The Norman Economic Development Coalition announced its official transition this week to the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition.
In a press release sent to OU Daily on Friday, the Cleveland County coalition will now include Lexington, Moore, Noble, Slaughterville, south Oklahoma City and property that doesn’t fall into a municipality.
“Our transition to the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition allows us to take a more focused approach to economic development,” wrote Matt Clouse, the Cleveland County coalition’s incoming chair and Norman market president of Valliance Bank, in the release.
The original Norman coalition website no longer contains the same information as it did in previous years. The website that the press release refers to for more information, selectclevelandcounty.com, is currently being built.
According to the release, the transition was originally proposed at the Norman coalition’s 2023 annual meeting. David Nimmo, former president and CEO of Chickasaw Nation Industries and outgoing chair of the Cleveland County coalition, wrote that this has been six or seven years in the making after former OU President James Gallogly challenged the Norman coalition and the Norman Chamber of Commerce “to be bold.”
Cleveland County District 3 Commissioner Rusty Grissom and representatives from south Oklahoma City and Noble praised the decision in the release.
“The organization’s expanded scope will foster greater collaboration between municipalities, attract diverse industries, and increase economic opportunities county-wide,” Noble Mayor Phil Freeman wrote in the release.
On Wednesday, the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition held an event at Riverwind Casino, where it discussed the transition. OU Daily was not present at the event but obtained recordings from an event attendee.
Several Norman leaders attended the meeting, including Mayor Larry Heikkila, Mayor-elect and Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman, Norman Chamber of Commerce President Scott Martin and Home Creations owners Jalal and Mohammad Farzaneh.
The Norman coalition was part of Team Norman, which has been the driving force behind the promotion of the University North Park entertainment district. In October, a contractor for the Norman coalition admitted to OU Daily he offered to pay OU students to attend the public hearings for the entertainment district.
The $1.1 billion entertainment district would include retail and housing developments along with an arena, where OU basketball and women’s gymnastics would serve as the anchor tenants.
Since its approval in September, the district has faced several legal challenges.
On Sept. 20, three Norman residents filed a petition to turn the district to a public vote. Organized by the nonprofit Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development, petitioners collected 11,602 signatures over 30 days, exceeding the 6,098 required by law. Of the 11,602 submitted, 10,698 signatures were certified by City Clerk Brenda Hall.
On Nov. 19, Nimmo; Kyle Allison, director of Allison’s FUN Inc.; Vernon McKown, CEO of Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods; and Dan Quinn, former Ward 8 council member and a real estate agent for Dillard Cies, filed the challenge opposing the petition.
Last Friday, a Cleveland County judge ruled that the explanation contained in the petition was insufficient, striking the vote from the ballot.
ORED hosted a community town hall on Friday, where Norman residents discussed a possible appeal for the case and the proposed bonds for the Tuesday elections.
During the Cleveland County Economic Coalition event, Nimmo summarized the Norman coalition’s accomplishments over the past year. He also thanked OU, Moore Norman Technology Center and the Norman Chamber of Commerce for helping provide resources and operating as mediators to private businesses.
During the event, Nimmo said these efforts were not enough.
“It really didn't generate the kind of resources that we need as a community, being the third largest in the state to really achieve great themes in economic development,” Nimmo said.
According to Nimmo, the Norman Economic Development Coalition has grown in private donations for economic development. He said the Norman coalition has been focusing on structure over the past year, pointing to its partnership with Boyd Street Ventures.
“Norman is a place that has a strong view of its responsibility to those who are less fortunate than others, and all of that starts with economic development,” Nimmo said.
Nimmo introduced Clouse as his successor for chair, who went over future plans and projects for the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition.
Clouse, who was previously a board member of the Norman Economic Development Coalition, noted the coalition received over $25 million in funding from various programs and said the plan for next year was the implementation of said programs, particularly the Oklahoma Aviation Academy and Startup 405.
In April, the then-Norman Economic Development Coalition announced Startup 405, a joint venture between the Norman coalition and Boyd Street Ventures to promote job growth by nurturing startups and entrepreneurs.
Clouse announced the Cleveland County coalition was provided $1 million to improve existing mountain bike trails and $800,000 to build a countywide artificial intelligence talent recruitment software platform.
“Talent has been the number one issue facing our business owners over the last 10 years as our baby boomers have continued to retire,” Clouse said.
In the press release sent to the Daily, Ronda Dowding, president of DowAero, a locally owned aerospace company with operations in south Oklahoma City, praised Lawrence McKinney, Cleveland County coalition president and CEO, for understanding the value of DowAero and an AI talent recruiter platform.
“As a business leader in Cleveland County, I am thrilled to see this transition,” Dowding wrote. “The CCEDC’s county-wide focus will bring the resources and strategy needed to foster innovation and attract talent to our region.”
Event host Justin Yahola, who is listed on Norman coalition’s remaining website as the general manager of Riverwind Casino, introduced keynote speaker Didi Caldwell, president and CEO of Global Location Strategies.
Caldwell gave a presentation on economics at the national, state and county levels and provided advice for how Oklahoma can maximize its attributes to increase development and draw talent.
“Start thinking about this as a county, not just a collection of cities,” Caldwell said. “Think about all the property that could potentially open up for investments that could create good jobs, good jobs for people that live here in this county and in the surrounding areas.”
Caldwell acknowledged the controversy of the ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike plans and said approximately 70% of all the industrial development in the United States happens within 10 miles of an interstate highway.
ACCESS Oklahoma is a 15-year, $8.2 billion plan to develop new turnpikes and expand existing highways across the state, including along multiple routes in the Norman area.
Caldwell said that talented workers seeking jobs hold the power in where they choose to live, so it is paramount to be able to provide potential talent with a place they can be comfortable.
“What you're doing with the entertainment district, that just gives people more things to do, it’s a draw for people to come here,” Caldwell said.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd, Anusha Fathepure and Ana Barboza. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
