Business Briefs (Week of Oct. 7)

Looking for business briefs? This week's roundup (for the week of Oct. 7) from The Journal Record.

Former Red Cross building to get new life as home for nonprofits
The former American Red Cross building at Sixth Street and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City’s teeming Innovation District has taken on an important new identity and purpose. It’s to be the headquarters of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. Nonprofit leaders, joined by city and state officials, celebrated what the future holds for the historic building at a formal groundbreaking event. The event marked the beginning of renovations to the former local home of the Red Cross. Once completed, the building will serve as a hub for nonprofit advocacy, training, research and consulting.
 
Tight labor market squeezing employers across Oklahoma, nation
Amid a persistently tight labor market, desperate employers from across the country are beginning to use remote workplace technology to poach workers from the Sooner State. And that’s making it even harder for Oklahoma companies to compete for the people they need to stay in business, said Jesseca McCalla, vice president for permanent placement services at Robert Half’s Oklahoma City office. Employers from higher-paying job markets such as Dallas and Denver are coming into the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets to pluck workers, offering wage scales far higher than local rates, McCalla said. And these days, changing employers does not mean workers must sell their houses and move their families. Employees can just stay where they are, log in, and work from home.
 
OTA facing questions over tolls, maintenance funds
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Executive Director Tim Gatz increasingly is facing questions from lawmakers and the public about how his agency is spending its money. Gatz and other agency heads set out to explain why toll rates are going up and maintenance funds are being depleted during recent meetings at the state Capitol. Gatz told members of the OTA board on Sept. 30 that he had spoken with lawmakers during an interim study on the OTA earlier that week.
 
Stitt decries Chinese land ownership in state
Gov. Kevin Stitt proudly claimed credit for halting Chinese nationals from buying land in Oklahoma during a podcast interview – though foreign companies continue to own major agricultural properties in the state. Stitt heralded Oklahoma’s position as a major pork producer – without noting that one of the largest pork companies operating in the state is owned by an international company based in China – while suggesting that China might use its access to American agriculture to introduce disease. Stitt’s social media provided a link to the interview with podcaster Sarah Carter, whom he met when both appeared on the Sean Hannity Show, according to their conversation.
 
In wake of deadly Ian, Oklahomans respond to help
Oklahomans who have answered calls for help in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian include nurses skilled in the care of critically ill babies, line workers ready to assist in reconnecting hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power, and volunteers prepared to feed people in temporary shelters, among others. Several nurses from Oklahoma Children’s Hospital flew to Fort Myers, Florida, while some 95 OG&E line workers and support team members traveled with 60 trucks to Melbourne, Florida.
 
As drought continues, Stitt signs off on relief bill
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed off on $20 million in drought relief for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, just as state officials are gearing up to distribute $3 million appropriated earlier this year for the same purpose. Though lawmakers were called to special session to distribute federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, current drought conditions led them to appropriate $20 million from the General Revenue Fund to be deposited in the state’s Emergency Drought Relief Fund.
 
Online scams on rise; cost Oklahomans $52M last year
The average victim of online scams in Oklahoma lost $12,078 last year, a new study reveals. Statewide, 4,156 victims lost a total of $52 million to scammers in 2021, up from $21 million the previous year. The analysis of annual reports released in 2022 by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission found a record $6.9 billion was lost to online scams in 2021, nearly twice the amount lost in 2019 before the global pandemic started. Surprisingly, young people – considered to be more tech-savvy than older generations – have seen the biggest jump in victimization in the past five years.
 
‘Pop-up shop park’ in Guthrie may bring new life to downtown
Leaders are hopeful that a “pop-up shop park” planned in Guthrie will attract people and businesses to the Logan County community’s downtown business district. The park, to include a pavilion and picnic tables under shade trees, should serve as a community gathering place but also as an “incubator” for business startups, local director of economic development Shawnda Rooney said. Plans are to invest local resources with a blend of federal grant money and a grant from T-Mobile to make the park possible.
 
Court rejects school district's claim over state takeover
A school district challenging the Oklahoma Department of Education’s ability to remove its superintendent and take over administration of the school was rebuffed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which ruled the law is on the state agency’s side. Western Heights Independent School District in southwest Oklahoma City argued the district and former Superintendent Mannix Barnes were denied due process when the state moved to suspend Barnes’ teaching certificate and place the district on probation with the condition that Barnes be replaced with an interim superintendent.
 
Survey: Gym memberships still below pre-COVID levels
Businesses that closed in 2020 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 included fitness centers, an industry that may never fully recover from the shutdown. Gym memberships have seen a resurgence since restrictions were lifted, but 1 in 4 former members who haven’t returned to the gym say they don't plan to go back, a new survey shows. The fitness consumer survey was conducted in 2022 by UpSwell Marketing, an agency focused on helping gyms attract new members and improve member retention.
 
Oklahoma Scorecard: Infrastructure improved; poor marks for education
A new report that measures Oklahoma’s economic competitiveness shows the state has made significant progress in infrastructure since the 2021 report but stills ranks 39th overall among the 50 states. The annual Oklahoma Scorecard was released by the State Chamber Research Foundation, the research arm of the State Chamber of Oklahoma. The most immediate critical issue for businesses and the state is the workforce. The overall category ranking fell from 42nd to 44th. Oklahoma’s workforce rankings are moving in the wrong direction, due largely to poor K-12 education outcomes, according to the report.
 
Topping $17B, state sets record for 12-month tax collections
State revenues yielded by taxes on oil and gas production, personal and corporate income, retail sales and other activities rose to record levels in the past year, topping $17 billion, state Treasurer Randy McDaniel reported. In the 12-month period from September 2021 to September of 2022, the state’s numerous revenue streams all produced more income than they did in the preceding 12 months. Twelve-month gross receipts of $17.03 billion were up by more than $2.5 billion, or 17.3%. And the state seems to be sustaining momentum. Snapshots comparing just the months of September show that state revenues last month of $1.59 billion were up by more than $210 million, or 15.2%, from September 2021.