The Oklahoma Department of Commerce, in conjunction with multiple partners throughout the state, has established a comprehensive infrastructure of programs, services, and resources to stimulate rural economic development throughout Oklahoma.

The Rural Action Partnership Program fosters healthy and sustainable rural communities through small business retention and expansion, business recruitment, entrepreneurial development, and the development of regional economic development partnerships.

As the facilitator of this effort, Commerce is able to offer a wide range of programs and services to help rural communities grow:

• Business retention and expansion programs
• Entrepreneurial education
• Value-added production opportunities
• Strategic planning and community development programs
• Site location and business recruitment analysis
• Workforce development programs
• Regional economic development partnerships.

To help fund and support this initiative, the Oklahoma legislature passed HB2288, the Rural Action Partnership Program Act, authored by Rep. Dale Turner and Sen. Jay Paul Gumm. This legislative endorsement makes it possible for Commerce and its partners to aggressively develop and implement new and existing programs that can spur measurable economic growth and sustainability in rural Oklahoma communities.

Regional Partnerships
One critical success factor in rural development is the formation of regional partnerships. When regional alliances are developed, individual communities achieve much greater success through shared resources, a greater diversity of talent and experience, economies of scale, and creative synergies.

The Rural Partnership helps communities that are not currently in a regional partnership identify potential partners and facilitate the formation of those alliances by leveraging existing resources and providing incentives for regional economic development initiatives.

Rural Development Tool Set

• Regional Rural Economic Development Specialists: Commerce has hired a Rural Development Coordinator and one Rural Development Specialist to serve as a resource for each quadrant of the state.
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• Statewide Business Retention and Expansion Program: The Commerce Business Solutions team is dedicated helping existing Oklahoma businesses grow and prosper. Through its partnership with the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence, Commerce provides a network of 25 manufacturing extension agents and application engineers that provide expertise in Lean manufacturing and production assistance. The other tool in this retention and expansion program is the e-Synchronist Business Information System that organizes and analyzes data directly from company executives to quickly identify at-risk companies and growth oporutnities to assist in economic development planning.
  
  
• OKCommerce.Gov: The Commerce website is fast becoming an essential information tool for rural communities and businesses. With the click of a mouse, you can find details on business incentives, financial resources, workforce assistance, business start-up resources, export assistance, community development grants, business profiles, and more.
  
  
• Service Provider Database: Launched in the fall of 2005, this online database gives communities the ability to search and find local government and public sector service providers in the areas of business financing; training and education; general business services, start-up and entrepreneur assistance; government and licensing agencies; community development resources; information resources; economic development organizations; and association and membership groups. Users can search based on category, keyword, or geographical service area.
  
  
• Natural resource inventory, development summits, industry cluster research, and more coming soon.

To learn how Commerce can assist your community through its rural development programs, contact your area Rural Development Specialist today.