Evan Brown, Executive Director of EDGE at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce

Evan Brown is the CEO of EDGE (Economic Development and Expansion) in the Ministry of Commerce in Oklahoma. With the previous roles, such as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Director of Business Development and Legislative Director at the Ministry of Commerce, Evan brings a wealth of experience in public service and economic strategy. In Edge, it leads initiatives to advance business growth and expand economic opportunities at the state level, with a strong focus on attracting technology companies to Oklahoma.
Ivan helped to strengthen Oklahoma as a competitive center for technological investment-which was highlighted by buying the last lands of Google for a future data center, which is a major landmark in the continuous batch of state to attract innovation and the growth of the super technology industry.

Let’s start with The Big News – Google has gained ground in Steluter, Oklahoma for the campus of a future data center. Can you tell us how this project appeared and what does the local economy and the state mean?

Google Oklahoma Home has been summoned for more than a decade, as she invested $ 4.4 billion in her data center at Midameric Industrial Park in Bruri, Oklahoma. The company was a great partner with the state, as it hires both Okhaluman and Warda Al -Jameel for the local community, where it is located. Google also continued to invest in STEM education through scholarships for schools and other institutions, which also helps to ensure the fixed workforce pipeline for years to come.

Oklahoma was specifically named as a beneficiary of foreign investment of $ 20 billion aimed at strengthening artificial intelligence and cloud technology. What makes Oklahoma this strategic location for this type of development?

Oklahoma is the central site, energy costs at reasonable prices and the commitment that the country is the most suitable for business in the country makes it ideal for any major investment. Our condition is always open to work, as it provides incentives and modern infrastructure for new and expanding companies. Companies only need to contact us, and we will show them the exact reason that Oklahoma is the right condition for them to grow or expand.

In 2023, Oklahoma witnessed 71 advertisements for new and expanding companies. What trends do you see in the types of companies that choose Oklahoma, and what drives this momentum?

Not only Oklahoma is the ideal location for new technology companies, but it has also become a national defense center. We have five military facilities that the Ministry of Defense continues to invest in, and our team is also working on multiple defense manufacturing projects that can bring more than 1,000 jobs and billion dollars in investment. Our Long Wave, a company based in Oklahoma, which recently got the subcontractor to help develop new naval aircraft. The contract is hundreds of millions of dollars for six years, and they add 150 new jobs. We also take steps to manufacture critical minerals in the United States, which reduces the nation’s dependence on other countries. In Steloter, we have a rare USA, the first rare Earth -Mineral Manufacturing Facility in America. They produced the first batch of magnet earlier this year. There is also Stardust Power, Li -Term, which started in a $ 1.2 billion refinery refinery in Muskogee earlier this year.

Google’s decision reflects confidence in the infrastructure in Oklahoma. Can you explain what makes the country’s infrastructure particularly suitable for data centers on a large scale?

All this is due to our energy -friendly policies and men in cost. Data centers require a large amount of energy, and now, we produce energy by 60 % more than we consume in Oklahoma. Societies also have the ability to work directly with these companies to reach the power generation appointed to develop the data center or other projects.

With the energy costs of approximately 20 % less than the national average and the number 1 of CNBC for the cost of doing business, Oklahoma is clearly competitive. How do you take advantage of the strengths in your economic development strategy?

In Oklahoma, we produce 60 % energy than we consume, and this is a great advantage when employing data centers or other high -energy energy. Our network is reliable because we are members of the southwestern energy withdrawal, so we do not test the power outages that you see in some parts of the country. Our goal is to be the country most suitable for business in the country. We are in a central location, and we have the farthest internal port in the country, and the government leadership is committed to cutting the red strip, and we have reasonable energy, and we offer direct access to the leadership of the state.

The website program was effective in identifying industrial and huge sites throughout the state. How does this program work, and how helped attract projects like Google’s?

The sites mean supporting industrial transformation and economic success. Our way of partnership with societies across the state to proactively process infrastructure needs to meet the demand for current companies and companies that are looking to create operations in Oklahoma. Societies can apply if they have a site with infrastructure, and if they are chosen, we participate with society to help cover some of these improvements. This explains the companies looking to expand or move to Oklahoma that the country is committed to the existence of a ready -made site to overcome operations as soon as possible. Oklahoma societies also explain that the state is committed to investing in its society and preparing economic growth. It seems as if you were shopping for a new house. We want to see the work in its potential place, falls in love with the site and society, and to be excited to move.

How does Oklahoma prepare talent pipeline – especially in areas such as technology and advanced manufacturing – to meet the requirements of these new investments?

We are committed to ensuring that every student graduating from high school is ready for the college or ready for the job. We have schools such as the Aviation Academy in Norman, where high school schools can work on their experimental licensing or technical certificates in aviation maintenance. We take steps to expand internal training and vocational training programs while building partnerships between schools and companies. OKLAHOMA has a wonderful CareERTECH system, which helps companies understand the skills they need and integrate this information in the semester.

Steluter’s cooperation with multiple local partners was necessary to secure this project. What are the lessons that cities or other countries can learn from this successful partnership between the public and private sectors?

We understand the value of public and private partnerships. Economic development is not done in a silo. It is not a state or society; It is a partnership with societies to understand their needs and desires to grow. We must deliberately invest in strong relationships throughout our state through elected officials and community partners to ensure completely understanding of assets. If we are outside to a company that Oklahoma is the right place, we must understand all our origins so that we can help communicate business to the community that suits their needs.

How do you see this Google investment, which is the future of economic development in Oklahoma? Can it pave the way for the initiatives or similar companies that focus on technology to follow up?

We understand that the free market creates jobs, not the government. We do not want to put our thumb on the scale and choose the winners and losers. Due to our business -friendly policies and benefits, we have created an environment in which entrepreneurs and companies can flourish. We get weekly calls from databases, rare ground companies, and other companies that focus on technology interested in eklauma and may find a partner in society that would suit their needs.

Looking at the future, what is your vision of the role of Oklahoma in the national economy, especially with artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital infrastructure in growth?

Governor Kevin State always says he wants to take Oklahoma to the world and return the world to Oklahoma. In 2024 alone, our team hosted 19 representatives of the consulate, Safran, and the prince’s hands. We have coordinated eight international external tasks for countries such as South Korea and Japan, and we helped in six international agreements for government drug. We are working to build direct relationships between Oklahoma and other countries.