The Ada Jobs Foundation is introducing a monthly feature which will highlight innovation in Ada, Oklahoma. The feature will focus on telling the story of innovative companies, products, ideas, and people in Ada and examine the role each plays in developing new ideas and technologies in the area. Innovation is a primary driver for economic development and entrepreneurship, yet rural areas appear to face a great challenge in developing the talent and resources necessary to create innovative products and companies. Stories are a powerful way to change perception and empower communities. We hope this series creates an opportunity for people in Ada to share stories from our community and create a discussion about how to foster local innovation heading into the future.
The Shifting Geography of Innovation
The challenge is great for smaller towns in rural areas. How does a city such as Ada continue to cultivate talent, develop new technologies, and foster innovative ideas? How can rural areas compete with the resources of urban metropolitan areas?
There may be some indication that the geography of innovation could shift back to rural areas and small towns. There is an urban fabric in the downtowns and main street districts of many small towns. These areas have not received the same level of attention or investment compared to urban areas of metropolitan cities. Rural areas have a great opportunity to build on these existing assets and create rich, regional networks of people and ideas.
A Survey of Innovation in Ada
A quick survey of the community reveals that we have a rich source of subject matter. Ada is home to the Robert S. Kerr EPA Laboratory which has hosted innovative research on ground water science. The Chickasaw Nation's headquarters and operations in Ada have consistently developed innovative services, practices, and companies. Ada is also home to innovative companies such as General Aviation Modifications Incorporated who are developing some of the most innovative technologies for piston aircraft. Or, Holcim which has built a new cement kiln line which uses some of the latest technology to meet or exceed current environmental regulations. Finally, Ada has historically been home to a number of innovative people including professors, songwriters, accountants, and coaches.
As this project moves along, we welcome your input and feedback. If you feel there is something in particular we need to highlight, please get in touch. We want to share your story. The goal from this series is to better understand the assets that Ada possesses locally while inspiring thought and dialogue. Ultimately, we hope to create a strong local culture of innovation and ensure Ada is positioned well into the future.
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Holcim Completes $100M Project
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Holcim, a member of LafargeHolcim based in Chicago, unveiled its new plant at its Ada, Oklahoma, cement facility after a three-year,
$100 million modernization project that included building a new kiln line. The project will boost the plant's manufacturing capacity by 20 percent, allowing it to produce about 682,000 metric tons of cement and 620,000 metric tons of clinker - a key ingredient in making cement - each year.
The cement from the Ada facility provides the infrastructure to supply the region's growing manufacturing industries.
"The Ada facility has been a significant part of the local and regional economy since 1907," says John Stull, CEO U.S. Cement, LafargeHolcim. "By modernizing the plant, we have transformed it into an efficient, competitive and state-of-the-art facility that will allow us to meet the growing needs of our customers and remain a strong partner to the community for the foreseeable future."
Stull said the plant maintained about 120 permanent jobs throughout the three-year project, in addition to more than 380 contractors. He added that the project required more than 900,000 man hours and there were no serious injuries.
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Ada was the recent site of the first GrowOK workshop series which was conducted by Innovation to Enterprise (i2E) and the Chickasaw Nation. The program, based on i2E's Venture Assessment Program, is designed to assist entrepreneurs in rural Oklahoma. The program specializes in helping entrepreneurs gain skills in exploring the potential customer and market fit for a new product or idea. The program consists of three, two-hour workshops with additional outside activities. These skills and resources can help entrepreneurs create new companies and jobs in rural Oklahoma.
The program is open to residents of rural Oklahoma as well as tribal citizens. The program is funded through a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant with matching funds from Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Muscogee Creek Nations, the Oklahoma Business Roundtable, and the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology. The workshop series are being hosted by the aforementioned tribes and the three other workshop sites planned for 2017 include Durant, Okmulgee, and Tahlequah. The workshop series will return to Ada in 2018 and 2019.
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| A Field Guide to Economic Development
AJF 2016 Annual Report
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This is a break from some of the annual reports we have produced. The report focuses on describing economic development in the Ada area over the past year through various groups of programs. The theme for a field guide emerged from conversations about how to think of Ada's community, business, and institutional systems in a more organic way, especially with regards to entrepreneurship. It is a direct play of considering the local community as a kind of economic development "ecosystem".
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The Adjusted Average Annual Wages for 2016 were recently released and Pontotoc County had a significant increase. The average wage for 2016 was $40,094, which is a 6.57% increase from the previous year.
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