State reaps rewards of diversity in industry
May 2, 2008

By Debbie Blossom
Business Writer/The Oklahoman
Oklahoma City's ranking by Forbes magazine as the top recession- proof city in the nation doesn't surprise Natalie Shirley, Oklahoma's secretary of commerce and tourism.

"It's very exciting," Shirley said Thursday after her luncheon presentation during the Second Annual Business Forum at Oklahoma City University.

The state's move into a broader industry base - especially its focus on advanced manufacturing - stopped an earlier cycle that relied only on the up-and-down fortunes of just a few industries such as agriculture and energy, she said.

"I think it's great news, and it's a reflection of the efforts Oklahoma City has made to diversify."

Shirley's address outlined the Commerce Department's efforts to increase and train the state's workforce, polish its image and increase business development.

"Commerce is taking the lead in each," she said, but each key area relies on a partnership with educators, workforce developers and government agencies, she added.

In travels across the state, Shirley said companies are begging for workers, not more jobs. "The training of our work force is where we need to focus," she said.

Entities such as the Governor's Council on Workforce and Economic Development are long-term solutions, but answers are needed for the worker shortage crisis right now, Shirley said.

With an unemployment rate at 3.2 percent, "Almost every Oklahoman who can do a job is working," she said. "We need more workers."

Shirley touched briefly on a program to entice former college graduates to return to Oklahoma. Project Boomerang is a relatively inexpensive program that is informing graduates no longer living in the state what Oklahoma has to offer.

"We're calling them, and showing them actual jobs, and what it costs to live and work here compared to other big cities like Chicago and Atlanta,” she said. "We're targeting young professionals, entrepreneurs and innovators."

And the state is engaging a public relations firm and a marketing firm to help sell Oklahoma. "The campaign is in the formative stages," she added, and a lot of the information will eventually be presented online.

Expanding industries that utilize natural resources - such as Oklahoma's wind power - can create new manufacturing firms that will need skilled workers. "It's not just about the quantity of jobs, it the quality of jobs," Shirley said.

Offering incentives to companies that offer high salaried positions is one answer to the question of how to entice companies to locate in Oklahoma. Yet with all the talk about jobs, that is not the Commerce Department's sole mission.

"It's not just enough to have a job, people need a place of community," Shirley said. "We see our job as to maintain the quality of life in Oklahoma."

Shirley's comments made an impression on Stephen Lalli, owner of public relations and advertising firm Carovilli Communications.

"I thought it was inspirational," said Lalli, who said he attended part of the daylong forum put on by OCU and the Busey Group to network and keep abreast of the state's economic development. "She made us all think . . . I learned something about bringing expatriates back."