INTERVIEW WITH LT. GOVERNOR PINNELL

from OKCYP Insider: The 50 Most Influential Young Professionals of Oklahoma City

by Oklahoma City Young Professionals

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, in a candid interview, shared with us his thoughts on a growing Oklahoma City.

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INTERVIEWINTERVIEW WITHWITH LT.LT. GOVERNORGOVERNOR MATTMATT PINNELLPINNELL

What will Oklahoma City look like in the next ten years?

“Over the next ten years, Oklahoma City is primed to become one of the top fifteen biggest cities in America. The reason for the growth we ’ ve seen and will see is because of the diversification of the economy and Oklahoma City investing in itself. The MAPS program has been one of the most successful incentive programs in the country. It’ s a model nationally. And Oklahoma City has worked hard to diversify its economy. Thousands of people will move inside of Oklahoma City in the next ten years because of it. ”

What industries in Oklahoma City will emerge in the next ten years?

“Our aerospace industry will probably become the number one industry as it might overcome even our energy industry in the state in the next ten years. It’ s number 2 in the state right now. And as secretary of tourism, I am watching the tourism industry very closely, and OKC is a tourism destination. It truly is a ‘ choose all of the above kind of tourism town. Oklahoma did a record $9.6 billion in direct spending related to tourism and had 21.5 million visitors in 2018, which was a 7.3 percent growth since 2017. Tourism creates an extremely valuable sales tax revenue for Oklahoma City. It’ s an industry that is critical for the success of Oklahoma City. ”

What do you think of the current status of workforce development in Oklahoma City?

“Workforce development is always a top priority. When we talk to a company wanting to relocate, they want to know about our workforce development program and our public education systems. Our colleges and Career and Technology Centers play a big part in workforce development. These schools train young Oklahomans to meet the demands of our workforce. We need to be absolutely tenacious about cultivating partnerships between institutions of secondary education and post-secondary education, and we need to be investing a proper amount of dollars into those classrooms and creating a teacher pipeline so that as teachers phase out and retire, we have a good pipeline to replace them. If we don ’t do those things, then luring a large company with thousands of employees proves to be more difficult. ”

OKCYP is celebrating ten years this year. Do you have anything you'd like to share?

“Oklahoma City Young Professionals has been a catalyst for OKC’ s up-and-coming business leaders for a decade. Young professionals are the future of our state, and I am confident that this hardworking and passionate group will make a great impact on Oklahoma. ”