Trust signs $181,298 film incentive; Chamber outlines workforce priorities amid AI disruption

The Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust on Nov. 18 approved a pay‑for‑performance film incentive agreement with Wild Rooster LLC and TPC 2022 LLC not to exceed $181,298 and voted to receive the Oklahoma City Economic Development Foundation's fiscal year 2026 first‑quarter report.

Trustee Mister Sutil said the film incentive allocation and presentation were previously approved in July 2025 and that the agreement before the trust finalized the contract. The trust moved, seconded and approved the film incentive agreement during the meeting; the transcript does not identify who made or seconded the motion.

Lee Copeland, director of talent, programs and partnerships at the Oklahoma City Chamber, and Eric Williams, manager of business growth at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, presented the Foundation's FY26 Q1 report. Williams said the chamber engaged in 229 business retention and expansion conversations over the past year (50 of them focused on talent and workforce), assisted more than 100 companies, and attributed about $1.18 billion in capital investments and 3,259 new full‑time jobs to those efforts. Copeland described workforce pipeline initiatives including a local FAME chapter with cohorts working toward associate degrees and national certifications and an upcoming RFP for an in‑market study to guide future alignment of education and employer needs.

During Q&A a council member raised recent layoffs at a major employer that were attributed to AI and automation; Copeland said chamber staff had not had advance conversations with that employer and are reviewing the situation after the fact. Following the presentation trustees took a motion, second and voted to receive the Foundation's FY26 first‑quarter report. The meeting then moved to the general manager's report and adjourned.