State ranks on business list

By LAURIE WINSLOW World Staff Writer - 11/3/2009


Site Selection magazine has ranked Oklahoma No. 18 on its Top Business Climate for 2009 list.

The ranking of the top 25 states is based, in part, on a survey of corporate real estate executives as well as a plant database that tracks new and expanded business facility activity.

North Carolina had the No. 1-ranked business climate, followed by Texas and Virginia.

Oklahoma's ranking rose from No. 24 in 2008. In 2007, the state ranked No. 15.

"One of the keys is, and will always be, that we are centrally located," said Mike Seney, senior vice president of operations for the State Chamber of Oklahoma. "We are a wonderful distribution center for not just the United States, but the North American continent. We are really the crossroads of America, and that's very important into today's world in the cost of getting goods to the customers."

Oklahoma also has a relatively low cost of living, a good labor base, an educated work force that is getting better and a good work ethic, Seney said.

Additionally, the state has a high quality of life and strong incentives through the Quality Jobs Program to encourage businesses to move into the state and for existing businesses to grow, Seney said.

Being in the top 20 states is important because it gets businesses to look at Oklahoma, Seney said.

Site Selection's ranking — reported in its November issue — is based 50 percent by a state's performance in Conway Data's New Plant Database, which tracks new and expanded business facility activity, and 50 percent on a survey of corporate site seekers across the country.

In the survey, individuals were asked, "Based upon your experience, what are the top 10 state business climates, taking into consideration such factors as lack of red tape, financial assistance and government officials' cooperation?"

Oklahoma bumps up to No. 17 when based on the executive survey ranking. Also, Texas topped North Carolina based on the survey ranking.

Site selectors also were asked to rank the factors most important to them when determining a location for a new facility. The top three factors are transportation infrastructure, work-force skills, and state and local tax schemes.

Last year, Site Selection magazine ranked Tulsa at No. 9 among places with a population of 200,000 to 1 million in its annual Top Metropolitan Areas.

Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Data Inc., delivers expansion planning information to 44,000 executives.

Atlanta-based Conway Data is an international publishing and association management company.


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Tulsa World Reader Comments
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Grand Old Partier, Owasso (11/2/2009 8:25:12 PM)
I wish that this would shut all of the Oklahoma bashers up but it won't.



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