OEDC Member Update

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August 6, 2010

In This Issue

Registration Now Open for OU EDI

2010 OSU Cowboy Entrepreneur's Bootcamp

Changes to the 918 Area Code

Oklahoma Green - Grant Funding for Job Creation and Training Projects

Brownfield Grant Opportunities

Not-for-profit Tax Alert

Oklahoma Academy Town Hall

Articles/Resources of Interest

OETA News and Public Affairs Highlights

Find OEDC in Social Media!

Registration Now Open for OU EDI

Kansas City, MO
November 14-18, 2010

More information at www.ouedi.org.

OU/EDI PROVIDES AN AGGRESSIVE THREE-SESSION PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH.

THE WORLD'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT "TEACHER"

OU/EDI, the only multi-year, professional level program of its type in the U.S., provides professional economic developers with up-to-date knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in today's constantly changing economic development marketplace.

2010 OSU Cowboy Entrepreneur's Bootcamp

The Cowboy Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs is a pragmatic program for Oklahomans seriously interested in launching their own ventures and those in the early stages of start-up. The program occurs over six consecutive Saturday mornings. It features award-winning faculty, highly successful entrepreneurs, and a number of subject matter experts. We offer versions in Tulsa each Fall and in Oklahoma City each Spring. Our goal is to share the key elements that go into the creation of a profitable and sustainable new venture.

Who Should Attend?
We will accept 55 delegates to the program, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Bootcamp is intended for three key audiences:

People who have thought about starting their own ventures, but may still be looking for the right idea, or have hesitated to take the leap
Aspiring entrepreneurs who have an idea for a new venture, and are getting ready to start, but need some help either in refining their concept or in putting things together to increase the likelihood of success
Entrepreneurs who have started a venture and are still in the early stages, and find themselves struggling with aspects of the business or in finding a sustainable business model

Special Tracks will be offered for technology-based and growth-oriented businesses.

entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/bootcamp

Brochure

Changes to the 918 Area Code

The first phase of the change to an additional area code and 10 digit dialing in the 918 area will begin August 7, with the start of the "permissive" dialing period. We need your help in getting the word out to your members regarding the change.

A document containing a schedule and a list of frequently asked questions on the matter is attached. Please feel free to distribute this to your members and anyone else. This document can also be found at www.occeweb.com by clicking on the "918" link in the center of the page.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send them to this email address. You may also call:

Matt Skinner
405-521-4180
Public Information Manager - Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Jim Palmer
405-521-4018
Information Director, Consumer Services - Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Bennett Abbott
405-521-3570
Telecommunications Counsel, Public Utility Division - Oklahoma Corporation Commission

918 FAQs, schedule10 PDF

Oklahoma Green - Grant Funding for Job Creation and Training Projects

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is now accepting proposals from qualified consortia to receive federal grant funding for Oklahoma Green job creation and training projects. Approximately $3 million is available for training and job placement projects that prepare Oklahoma's workforce, businesses, training institutions and communities for the emerging green economy. Funding is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Eligible applicants must submit as a consortium comprised of 1) employers who will ultimately create the demand for these trained workers; 2) 1 state training entity; and 3) at least 1 Workforce Investment Board.

Proposed projects should be to develop and implement job training and placement projects in a community, county, or region that employ Oklahomans in unsubsidized jobs within the state's energy efficiency/renewable energy sector or in unsubsidized green jobs within the state's aerospace, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, construction, corporate and financial services, health care, oil and gas, and transportation industries.

Deadline & Procedures
The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m., September 30, 2010. Download the detailed Occupational Skills Training Project Proposal Request using the link below. Two additional documents provide further guidance on eligibility. All questions about the PPR must be submitted in writing to Cindy Fenimore- 405.815.5100 or cindy_fenimore@okcommerce.gov

Occupational Skills PPR NEW!
ARRA HGEI Crosswalk Protocol 4-2-10 NEW!
Eligibility Crosswalk-Energy Training Partnership NEW!

