What is Secret Sauce? 
Heartland Forward identifies three communities across the heartland that have a “secret sauce”—a unique combination of values, assets and priorities making those specific heartland towns thrive–and highlights them at the Heartland Summit. Since 2018, eleven heartland communities have filled twelve Secret Sauce spots (Chattanooga has been recognized twice!). Representing eleven heartland states, these Secret Sauce communities are a model for towns and cities around the heartland for developing the right playbook for economic success and quality of life. 

Two-time Heartland Summit Secret Sauce City
Chattanooga, TN: “The Comeback City”
2018 and 2025 Winner
Their Secret Sauce: Chattanooga’s tremendous resilience led them to becoming the first ever two-time Secret Sauce winner. With a culture of action-oriented collaboration and a common mission to move the city forward, Chattanooga has experienced steady economic development due in part to policies such as city-owned high-speed internet they call “the gig” which offers connectivity access throughout the city. 
Managing Partner of Dynamo Ventures Santosh Sankar joined us at Heartland Summit 2018, and Mayor Tim Kelly is joining us at Heartland Summit 2025 for our Secret Sauce panel. 

2025 Secret Sauce Communities
Wichita, KS: “The Air Capital of the World”
Their Secret Sauce: Remaining atop the aerospace manufacturing industry since its inception over a century ago, Wichita’s Secret Sauce comes from investing in its workforce, attracting suppliers and expanding research capabilities–all while building upon its legacy of entrepreneurship.  
Mayor Lily Wu is joining us at Heartland Summit 2025 for our Secret Sauce panel.

Fargo, ND: “An Emerging Tech Hub”
Their Secret Sauce: Fargo’s Secret Sauce is its emerging tech scene. With a growing presence of Microsoft and investments in tech entrepreneurship, Fargo’s burgeoning AgTech industry brings economic development to a revitalized downtown focused on community connections and its unique midwestern identity.
Emerging Prairie Co-founder and CEO Greg Tehven is joining us at Heartland Summit 2025 for our Secret Sauce panel. Emerging Prairie is an organization focused on energizing communities through innovative programming and events that move the needle and ignite economic growth for the state of North Dakota.

2023 Secret Sauce Communities
Oxford, MS: “See the Possibility of Working Together”
Their Secret Sauce: Oxford was named a Secret Sauce city for its historic growth and national attention as a rich cultural destination. The university town excels in preparing for and seizing economic opportunities–seen most evidently in their organization of Ole Miss football game days when the city quadruples in size. 
Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill joined us at Heartland Summit 2023 for our Secret Sauce panel.

Cincinnati, OH: “There Is Nothing You Can’t Do Here”
Their Secret Sauce: Cincinnati boasted a technology job growth rate of 20% in the five years leading up to their Secret Sauce recognition in 2023. With a rising number of tech startups, Cincinnati was selected for its focus on economic diversity, growth and resilience. 
Founder and CEO of Lightship Foundation Candice Matthews Brackeen joined us at Heartland Summit 2023 for our Secret Sauce panel. Lightship Foundation is an impact-driven organization serving remarkable entrepreneurs & ecosystems to drive growth within the innovation economy.

Omaha, NE: “Opportunities for All Who Look for Them”
Their Secret Sauce: With strong collaboration between private, philanthropic and public sectors, Omaha was chosen as a Secret Sauce city for its focus on job growth and urban core revitalization–leading to years of steady economic development. 
Chair of the Greater Omaha Regional Chamber and President and CEO of North End Teleservices Carmen Tapio joined us at Heartland Summit 2023 for our Secret Sauce panel.

2022 Secret Sauce Communities
Tulsa, OK: “Building from the Ground Up”
Their Secret Sauce: Tulsa is a “big little city” bound together by residents’ shared commitment to strengthening the community and to driving Tulsa forward without losing its core identity. Utilizing organizations such as Tulsa Innovation Labs to bring together entrepreneurship, venture capital and the arts, Tulsa earned its recognition as a Secret Sauce city. 
Former Mayor G.T. Bynum joined us at Heartland Summit 2022 for our Secret Sauce panel.

Birmingham, AL: “America’s Best Kept Secret”
Their Secret Sauce: Birmingham’s Secret Sauce is the powerful sense of identity it has derived through the city’s evolution across the decades. Beginning as a steel hub in 1871, the city has pivoted over the past 150 years to becoming a regional center for banking, insurance and tech thanks to its policies and practices championing entrepreneurship and small business. 
Birmingham’s Director of Innovation and Economic Opportunity Cornell Wesley joined us at Heartland Summit 2022 for our Secret Sauce panel.

Northwest Arkansas: “Choose Your Adventure”
Their Secret Sauce: Northwest Arkansas leverages its unique geography at the intersection of innovation, business and nature to draw a diverse workforce from every corner of the world and unite its communities through a shared drive for success and quality of life.
Northwest Arkansas Council President and CEO Nelson Peacock joined us at Heartland Summit 2022 for our Secret Sauce panel. The Northwest Arkansas Council is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing economic opportunity, workforce development, infrastructure, health care and quality of life in the region.

2018 Secret Sauce Communities
Kansas City, MO: “Hungry for Business”
Their Secret Sauce: Kansas City became an inaugural Secret Sauce selection thanks to a decades-long urban transformation undertaken by the city–resulting in a downtown Kansas City full of commerce, arts and greenery. The transformation was made possible by the city’s prioritization of investments in human capital and infrastructure, such as entrepreneurship fellowships and maintenance of one of the largest contiguous areas of free Wi-Fi in the United States. 
Former Mayor Sly James joined us at Heartland Summit 2018 for our Secret Sauce panel.

Des Moines, IA: “Thriving, Growing, Working Together”
Their Secret Sauce: Des Moines leveraged strong regional public-private partnerships, a robust agriculture industry and a burgeoning environment for the arts to earn their spot in the inaugural Secret Sauce class. 
Director of Mainframe Studios Siobhan Spain joined us at Heartland Summit 2018 for our Secret Sauce panel. Mainframe Studios is a financially self-sustaining nonprofit providing affordable workspaces to advance equity and opportunities in the arts.