"The dynamic growth of Owasso can be attributed directly to Rickey's hard work and his knowledge of how city government/private developer relationships work.

We find that our national retail and restaurant clients are often wary of small to mid-size communities because of past experiences. Rickey has extensive contacts at the highest levels with national retailers, restaurants, and developers, and because of the manner in which he has dealt with them in the past, he is trusted as being able to cut through local bureaucracy and "get things done". His experience and personal integrity gives him the ability to bridge the communication gap that often exists between those national developers, restaurants, and retailers who want to be in a community and the community itself desiring to attract these tax-producing corporate citizens."

Roy Brashears
Manager Partner
ORION Realty Advisors
Sapulpa, Oklahoma

"Rickey Hayes is, without a doubt, the most capable economic development director of any municipality that I have worked with in my 20+ years of legal practice. My practice principally involves the development of retail facilities in cities across the United States. He was able to define a very unique and difficult market area and presented a compelling story to both retailers and retail shopping center developers that the City of Owasso was a critical location for retail outlets and shopping center developments.

Rickey is not only very knowledgeable in all aspects of public/private partnerships between municipalities, retailers and shopping center developers, but also never failed to "go the extra mile" and do whatever was prudent for the municipality in its attempt to increase its economic base of shopping center development, retailers and, most importantly, sources of tax revenue. He has the level of sophistication necessary to succeed in all aspects of incentivized commercial development."

Raymond J. Kane
Kane, Russell, Coleman & Logan, PC
Dallas, Texas