Before the Storm: Economic Resilience Strategies for Oklahoma Communities Workshop

On November 15, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) held an interactive day-long workshop to learn the basics of economic resilience to prepare local businesses and a community before a disruption. As both natural and manmade disasters are occurring more frequently, it is more important than ever for community leaders to understand the resources available and strategies to employ before, during and after a disaster. This comprehensive workshop provided the following learning modules:

 Speakers

Howard Pierpont, Board Chair, International Association for Disaster Preparedness and Response Howard Pierpont has over 30 years of business continuity and business resilience experience, having retired from Digital Equipment Corp/Intel Corporation.  He is a Certified Business Continuity Planner (CBCP) from the Disaster Recovery Institute International (US) and has attained the statutory Member grade with the Business Continuity Institute. As the Board Chair of the International Association for Disaster Preparedness and Response (DERA), Mr. Pierpont leads a nonprofit association that links professionals, volunteers, and organizations active in all phases of disaster preparedness and emergency management. He also serves as the President and Chief Education Officer (CEO) of the DERA Institute for Preparedness and Resilience. Mr. Pierpont is a former FEMA Reservist serving in both the Disaster Field Training Organization (DFTO) and the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) Community Recovery Assistance Cadre.  During his time with FEMA, Mr. Pierpont also worked to help communities recover from natural disasters including flooding in North Dakota and Pennsylvania, tornadoes in North Carolina, Hurricane Irene in Vermont, Super Storm Sandy in both New Jersey and Connecticut. He consulted with individual communities in identifying what their recovery could look like and how those communities could find the resources and funding that would be required.  This included researching, compiling and publishing a current listing of available local, state and federal resources, with an emphasis on natural and cultural resource needs, for business, not-for-profit entities and municipal governments. Mr. Pierpont created materials and trained community groups not only in how to develop successful and functional recovery plans following disasters but also on how to mitigate potential issues in their communities to keep them safer, stronger and more resilient from the next disaster.  

Lynn A. Knight, CEcD, Vice President of Knowledge Management & Development, International Economic Development Council Ms. Knight has more than 30 years of domestic and international business, government, media, and non-profit experience.  She has worked in 18 U.S. states and 12 countries and has won awards for entrepreneurship, corporate executive management, and community volunteerism.  She has worked through multiple disasters and crises, including the loss of a major industry, typhoons, floods, and a catastrophic earthquake. A Certified Economic Developer, Ms. Knight’s responsibilities at IEDC include managing the team that is tasked with conducting research, developing publications, training, programs for conferences, technical assistance projects and staying on top of the latest trends in economic development.  Her career has encompassed leading a TV news team and serving as publisher of a daily newspaper.  She has owned and operated several successful small businesses, was an executive of two international corporations and served as the representative of a Governor in our nation’s capital. Under Republican and Democratic Governors of a U.S. territory, she led two economic development commissions, where she spearheaded comprehensive economic development strategic planning, business attraction efforts, and retention programs for existing businesses. She also served on a Governor’s Strategic Workforce Action Team, Tourism Task Force, and Strategic Economic Development Council.  She was elected board chair of a Chamber of Commerce and a professional hotel association. Prior to joining IEDC, Ms. Knight was Director of Economic Development & Tourism Programs for a Virginia-based consulting firm.  For 8 years, she was VP of Corporate Affairs for Tan Holdings, a $600M firm that operated businesses in 12 industries. She concurrently served on the executive committee of Asia-Pacific Hotels and as executive director of the firm’s charitable foundation.  Early in her career, Ms. Knight was Director of the Office of the Chairman of ComputerLand, a $1.4B retail chain which operated 880 stores in 26 countries.  

Acknowledgments

This webinar was accomplished through the U.S. Economic Development Administration Austin Regional Office, Project No. 08-06-05058. The statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and other data in this report are solely those of IEDC and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Economic Development Administration. This webinar is part of a larger compendium of research and technical assistance produced by IEDC and funded by the aforementioned U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, which focuses on providing resources in disaster preparedness and economic recovery for communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.