August 2018 Newsletter
Hello!

Everything seems to be more automated these days.

You can click a button and purchase almost everything you need from Amazon.
You can check a website and get almost all of your news from anywhere around the world and from almost any source.
You can pick up the phone and facetime a friend or a grandchild without even leaving your home.

But there are some things that still require you getting up out of bed and leaving the home or office in order to get it done.

Economic Development is one of those things.

In August, the staff of the Enid Regional Development Alliance attended the annual Oshkosh, Wisconsin EAA Airventure Fly-In. We have a booth where we interact with some of the 600,000 pilots and business leaders from all around the world who are in attendance, and we also meet with companies that are interested in locating in Oklahoma. This year, we met with 17 different companies throughout the week. At the end of the week, Senator Jim Inhofe attended the event and made personal visits to some of the best contacts we had made and helped us encourage them to move here.

One company in particular is located in southern California and is looking to relocate. They had narrowed their search down to three sites…none of which were in Oklahoma. The CEO of the company told me after a robust meeting with us and Senator Inhofe that he had no idea Oklahoma was this aggressive and that we were as pro aviation as we are. He told us that Oklahoma was now on his list of potential sites and he would entertain a proposal from us to relocate.

You never know if a company like this will actually end up in your community and you never know whether a company like this will end up growing into a multinational corporation with thousands of employees. 

But we do know that you don’t win in Economic Development by clicking a mouse button or making a call. There are still some things in life that require a personal touch.

Brent Kisling
Executive Director
UPCOMING EVENTS

Enid Young Professionals 10 < 40 Awards
Awards Luncheon August 21st
Buffet line opens at 11:00 a.m. and program beings at 11:30 a.m.
Still need a ticket? Call Debbie at (580) 233-4232 TODAY!


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ERDA Quarterly Luncheon
October 11, 2018
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Oakwood Country Club
1601 N. Oakwood Rd., Enid, OK
Registration and Guest Speaker information coming soon!
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Oklahoma 2030 Regional Forum
October 18, 2018
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Oakwood Country Club
1601 N. Oakwood Rd., Enid, OK
No cost to attend. Registration required. Click here to register.


KAW PIPELINE CRITICAL TO
ENID'S GROWTH
Making a community drought-resilient can be time-consuming, expensive and controversial, especially when taking water from the east and sending it west. So far the plan to take water from Kaw Lake near Ponca City and pipe it to the Enid metro hasn’t hit rough waters, said Enid Regional Development Alliance Executive Direct Brent Kisling. Once the $315 million pipeline project is complete in a few years, it will improve his ability to recruit businesses to the area. Oklahoma Water Resources Board Executive Director Julie Cunningham said the Enid community is among those who have taken the right steps to develop a 40-year plan for water use. Read more...
KEEPING A FERTILIZER PLANT 'HEALTHY' IN ENID
EFT Analytics, a software and energy management solutions provider, is deploying a real-time monitor that is producing exceptional outcomes at a Koch Fertilizer plant in Enid, Oklahoma. Over the course of 10 weeks, EFT collaborated with plant engineers from Koch to understand previous undesirable plant behaviors, so they could identify precursors to potential unplanned events and increase plant efficiencies. "EFT’s analytics platform and services, paired with our extensive knowledge in the fertilizer industry, are delivering real-time results here in Enid,” said Mike Kleis, VP operations and plant manager at Koch Fertilizer. Read more...
NEW VANCE COMMANDER INCREASES PILOT PRODUCTION
Col. Corey Simmons, commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance Air Force Base, spoke to the Enid Rotary Club to introduce himself, and to update club members on projects at the base and progress toward increasing pilot production. Simmons assumed command at Vance on July 16, relieving retiring commander Col. Darrell Judy. Read more...
MAIN STREET RAISING FUNDS FOR RENOVATIONS
Main Street Enid has announced a campaign to raise funds for its Facade Renovation Grant program to encourage historically accurate improvements to commercial facades within the Main Street Enid boundaries. Until Nov. 1, funds raised will be tripled, with Edward Jones and Enid Regional Development Alliance matching the first $5,000, turning Main Street Enid’s $5,000 goal into $15,000 to incentivize facade projects. Read more...
BASECONNECT LAUNCHES
Enid Regional Development Alliance held its quarterly luncheon in July and the keynote speaker was the founder of BaseConnect app, Tony Weedn. Weedn spoke about connecting Enid businesses to Vance military personnel and their spouses. “I was excited to get the BaseConnect message out locally,” said Weedn. BaseConnect is a “Facebook for the military,” and connects troops to each other and the local community, said Weedn. The app also features reviews for local businesses, a base phone directory and a newsfeed. “I do what I do because God has given me a talent that I have to use,” said Weedn. “I care about our military and our troops because that’s where I came from and who I was.”
Weedn said he was in the Air Force and was a flight instructor at Vance. Read more..
WALK DOWNTOWN AND
DISCOVER ART
A new art project recently began making its way into downtown Enid. A silhouette of a figure picking up a ball near a gutter was painted on the wall of Jackson Diamond Jewelers in the alleyway across the street from the Breezeway on West Randolph. The painting was done during the safer street simulation in late June, said Main Street Enid Director Kelly Tompkins. It’s part of a small street art project undertaken by Main Street Enid, Tompkins said, and the art on the side of Jackson Diamond Jewelers will soon be added to and finished with a silhouette of another child painted on the top of the pipe putting a ball into it. Read more...
P&K EQUIPMENT TO EXPAND IN OKLAHOMA
P&K Equipment announced plans to expand.
The announcement comes after P&K acquired Grissoms, LLC, a neighboring John Deere dealer with locations in Prague, Shawnee, McAlester, Muskogee and Ada. These five locations are set to join the company’s 13 current ones — 11 in Oklahoma and two in Arkansas.P&K’s new additions will “further solidify P&K Equipment’s position as the largest John Deere dealer in Oklahoma,” according to a release. Read more...
STANDLEY COMPANY ACQUIRES ENID TYPEWRITER COMPANY
Chickasha-headquartered Standley Systems has acquired Enid Typewriter Co. “We are honored to join forces with ETC, a fellow Oklahoma-owned company, and expand our technology services in Northwest Oklahoma,” Standley Systems CEO Tim Elliott said. “We strengthened our team by adding proven, respected professionals to our staff. Also, gaining additional warehouse facilities enables us to provide equipment and service more quickly than ever before.” Read more...
TSET IMPROVING BUSINESS HEALTH IN OKLAHOMA
Business is booming in the Sooner State! Oklahoma has nearly 92,000 businesses employing more than 1.3 million men and women of all ages, income levels, and occupations.
Unfortunately, while the health of Oklahoma’s economy is strong, the health of Oklahoma’s residents consistently ranks among the worst in the country. Read more...
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