Ardmore Joins the Rural Innovation Network

Ardmore, Oklahoma,— A new chapter in Ardmore’s economic future is taking shape, and the community now has a new national connection to help build it. Ardmore has joined the Rural Innovation Network, a national initiative led by the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) that connects rural communities working to build stronger innovation economies through tech-based economic development, entrepreneurship, and local ecosystem building. For Ardmore, joining the Network comes as local leaders and organizations are bringing new energy to a shared question: How can the community build on its strengths to create more opportunity for the people who live and work here?

Across economic development, workforce, education, downtown revitalization, and  entrepreneurship, partners are increasingly working toward a common vision. Priorities include diversifying Ardmore’s economy, strengthening pathways into good jobs, creating more support for entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses, investing in downtown, and exploring plans for an innovation center. “Ardmore has tremendous momentum, and our community is coming together around a shared vision for long-term economic growth. The 2025 Ardmore Economic Vision Plan identified entrepreneurship as a key pillar of that future. Joining the Center on Rural Innovation’s Rural Innovation Network will connect Ardmore with national expertise, proven strategies, and peer communities—helping us strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem, support local innovators, and create new opportunities for our residents,” said Bill Murphy, President and CEO of the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce and Ardmore Development Authority.

That momentum builds on a strong economic foundation. The Ardmore Development Authority is working with local and regional partners to grow businesses, attract investment, strengthen infrastructure, support downtown development, and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs. Murray State College and Southern Tech connect education and workforce development with the needs of local employers and residents. Ardmore also has assets that create possibilities for entirely new kinds of growth. The Ardmore Industrial Airpark supports aviation, manufacturing, logistics, and industrial development, while the community’s longstanding strengths in agriculture and industry provide expertise that can help fuel new businesses and ideas.

The opportunity now is to connect those pieces more intentionally, creating stronger pathways from skills to jobs, from ideas to businesses, and from local assets to new investment and opportunity. Joining the Rural Innovation Network gives Ardmore a new way to accelerate that work. The community now has a seat at the table with rural leaders from across the country who are tackling many of the same opportunities: supporting entrepreneurs, developing local talent, growing new industries, and building economies that create more ways for people to thrive without having to leave the places they call home. Ardmore can learn from what is working elsewhere, bring new ideas home, and share its own experiences with communities pursuing similar goals. “Something exciting is taking shape in Ardmore because people across the community are thinking together about what comes next,” said Leah Taylor, Director of Community Experience at CORI. “There is a real opportunity to connect Ardmore’s talent, institutions, infrastructure, and entrepreneurial energy in ways that create new possibilities for local people. Joining the Rural Innovation Network gives the community a national group of peers to learn from and build alongside, and we’re excited to see  where that momentum leads.” CORI is a national nonprofit that helps small towns and rural regions create more economic opportunity by supporting tech entrepreneurship, expanding tech talent development, and strengthening the local systems that help innovation take root and grow. Through the Rural Innovation Network, community leaders across the country share strategies, learn from one another, and build the relationships needed to grow durable, inclusive tech innovation economies in rural America.                                        

For Ardmore, membership is another step in work already underway locally. By strengthening connections among community partners and learning alongside rural innovators nationwide, Ardmore has an opportunity to turn its existing strengths into more businesses, more pathways into growing industries, and more opportunities for local people to build their futures in the community. About the Ardmore Development Authority

The Ardmore Development Authority leads economic development efforts focused on business growth, investment, and long-term economic vitality in Ardmore. Working alongside local and regional partners, ADA supports business attraction and expansion, site selection, workforce connections, and the development of the infrastructure and assets companies need to grow. Its work also includes downtown revitalization, small business development, and private investment, helping connect Ardmore’s established economic strengths with new opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation.

About the Center on Rural Innovation

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) builds the infrastructure for inclusive innovation in rural America. As a national nonprofit, CORI works with a growing network of communities across the country to develop tech-based economies by supporting local leaders, learners, and founders. Combining data, capital, and hands-on partnership, CORI helps rural regions create jobs, launch startups, and compete in the digital economy. Its work has supported more than 400 startups, 1,000 tech jobs, and $238 million in follow-on investment. CORI’s model ensures rural communities are the drivers of the innovation economy. Learn more at ruralinnovation.us.

About the Rural Innovation Network

The Rural Innovation Network is an invitation-only national community of practice dedicated to strengthening and uplifting the economic future of rural America. Members work together to strengthen entrepreneurship ecosystems, support innovation-driven growth, and advance new models for economic development. Learn more at ruralinnovation.us/rural-innovation-network.