‘Center for Investment Readiness’ to Support 30 Heartland Communities by 2030 

Oklahoma City—Today, Heartland Forward announced the launch of the Center for Investment Readiness (CIR), a dedicated hub for research and strategic program development to enhance investor confidence and support new and thriving businesses in the heartland.

CIR’s cornerstone initiative, 30 by 2030 will create a model for investment readiness across the heartland. Anchored by Heartland Forward’s Secret Sauce framework—and by combining Heartland Forward’s entrepreneurship and placemaking research—CIR will advise 30 micropolitans and small metropolitans over the next five years to measurably improve their competitiveness and demonstrate pathways for capital deployment that can be replicated throughout communities in the heartland.

“The goal of CIR is to supercharge economic growth for heartland communities,” said Angie Cooper, president of Heartland Forward. “By equipping communities with data and tailored support needed for each individual community—centered around education and training enhancements that lead directly to jobs, creating and growing small businesses, harnessing the power of AI and providing health access and economic investments—CIR will empower communities to write their own success stories and ensure the 20 states in the heartland remain the third largest economy in the world.”

The center will focus on four priority areas: optimizing local development and strategy; supporting new and existing businesses; knowledge sharing and investor engagement; and delivering programmatic solutions across Heartland Forward’s core impact areas of regional competitiveness, talent pipeline and health and wellness. Anchored in research, CIR will take a multi-pronged approach, one that is:

• Data-driven: building community profiles that capture workforce quality, capital flows, infrastructure and quality of life indicators, creating a reliable baseline for community stakeholders and investors

• Programmatic and scalable: convening public and private partners and deploying tested entrepreneurship, education and workforce development models to accelerate measurable outcomes

• Policy-focused: aligning regulatory action and state strategies to reduce barriers to growth providing access to public and private capital

The first cities CIR will support—providing customized data, entrepreneurial mapping, programmatic solutions and access to additional subject matter experts—include Enid, Oklahoma, Perry, Oklahoma and Hutchinson, Kansas.

“Enid feeds America and trains its pilots. As the Wheat Capital of the United States and home to Vance Air Force Base, our community is indispensable to this nation,” said Dr. Marcie Mack, Executive Director of Enid Regional Development Alliance. “With 3% unemployment and strong industry presence in agriculture, manufacturing, energy and defense, we are growing from a position of strength. The Center for Investment Readiness will help us unlock new opportunities and turn today’s investments into generational impact. This partnership positions Enid not just to compete—but to win.”

“Perry has a proud legacy as a manufacturing hub, and we’re building on that foundation every day,” said Nate Read, City Manager of Perry, Oklahoma. “The Center for Investment Readiness will help us showcase Perry’s competitive advantages, connect our businesses with the resources they need to expand and attract new investment that builds on our industrial strengths. Through CIR, we will ensure our community is set up for sustained economic growth”

“Hutchinson knows how to dream big and plan for accelerating investment,” said Debra Teufel, President and CEO of Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce. “With the recent release of our joint economic development strategic plan, the first in a generation that links our Chamber, Greater Hutch, Reno County, the Community Foundation and Startup Hutch, we are doubling down on entrepreneurship in Reno County. The Center for Investment Readiness gives us the data and tools to connect our entrepreneurs with the capital they need to scale. We are excited to join CIR and are committed to being a model that proves what’s possible when heartland communities invest in their future.”

The announcement was made during an event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

About Heartland Forward

Heartland Forward is a non-profit, policy think-and-do tank that turns ideas into action for states and local communities. Our mission is to accelerate economic growth, change the narrative about the middle of the country and generate $500 million of economic impact to the heartland by 2030. We do this through applied research, community-driven programs, policy and convenings—focusing on regional competitiveness, talent pipeline and health and wellness.