By Tony Pennington
Transcript Staff Writer

Mutual partnerships and beneficial relationships among the academic, private and government sectors could ensure the further development the state's weather industry, according Oklahoma State Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Natalie Shirley.

Speaking Tuesday afternoon in the atrium of the Stephenson Research and Technology Center on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus, Shirley addressed the importance of the weather industry.

"Weather is huge," Shirley explained to the more than 100 business leaders and local and state officials who attended the Norman Chamber of Commerce Weather Committee meeting. It was a record number for the group.

"Weather affects 40 percent of the nation's economy," she said. "The academic, private and government sectors ... it's important that everyone talks and share ideas."

It's not just jobs, research and new technologies within the United States. Don Wood, executive director of the Norman Economic Development Coalition, said the weather industry plays an import role in the world economy. Weather patterns influence transportation routes and directly affect what and when merchandise may reach the shelves of department stores.

He also indicated that the weather industry needed to expand to keep pace with economic growth. And that begins with Shirley's assessment.

"As weather enterprises grow," Wood said, "partnerships and relationships are going to be key."

If constructing avenues of communication and fostering a community that prizes an exchange of ideas and not competition are essential, then Shirley said Norman was the example.

"The partnerships in Norman are very, very impressive," she said. "They could serve as the model for the rest of the state and nation. You have all the sectors coming together, and that will be key to your success."

Shirley cited OU's commitment to academic research, a deep understanding of local leaders of weather place in commerce, the National Weather Center and strong interdisciplinary sharing as the core of Norman's weather might.

"It's all here," Shirley said of the necessary components for a stronger weather industry in Norman. "It's ready to develop and exploit. I urge you today to reaffirm your partnerships ... in these partnerships are the greater potential for all of us."

OU Associate Vice President of Commerce Information and Venture Opportunities Joel Martin appears already to be on the same page as Shirley. The retired Air Force colonel and business recruiter said OU has reached across the academic, private and business sectors to attract and propel industry on the research campus.

"We call it 'connecting the dots,'" he said. "The dot 'orgs,' the dot 'govs,' the dot 'edus' ... we have all of the Internet domains."

Martin's statement seems to be accurate. OU's research campus features the 244,000-square-foot National Weather Center and Japanese-owned Weathernews Americas, which is considered the largest publicly traded private weather company in the world. Future plans for the campus include space for Atmospheric Technology Services Company, Inc., and Weather Decision Technologies, Inc.

"The gross national product of the U.S. is influenced by weather," Martin said. "So that means there is a demand for weather-related developments."