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Oklahoma City is about to be invaded by Montanans…

2:10 PM EDT on April 18, 2016

It looks like those cheesy OKC Chamber of Commerce videos have finally paid off!

This week, 31 business owners and city leaders from Billings, Montana will be in Oklahoma City to see what life in a "Big League City" is all about. The trip is such a big deal in Billings that it was covered by the local news.

Via Fox Montana:

The Billings Chamber of Commerce is stepping up its game to recruit new businesses to our area and one of the ways the chamber wants to give business the edge is by keeping our college graduates in the state.

Chamber President and CEO John Brewer tells KULR8 the chamber is taking 31 people on a trip to Oklahoma City next week to find out how the city retains close to 80 percent of its graduates.

"We're going to learn from Oklahoma City some of the things that they've done over the last couple of decades that have really helped propel them from an education standpoint including higher education and K-12. We really want to learn about community-building and what they've done to make their place a stronger place," Brewer said.

City of Billings Mayor Tom Hanel will be on the trip along with top business owners and leaders.

First of all, I'd like to officially welcome Mayor Hanel and his Billings entourage to Oklahoma City. I hope they have a great time. I'd suggest they tour the empty cubicles at Devon and Chesapeake. Remember, they're empty because they symbolize hope and possibility, not layoffs.

Seriously, they're coming to Oklahoma City to learn about how to keep college graduates from leaving town? Is this a non-refundable trip they booked three years ago? It feels good to be loved, and I'm sure the Bricktown Water Taxi will appreciate the business, but that's probably not the best reason to visit Oklahoma City right now. They'd be better off learning about walkability, protecting historic structures and showing compassion and kindness to panhandlers. You know, things we're really good at.

All that being said, I'm sure the Montanans will have a good time and learn a lot about Thunder basketball. If they're looking for some fun things to do around town, I'd suggest they check out this list of ideas from the Des Moines Register. They'll never want to leave... until they need a better, higher paying job.

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