At his inaugural address Thursday, Tulsa Regional Chamber 2018 Chair Steve Bradshaw said northeast Oklahoma needs to focus on education funding, "new economy" jobs and direct flights.
Those are the things the BOK Financial Corporation president and CEO thinks will see the Tulsa region "soaring ahead" during 2018.
Bradshaw said underfunded schools are the single largest barrier to attracting new businesses to the region and to encouraging existing ones to invest more in it.
Bradshaw encouraged northeast Oklahomans to meet that challenge aggressively.
"This can and should include efforts to recruit new candidates and replace legislators who do not see education funding as a critical priority," Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said local officials are right in pushing the legislature to allow unpenalized use of municipal and county funds for schools.
Bradshaw says historically, Oklahomans have been makers and doers, leading to an emphasis on manufacturing.
"And our support for production-based businesses should never wane or go away, but, increasingly, many of the greatest growth opportunities are to be found in businesses built around skills such as information technology, research and development, and cybersecurity," Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said the region has a good start with the University of Tulsa’s cybersecurity program and the arrival of Web developer training program Coding Dojo, but there’s much more to be done.
Bradshaw also wants direct flights to more cities out of Tulsa International Airport, including at least one this year to one a major city like New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C.
"It matters greatly when we work to attract new businesses or compel existing businesses to build out their workforce here rather than doing that in other markets that may enjoy easier business travel," Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said he will work with chamber officials to develop a "fly local" policy businesses may adopt, because more traffic through TIA gives the airport more sway with airlines.
Pelco Structural President Phil Albert was the 2017 Tulsa Regional Chamber chair.
