Evan Brown serves as the Executive Director of EDGE (Economic Development Growth and Expansion) at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. With previous roles as Deputy Secretary of State and Deputy Director of Business Development and Legislative Director at 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 strong emphasis on attracting technology companies 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 in the state’s ongoing push to attract innovation and high-tech industry growth.
Let’s start with the big news—Google has acquired land in Stillwater, Oklahoma for a future data center campus. Can you tell us how this project came 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 company has been a fantastic partner with the state, both employing hundreds of Oklahomans and giving back to the local community where it is located. Google has also continued to invest in STEM education by awarding grants to schools and other organizations, which also helps ensure a steady workforce pipeline for years to come.
Oklahoma was specifically named as a beneficiary of the $20 billion foreign investment aimed at boosting AI and cloud technology. What makes Oklahoma such a strategic location for this kind of development?
Oklahoma’s central location, affordable energy costs and commitment to being the most business-friendly state in the nation make it perfect for any significant investment. Our state is always open for business, offering incentives and state-of-the-art infrastructure for new and expanding companies. Businesses only need to call us, and we will show them exactly why Oklahoma is the right state for them to grow or expand.
In 2023, Oklahoma saw 71 announcements for new and expanding companies. What trends are you seeing in the types of businesses choosing Oklahoma, and what’s driving this momentum?
Not only is Oklahoma the perfect location for new technology companies, but it is also becoming a hub for national defense. We have five military installations that the Department of Defense continues to invest in, and our team is also working on multiple defense manufacturing projects that could bring more than 1,000 jobs and $1 billion in investment. We have Long Wave, an Oklahoma City-based company, which was recently awarded a subcontract to help develop the Navy’s new aircraft. The contract is for hundreds of millions of dollars over six years, and they are adding 150 new jobs. We are also taking steps to onshore critical mineral manufacturing in the U.S., reducing the nation’s dependence on other countries. In Stillwater, we have USA Rare Earth, America’s first rare earth metal manufacturing facility. They produced their first batch of magnets earlier this year. There’s also Stardust Power, a lithium refining company, that broke ground on a $1.2 billion refinery in Muskogee earlier this year.
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?
It all comes down to our affordable energy and business-friendly policies. Data centers require a large amount of energy, and right now, we produce 60% more energy than we consume in Oklahoma. Communities also have the ability to work directly with these companies to come up with designated power generation for data center development or other projects.
With energy costs nearly 20% below the national average and a #1 ranking 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 consume, and that’s a huge advantage when recruiting data centers or other similar high-energy-consuming businesses. Our grid is reliable because we are 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 the most business-friendly state in the country. We are centrally located, we have the furthest inland port in the country, state leadership is committed to cutting red tape, we have affordable energy, and we offer 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 how 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 meet the demand of existing businesses and companies looking to establish operations in Oklahoma. Communities can apply if they have a site with infrastructure needs, and if selected, we partner with the community to help cover some of the costs of those improvements. This shows companies looking 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 in their community and preparing them for economic growth. It’s like when you’re shopping for a new home. We want the business to see its potential spot, fall in love with the site and community, and be excited about moving in.
How is Oklahoma preparing its talent pipeline—especially in areas like tech and advanced manufacturing—to meet the demands of these new investments?
We are committed to ensuring every student who graduates high school is college-ready or career-ready. We have schools like the Aviation Academy in Norman, where high schoolers can work towards their pilot license or technical certificates in aviation maintenance. We are taking steps to expand internships and apprenticeship programs while also building partnerships between schools and businesses. Oklahoma has a terrific CareerTech system, which helps companies understand the skills they need and incorporates that information in 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 value of public and private partnerships. Economic development is not done in a silo. It’s not state or community; it’s state partnering with communities to understand their needs and desires for growth. We must intentionally invest in strong relationships across our state through elected officials and community partners to ensure we thoroughly understand the assets. If we are out pitching to a company that Oklahoma is the place to be, we have to understand all of our assets so we can help connect a business to the community that best fits their needs.
How do you see this Google investment shaping the future of economic development in Oklahoma? Could it pave the way for similar tech-focused initiatives or companies to follow?
We understand that the free market creates jobs, not the government. We don’t want to put our thumb on the scale and pick winners and losers. Because of our business-friendly policies and advantages 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 companies interested in Oklahoma and potentially finding a community partner that would best fit their needs.
Looking ahead, what’s your vision for Oklahoma’s role in the national economy, especially as AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure continue to grow?
Governor Kevin Stitt always says he wants to take Oklahoma to the world and bring 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 are working to build relationships directly between Oklahoma and other countries.
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