Stillwater Chamber reports Project Rohan land sale and Google data center acquisition; trustees approve consent docket

Carrie Moore, director of economic development for the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, told the Seward Economic Development Authority on April 7 that the chamber closed the land sale for Project Rohan and announced a Google acquisition of a data center park as part of the chamber’s quarterly report.

Moore said the chamber’s mission is “to accelerate economic growth through collaborative, efforts, guided by sustainable and ethical practices.” She summarized highlights, described impacts on jobs and investment, and outlined next steps for the chamber and city partnership.

Moore told trustees the chamber closed on the Project Rohan land sale and completed a CLO transfer; she said Google announced acquisition of a data center park connected to that effort. Moore also reported that the chamber’s site consultant database has grown to more than 100 contacts and that the chamber has launched Stillwater Economic Development accounts on Facebook and Instagram and plans to publish on LinkedIn soon.

“Grateful to be here tonight. As we continue to refine the reports and figure out what is a good flow, I think it's appropriate to, each time we give a report, start with the mission,” Moore said. She added that, across three quarters, the chamber has “met and if not exceeded almost every section of the contract,” while noting there are “a couple that we have not yet met” and the chamber is evaluating why.

Moore framed the report’s impact as supporting job creation through business recruitment and expansion and raising community income by enhancing existing employment opportunities. She said those outcomes depend on partnerships with the city, regional partners such as Meridian, and community members who participate in the chamber’s economic development committee.

A trustee who spoke during the meeting praised the chamber’s work linking local projects to regional and national markets and called attention to other local industry developments. “They're manufacturing things here in Stillwater that, only places in China really are currently manufacturing, and and that's a bit of a stranglehold right now,” the trustee said, referencing manufacturers active in the area.

Trustees discussed the chamber’s outreach at site-selector conferences in Orlando and the importance of visibility when companies consider relocation. Moore said feedback from site selectors indicated that some companies are looking to onshore operations in response to tariffs and supply-chain pressures, and she described the chamber’s role in positioning Stillwater to be considered.

Votes at a glance

- Consent docket: Motion to approve the consent docket; seconded; approved 5-0. (Procedural approval of the consent docket at the start of the meeting.)

- Adjourn SEDA meeting: Motion and second to adjourn; approved 5-0.

Moore closed her presentation by saying the chamber will continue expansion and programming to support creating, retaining and reinvesting wealth in the community and that trustees should expect continued partnership and monthly touch points with city staff. No new formal development approvals or funding allocations were taken at the meeting.