For those interested in submitting projects but who are not yet part of a consortium, we provide the following lists of potential educational partners as well as a list of businesses, workforce entities, and training professionals who have indicated interest o being part of a consortium.
Public Higher Ed Institutions Interested in Green Grant NEW!
Green Grant Registrants NEW!

If you are interested but have not yet indicated your interest to Commerce, please submit the form below so you can be added to the list.

Information Sharing Videoconference
Commerce will host an information sharing videoconference from 10 to 11 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 5. Everyone interested in being part of a consortium should participate. Commerce encourages participants to join the conference with other interested parties from your area to accommodate the limited number of conference lines available. Videoconferencing systems of local CareerTech and higher education facilities are compatible.

Please dial into the conference using an H.323 video conferencing system.
If the H.323 video conferencing system is registered to the OneNet gatekeeper dial the E.164 alias 2500501
If the H.323 video conferencing system is NOT registered to the OneNet gatekeeper dial the IP address 164.58.250.47 to connect to the MCU switchboard. When prompted dial to be connected to the conference.
The Multipoint Conferencing Unit will be online 30 minutes before the start of meeting. To test the connection before the meeting begins contact Bryan Boone at 405-815-5181 or at bryan_boone@okcommerce.gov to schedule a test time.

This video-conference will be archived and made available at a later date.

Brownfield Grant Opportunities

Information pertaining to two grant and low-interest loan opportunities is now available at www.oklahomabrownfields.com and www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields. DEQ will begin review of subgrant statement of interest applications in August, so please review the process and complete the application by August 9, 2010.

DEQ SUBGRANTS and LOW-INTEREST LOANS
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality's Brownfields Program is beginning a new phase in the subgrant and low-interest loan program using ARRA funds. Government and non-profit agencies are eligible to apply for subgrants and low-interest loans, and there are low-interest loan opportunities available for for-profit entities as well.

Please send any questions to oklahomabrownfields@deq.ok.gov

EPA GRANT WORKSHOPS
The US EPA will be in Oklahoma conducting three grant workshops to assist eligible entities (local, state, and tribal governments, and non-profits) in the application process for grants.

The dates and locations include:
July 29 in Tulsa
August 3 in Ardmore
August 5 in Oklahoma City

Attached is a flyer with more information and links to important sites.
Please send any questions to oklahomabrownfields@deq.ok.gov

Not-for-profit Tax Alert

A Grant Thornton LLP news alert
One-Time Relief for "Non-Filing" Small Charities to Preserve Tax-Exempt Status
July 2010

Small nonprofit organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they failed to file required returns for 2007, 2008 and 2009 can still preserve their status by filing returns by Oct. 15, 2010. This may be done under a one-time relief program announced by the IRS on July 26th.

Read the full article here.

Oklahoma Academy Town Hall

The Oklahoma Academy will hold its second 2010 Town Hall November 14-17 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Norman. The Oklahoma Academy will select up to 150 Oklahomans to participate in the Town Hall entitled Municipal, OK.

(Click here for a nomination form or Town Hall flier)

The Town Hall will focus on revenue and service issues that affect Oklahoma towns big and small. Public revenue generation, municipal expense, the consequences of unfunded federal mandates and intergovernmental issues will be some of the topics on the table.

Mike Lapolla, Academy board member and resource document co-chair, said the research team and Town Hall committee have worked hard to recruit subject matter experts to contribute to the resource document and speak at the Town Hall.

Town Hall speakers include:

Bill Purcell, former Mayor or Nashville; Director, Policy Institute, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
J. Mac Holladay, CEO, Market Stree Services, Atlanta, GA
Graham Richards, former Mayor of Ft. Wayne, IN; entrepreneurial consultant

If you're interested in nominating yourself or someone else for the Municipalities Town Hall, please complete a nomination form and return it to the Oklahoma Academy by August 18.

Articles/Resources of Interest

2010 State Questions - a breakdown of all 11 state questions that will be on the November ballot

Guardians of Free Enterprise - article by The State Chamber President & CEO, Fred Morgan.

OETA News and Public Affairs Highlights