and look forward to being a part of the community in Oklahoma City.” NSS designs, develops, and qualifies state of the art electronic systems for Department of Defense applications and delivers reliable high-performance products and services. They specialize in radar frequency systems designs and rapid research & development/custom solutions.

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The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber helps existing businesses grow, recruits new companies and develops an active entrepreneurial environment, resulting in quality job creation and a diverse economy.

BOOSTING ECONOMY WITH BACK OFFICE/ SHARED SERVICE OPERATIONS Greater Oklahoma City has proven that its world- class business climate, reliable workforce and diverse real estate options give companies located here an edge against their competition. Whether it is an expansion to introduce or enhance lines of business, or being identified as the pilot site for innovative technology, our region has a proven track record supporting the success of shared services operations. The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s economic development team recruits new businesses to the region, helping them to: find available real estate, meet with local leaders to help them get an understanding of the market, complete their incentive applications and to gather any >Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24-25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30-31 Page 32-33 Page 34

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