Oklahoma Southeast

Member Communities: Ada, Ardmore, Allen, Antlers, Atoka, Broken Bow, Coalgate, Durant, Hugo, Idabel, McAlester, Mill Creek, Pauls Valley, Poteau, Purcell, Seminole, Shawnee, Stigler, Tishomingo, and Wewoka

Economic Development Organizations: Big Five Community Services, Little Dixie Community Action Agency, Murray State College, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and Southern Oklahoma Development Association.

Corporate Sponsors/Government Partners: Bancfirst, CenterPoint Energy, Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Oklahoma Business Roundtable, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Oklahoma Natural Gas, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Seminole College Foundation, and Western Farmers Electric Co-Op

Oklahoma Southeast Continues to Sponsor New Events, Add Membership Benefits

Site selection consultants get treated like dignitaries, and they likely discard more invitations than they accept. However, for the past several years, the Oklahoma Southeast regional partnership has been drawing an increasing number with its annual Striper & Golf Festival at the Lake Texoma Resort.

"These people get invitations to the Masters, the Indy 500, and they come to Texoma," says Janet Smith, Economic Development Manager for Public Service Company of Oklahoma, one of the sponsoring utilities. "I think the people involved should be very proud of that kind of attention."

Building on the success of the Striper & Golf Festival, Oklahoma Southeast now sponsors the annual Lt. Governor's Turkey Hunt in April and co-sponsors the annual Poteau Duck Hunt in December. Oklahoma Southeast is also an attending sponsor for the annual SHOT Show, allowing members to attend the exhibit and conference without paying registration fees.

Purpose: Established in 2000 to promote the Striper & Golf Festival, this regional partnership continues to expand its efforts to further market Southeastern Oklahoma.

Project Overview:

Oklahoma Southeast formalized the organization's framework and developed and implemented a regional marketing plan for communities and counties throughout the southeastern part of the state. Specifically the organization:

• Organized into a private, non-profit 501 © (6) corporation
• Elected officers and created standing membership recruitment and marketing committees
• Developed a website, http://www.oklahomasoutheast.com, and printed marketing materials to help promote the region
• Partnered with the World Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) to enhance its ability to attend or be represented at trade shows like CoreNet and WestPac.
• Works with its Oklahoma Department of Commerce SE Rural Development Specialist, Glenn Glass, to feed expansion and relocation leads to member communities
• Centrally coordinates the RFP (request for proposal) process for members and helps host site selection consultants and other decision-makers
• Uses its website to promote available land and buildings, assets, and other resources within the service area
• Maintains an inventory of and disseminates information about the region's available workforce and financial resources. 

Next Steps:

• Organize an Existing Industry Appreciation Day to recognize and encourage existing business retention and expansion throughout the region
• Offer a customized lead-development service exclusively to Oklahoma Southeast members; the partnership is currently looking for vendors to provide this service
• Identify and attend regional industry conferences within driving distance for most of its membership (Dallas, Fort Smith, etc.) to promote southeast Oklahoma and build on existing manufacturing or industry clusters.

Expected Benefits:

• Increased opportunities for new business development
• New job creation and retention
• Increased payroll and disposable income
• Higher sales tax returns to municipalities and counties
• Increase in commercial and residential activity
• Greater leveraging of professional and financial resources
• Higher degree of cooperation among communities
• Broadening organizational networks and partnerships beyond county lines.

Lessons Learned:

• Follow up with locators or others who've attended a festival or responded in some way to marketing efforts.
• Although at times the partnership's size seems a bit unwieldy, the purpose--marketing a region--lends itself to a bigger-is-better approach.
• Starting with one event or a small project helps a regional partnership get its bearings before taking on something too large and risking failure.
• Trade shows provide good exposure, but they can be expensive and time consuming to attend. Oklahoma Southeast partnered with WEDA and purchased a 2'X8' space in its booth area for four trade shows per year. They can attend the shows or let WEDA handle the booth set up and disseminate materials.