Building a sustainable work force - Community assessment reveals troubling areas

By Joy Hampton

Norman is slowly losing its young adult working population, a recent study found.

“The city of Norman is growing and growing faster than many peer communities,” said Matt Tarleton, vice president and principal at Market Street Services. The company recently completed a community assessment to identify Norman’s strengths and weaknesses.

“You all have a very young work force, which is a good thing. But in the last five years, the core working age population is declining,” Tarleton said. A 2016 survey of 300 University of Oklahoma students found that only three percent indicated they would definitely stay in Norman after graduating, while 46 percent indicated that they definitely would not live in Norman after graduation...

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New NASA Mission coming to Norman

Submitted Content

Dr. Berrien Moore III from the University of Oklahoma will be at the Sooner Centurion Economic Summit to detail the new NASA Earth Venture Mission, GeoCarb.

In addition to Dr. Moore, the summit will feature economic development experts from Market Street Services as they reveal research on Norman and how it is competing for jobs and investment. Market Street will also be revealing next steps and expectations for Norman's economic development strategic plan.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

City Coalition Launches Survey

By Joy Hampton 

The Norman Economic Development Coalition wants to know what you think, and they’ve launched a survey to gather information from community partners. 

During his second year at the helm of NEDC, Executive Director Jason Smith realized something was lacking. He was leading NEDC to look into programs, but the coalition didn’t know where to focus its efforts. "It became pretty clear there was no consensus in the community, or even among our stakeholders, on what constitutes a successful economic development program,” he said.

The Norman Economic Development Coalition’s mission is to improve Norman’s quality of life through the creation and retention of jobs. Established in 1996, NEDC is a joint effort of the University of Oklahoma, the city of Norman, the Moore Norman Technology Center and the Sooner Centurions, a committee of the Norman Chamber of Commerce.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.