Forty years ago this summer, American astronauts became the first men to land on the moon, and return.

Their success was made possible by 400,000 people, 20,000 companies, and nearly a decade of hard work focused on achieving that goal.

Could this nation achieve a similar objective today?

It’s becoming increasingly more difficult, Bill Millett told people attending a regional economic summit Tuesday at Northeastern State University. Millett, founder and president of Scope View Strategic Advantage in Charlotte, N.C., delivered the summit’s keynote address. His firm has spearheaded economic and business development for corporations and communities.

This week’s summit, the first in a cooperative effort by NSU, the Cherokee Nation and SACC-EZ (Sequoyah, Adair and Cherokee County Empowerment Zone), focuses on “Giving Voice to Our Region.”

That’s a must in today’s economy, Millett said.

“In 2009, effective regionalism is not a competitive advantage; it is a competitive imperative,” he said.

Businesses make decisions not only on a local basis, but on a regional basis, and, increasingly, a global basis.

Years ago, a city seeking to attract a new business to town competed against a few other cities in the region, or perhaps in the nation, Today, it’s competing with cities around the world — and frequently, those cities are doing a better job of courting, Millett said. Other countries have an increasingly more educated workforce and other attractions for a company.

“It’s not just northeastern Oklahoma against the rest of Oklahoma, or the southwest area,” Millett said. “It’s you against the world. How do you compete?”

He said America is being beaten, on a knowledge standpoint, by many other parts of the world. Americans can no longer say, “We’re Americans, we’re here, make way for us and let us through.”

A regional economic approach is vital, Millett said.

“Can you come together as a people? Can you muster the educational resources, can you compile the data?” he said.

Northeastern Oklahoma already has a number of regional entities in place, he noted. The challenge is having those regional organizations work together to ensure growth.

“Look around the room. How many people do you know? How many people do you have to introduce yourself to? The more introductions, the less regionalism,” Millett said.