Evan Brown serves because the Executive Director of EDGE (Economic Development Growth and Expansion) on the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. With previous roles as Deputy Secretary of State and Deputy Director of Business Development and Legislative Director on the Department of Commerce, Evan brings a wealth of experience in public service and economic strategy. At EDGE, he leads initiatives to drive business growth and expand economic opportunities statewide, with a powerful emphasis on attracting technology corporations to Oklahoma.
Evan has helped advance Oklahoma’s position as a competitive hub for tech investment—highlighted by Google’s recent land purchase for a future data center, a key milestone within the state’s ongoing push to draw innovation and high-tech industry growth.
Let’s start with the large news—Google has acquired land in Stillwater, Oklahoma for a future data center campus. Are you able to tell us how this project got here to life and what it means for the local and state economy?
Google has called Oklahoma home for over a decade, investing $4.4 billion in its data center at MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, Oklahoma. The corporate has been a unbelievable partner with the state, each employing tons of of Oklahomans and giving back to the area people where it’s situated. Google has also continued to speculate in STEM education by awarding grants to colleges and other organizations, which also helps ensure a gradual workforce pipeline for years to return.
Oklahoma was specifically named as a beneficiary of the $20 billion foreign investment aimed toward boosting AI and cloud technology. What makes Oklahoma such a strategic location for this sort of development?
Oklahoma’s central location, inexpensive energy costs and commitment to being essentially the most business-friendly state within the nation make it perfect for any significant investment. Our state is at all times open for business, offering incentives and state-of-the-art infrastructure for brand new and expanding corporations. Businesses only have to call us, and we’ll show them exactly why Oklahoma is the appropriate state for them to grow or expand.
In 2023, Oklahoma saw 71 announcements for brand new and expanding corporations. What trends are you seeing within the sorts of businesses selecting Oklahoma, and what’s driving this momentum?
Not only is Oklahoma the proper location for brand new technology corporations, but additionally it is becoming a hub for national defense. We’ve five military installations that the Department of Defense continues to speculate in, and our team can also be working on multiple defense manufacturing projects that would bring greater than 1,000 jobs and $1 billion in investment. We’ve Long Wave, an Oklahoma City-based company, which was recently awarded a subcontract to assist develop the Navy’s recent aircraft. The contract is for tons of of hundreds of thousands of dollars over six years, and so they are adding 150 recent jobs. We’re also taking steps to onshore critical mineral manufacturing within the U.S., reducing the nation’s dependence on other countries. In Stillwater, we now have USA Rare Earth, America’s first rare earth metal manufacturing facility. They produced their first batch of magnets earlier this 12 months. There’s also Stardust Power, a lithium refining company, that broke ground on a $1.2 billion refinery in Muskogee earlier this 12 months.
Google’s decision reflects confidence in Oklahoma’s infrastructure. Could you elaborate on what makes the state’s infrastructure particularly well-suited for large-scale data centers?
All of it comes right down to our inexpensive energy and business-friendly policies. Data centers require a considerable amount of energy, and without delay, we produce 60% more energy than we devour in Oklahoma. Communities even have the flexibility to work directly with these corporations to provide you with designated power generation for data center development or other projects.
With energy costs nearly 20% below the national average and a #1 rating from CNBC for cost of doing business, Oklahoma is clearly competitive. How are you leveraging these strengths in your economic development strategy?
In Oklahoma, we produce 60% more energy than we devour, and that’s an enormous advantage when recruiting data centers or other similar high-energy-consuming businesses. Our grid is reliable because we’re members of the Southwest Power Pull, so we don’t experience the rolling blackouts you see in some parts of the country. Our goal is to be essentially the most business-friendly state within the country. We’re centrally situated, we now have the furthest inland port within the country, state leadership is committed to cutting red tape, we now have inexpensive energy, and we provide direct access to state leadership.
The SITES Program has been instrumental in identifying industrial and mega sites across the state. How does this program work, and the way has it helped attract projects like Google’s?
SITES stands for Supporting Industrial Transformation and Economic Success. It’s our way of partnering with communities across the state to proactively address infrastructure needs to fulfill the demand of existing businesses and firms looking to determine operations in Oklahoma. Communities can apply in the event that they have a site with infrastructure needs, and if chosen, we partner with the community to assist cover a number of the costs of those improvements. This shows corporations trying to expand or move to Oklahoma that the state is committed to having a site ready for them to get operations up and running as quickly as possible. It also shows Oklahoma communities that the state is committed to investing of their community and preparing them for economic growth. It’s like if you’re looking for a brand new home. We wish the business to see its potential spot, fall in love with the location and community, and be enthusiastic about moving in.
How is Oklahoma preparing its talent pipeline—especially in areas like tech and advanced manufacturing—to fulfill the demands of those recent investments?
We’re committed to making sure every student who graduates highschool is college-ready or career-ready. We’ve schools just like the Aviation Academy in Norman, where high schoolers can work towards their pilot license or technical certificates in aviation maintenance. We’re taking steps to expand internships and apprenticeship programs while also constructing partnerships between schools and businesses. Oklahoma has a terrific CareerTech system, which helps corporations understand the talents they need and incorporates that information within the classroom.
Stillwater’s collaboration with multiple local partners was essential to securing this project. What lessons can other cities or states learn from this successful public-private partnership?
We understand the worth of private and non-private partnerships. Economic development shouldn’t be done in a silo. It’s not state or community; it’s state partnering with communities to grasp their needs and desires for growth. We must intentionally spend money on strong relationships across our state through elected officials and community partners to make sure we thoroughly understand the assets. If we’re out pitching to an organization that Oklahoma is the place to be, we now have to grasp all of our assets so we may also help connect a business to the community that most closely fits their needs.
How do you see this Google investment shaping the long run of economic development in Oklahoma? Could it pave the way in which for similar tech-focused initiatives or corporations to follow?
We understand that the free market creates jobs, not the federal government. We don’t wish to put our thumb on the dimensions and pick winners and losers. Due to our business-friendly policies and benefits in energy and other areas, we’ve created an environment where entrepreneurs and businesses can thrive. We get weekly calls from data centers, rare earth businesses, and other tech-focused corporations fascinated with Oklahoma and potentially finding a community partner that will best fit their needs.
Looking ahead, what’s your vision for Oklahoma’s role within the national economy, especially as AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure proceed to grow?
Governor Kevin Stitt at all times says he desires to take Oklahoma to the world and produce the world back to Oklahoma. In 2024 alone, our team hosted 19 consulate representatives, two ambassadors, and a Crown Prince. We coordinated eight international outbound missions to countries like South Korea and Japan and assisted with six international MOU agreements. We’re working to construct relationships directly between Oklahoma and other countries.
