By Rep. RICK WEST
Last week, I joined local, state, national and tribal leaders at Patriot Airpark in Pocola for a summit dedicated to bringing high-impact economic investment, technological innovation and sustainable growth to eastern Oklahoma.
The event was put together by the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce and the National Aerospace Chamber of Commerce. Additional partners included the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics and LeFlore County Choctaw Nation Economic Development. John Limbocker, the clerk and treasurer for the Town of Pocola. and Roy Walker, mayor of Pocola also played a part, as did several other lawmakers.
Oklahoma’s business environment for developing companies and institutional investors was highlighted during the summit. Part of the focus was on scaling national aerospace initiatives, pioneering unmanned aerial vehicle programs and opening prime real estate development opportunities across the region. We talked about our area’s geographic advantages, our business-friendly ecosystem and robust support for forward-thinking industries. We also discussed how unifying municipal, state, national and tribal leadership can help us get more investors into our area to help secure long-term prosperity.
I told the group that our area has incredible potential because of our hard-working, skilled employees and our residents’ strong sense of community. It takes all of us working together to showcase everything eastern Oklahoma has to offer. This summit was a good demonstration of the ideas that can be generated when everyone comes together with the goal of creating real, lasting economic opportunities for the families of this area of the state.
Remember to listen to my Capitol update on the radio at 7:35 a.m. every Thursday on KPRV.
As always, if I can help you with anything, please call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.
Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.