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Matt Caban • The Madill Record From left to right: Bryan County Commissioner Ron Boyer, Kari Walker of Southern Insurance Group,, Marshall County Commissioner Josh Cantrell and Marshall County Commissioner Chris Duroy go through an exercise at the Oklahoma First: Southeastern Oklahoma Economic Summit Oct. 28 in Durant.
It’s not everyday that we get to put our dreams on paper. But that’s exactly what happened to a group of 65 professionals from across Southeastern Oklahoma at the Oklahoma First: Southeastern Oklahoma Economic Summit Oct. 28.
The event was organized by Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant) and Dr. David Whitlock, the John Massey professor of business at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Professionals, business leaders and elected officals representing Atoka, Bryan, Coal, Johnston and Marshall Counties were in attendance at the event. It was held at SEOSU’s Hallie McKinney Ballroom.
Among those in attendance were interim SEOSU President Bryon Clark, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, House Speaker Charles McCall, Rep. Justin Humphrey & Dustin Roberts, Senator David Bullard.
The Marshall County contingent included Commissioners Josh Cantrell, Commissioner Chris Duroy, OGE’s Robert Holiday, and Rick Lane of First United Bank.
Bullard opened up the evening by asking everyone to dream.
“I wanted to put minds in a room and come into that room with an open idea on let’s dream,” he said. “Let’s think about we want an economy to look like. Socrates once said, ‘the secret to change is not to destroy the old, but to build the new.”
Bullard told the crowd about a conversation he had during the last legislative session with Bob Funk, Sr., the co-founder of Express Employment Professionals and former chair of Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He said the conversation with Funk made him realized how well placed Southeastern Oklahoma is to see future economic growth.
“Tonight I want you to relax a bit,” he added. “ I want you to you to think, relax and open up in discussion. We’re gonna have one rule, Dr. Whitlock will explain in a bit.”
Before, the tables broke into their discussions, Pinnell offered some words of encouragement.
“From the executive branch to the legislative branch, we’re one team,” he said.” We have to partner together to help make Oklahoma better.”
After Pinnell spoke, Whitlock went on to share the aforementioned one rule was : no whining was allowed. And to keep folks accountable, empty short wine glasses were placed at every table.
“The senator has made a rule of no whining,” Whitlock said. “The penalty is $1 per whine which will be put into wine glasses.
The audience agreed and said amen after a little lighthearted ribbing by Whitlock.
The tables spent the better part of the next two hours brainstorming about things like their top ten busines ideas for their area, talking about the marketing, infrastructure and labor needs associated with their ideas and then sharing them with the audience.
Common themes across the groups were working together, state and federal policies that would help remove obstacles preventing development and having a centralized plan for the region.