Carrie Moore of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce told the Stoner Economic Development Authority on Aug. 18, 2025, that the Chamber finalized an updated economic development strategic plan and that 17 Stillwater businesses received awards through the Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program (OIEP).

Moore said the Chamber partnered with Meridian Technology and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to promote OIEP locally and to help screen applicants. She said the program reimburses participating businesses through the Oklahoma Finance Authority by returning payroll-tax funds tied to eligible projects. "This will be embedded on the Grow Stillwater website," Moore said of the Chamber’s updated plan and related materials.

The Chamber reported process details and outcomes. Moore said OIEP applications are accepted during a roughly two-week, first-come, first-served window; the Chamber helped prepare applicants to submit quickly. She said 17 Stillwater firms were awarded, with $938,000 awarded to Stillwater through the program; Moore also reported nearly $3 million in new wages and 57 new jobs tied to the awarded projects.

Moore described other items in the Chamber’s strategic work: a NAICS-code analysis that identified four target industry groups for recruitment; two site visits in the previous quarter (exceeding the Chamber’s prior expectation of about one per year); and a recruitment video scheduled to premiere at the Mayoral State of the City event in September. She said the Chamber will present results from its Small Business University in the next quarterly update.

On business attraction, Moore summarized the Chamber’s work hosting Select Oklahoma (the state economic development organization) and a mock site visit to give site selectors a candid view of local employers. As part of that effort, the Chamber organized a public-private downtown tour and a behind-the-fence tour of Block 34 for selectors. Moore said site selectors praised Stillwater’s airport and the community’s ability to connect visitors quickly to the right city contacts.

Trustees at the meeting praised the Chamber’s outreach and partnerships. One trustee noted recent statewide events and said Stillwater is increasingly on site selectors’ radar; another specifically complimented the Chamber’s role in supporting projects including Kingspan and the USA Rare Earth prospect.

Votes at a glance: The meeting approved the consent docket by recorded vote of 5 to 0. The authority later voted 5 to 0 to adjourn the Stoner Economic Development Authority meeting.

The Chamber provided next steps: continuing outreach to target industries using NAICS codes, reporting additional site visits in the next quarterly update, presenting Small Business University outcomes, and launching the recruitment video at the September mayoral event.

(Reporting note: numerical totals and program details are reported here as stated by Carrie Moore at the meeting.)