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Weekly Update

02/22/08

NEW NATIONAL SPEAKER ADDED FOR CONFERENCE...this is our last weekly blog before the World Famous, Highly Anticipated, soon-to-be-talked-about Ponca City Economic Development Conference. It's coming next Friday, February 29th at Pioneer Tech. Recently added is Mark Lautman, nationally known speaker on the coming workforce crisis in the world titled, "I see Old People." Lautman brings an important message about changing demographics, the aging of the workforce and what it means to communities like Ponca City.

 

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE...Joining Lautman on the program will be Mark Snead presenting the 2007 Ponca City Economic Report and 2008 Forecast. Robin Roberts, the Chair of the International Economic Development Council will also talk about "Playing to win, not to avoid failure." Jim Mason of the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative will describe this exciting technology and its fingerprints on the future. The future will also be there in the person of three, let's just say younger people letting us know what consumers of place will be looking for tomorrow. The conference will feature the findings of PCDA's business surveys so that you can see numerically, (we really don't name names) what business has planned for the future. It closes with a real Town Hall to give you input into our economic future. Tickets are $30 which includes lunch. Call 765-7070 or email klong@goponca.com

 

STEM CELL...STEM stands for "Science Technology, Engineering and Math" and generally refers to education of said disciplines. While learning must be life long, the term is usually used in the context of the K-20 education. Ponca City has many STEM cells such as the OSSM program at Pioneer Tech and the Robotics team at Ponca City High and the latter will be on display at the conference next Friday. It is critically important to highlight the excitement in the science and math fields as it is all too often shadowed by the attention paid to other things. Case in point: on Wednesday, MSNBC morning co-anchor Willie Geist, a news guy, not an entertainment type, knew all about a potential upcoming meeting of Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston, and he waxed eloquently about the election strategy vis-à-vis Obama and Clinton but when going to break, could not remember if the Space Shuttle was landing or taking off that day, (and didn't seem to care). Now you might be thinking that you did not know about the Space Shuttle, (for the record it was the landing of Atlantis) and that's the point. If the national media isn't paying attention to math and science, how can you know? We, and therefore our kids, focus on drama, but we don't celebrate real achievement.

 

WELCOME CENTER OPENED TODAY...not that you didn't feel welcome in Oklahoma but the new welcome center at exit 225 was dedicated this morning by Lt. Guv Askins, Senator Myers and Representatives DeWitt and Luttrell, joined by a host of dignitaries.

 

UPCOMING...

 

§ Thur. Feb. 28th: Ponca City Mainstreet Banquet and Awards, call 580.763.8082

§ Fri. Feb. 29th: World Famous, Highly Anticipated Ponca City Economic Conference

 

Ponca City Development Authority. 102 S. Fifth Street, Ste. 3, Ponca City, OK 74601

580.765.7070/580.765.0969-fax, email dmyers@goponca.com, www.goponca.com