Looking for business briefs? This week's roundup (for the week ending August 18) from The Journal Record.
Behind the growth of Nestlé Purina PetCare's OKC facility The Nestlé Purina PetCare factory in far north Oklahoma City operates around the clock 330 days a year to produce food for dogs and cats, and demand for the products is growing. Purina has been in the community for 52 years, operating today with 425 employees. When COVID-19 shut down many businesses, their work didn’t stop because food production was deemed essential, said factory manager Joseph Maliszewski, who joined Purina nine months into the pandemic.
OKC tourism surpasses pre-pandemic levels Visitor volume, visitor spending and visitor-supported employment all surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2022, according to a new Oklahoma City tourism report. Research conducted by Tourism Economics found that 23.2 million visitors to Oklahoma City generated a record annual economic impact of $4.3 billion in 2022. Visitors are defined as people who stayed overnight or traveled more than 50 miles to the destination. Day visitors accounted for 65% of visitor volume but overnight visitors accounted for 57% of spending.
How micro-credentialing helps fill Oklahoma's workforce needs The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are fulfilling workforce needs through short series of courses designed to help individuals acquire in-demand skills. Micro-credentials align with the state’s critical occupations, such as agriculture, teacher education, health and cybersecurity. OSHRE partners with businesses and public colleges and universities to create micro-credentials in occupations where these needs exist. Initiation of the project was possible through funding in the 2021 budget.
Canoo's EV projects get incentive-laden financial boost Electric vehicle startup Canoo’s contracts securing workforce and economic development incentives with the state and Cherokee Nation are finalized. The company on Aug. 14 announced it has signed agreements on incentives for its vehicle assembly facility in Oklahoma City and a battery module manufacturing plant in Pryor with a combined value of up to $113 million for 10 years.
Chesapeake agrees to $700M sale of remaining Eagle Ford assets Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. has agreed to sell approximately 42,000 acres and 540 wells in Dimmit and Webb counties in Texas to Houston-based SilverBow Resources, as Chesapeake continues its planned withdrawal from the Eagle Ford formation to focus more on the Marcellus and Haynesville formations. The transaction was valued at $700 million, bringing total proceeds from Chesapeake’s Eagle Ford exit to more than $3.5 billion.
Joint interim study to assess court-based diversion programs Two Oklahoma City state legislators will present a joint interim study to assess court-based diversion programs in the state. The study, from Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, and Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, will look at the effectiveness of court fees associated with trial and conviction and focus on how to support and improve programs that reduce incarceration rates. It will provide a forum for discussion about the effectiveness of rehabilitation of those who have been criminally charged.
Edmond to get new ambulance service Edmond officials plan to change ambulance service providers by the end of the year at the recommendation of a committee that studied three proposals and recommended American Medical Response Ambulance Services Inc. Edmond requested bids for ambulance transport service this spring and received three. In addition to AMR, proposals were submitted by Emergency Medical Services Authority and Pafford Medical Services Inc. EMSA has been Edmond’s provider for more than three decades.
Want to open a franchise? Oklahoma is the place to be Oklahoma ranks near the top of an annual economic index report, with conditions that make the state among the best for opening a franchise, according to both franchisees and analysts. The Sooner State comes in at No. 5 in an economic outlook study conducted by the American Legislative Exchange Council and economist Arthur Laffer, which considers 15 variables including tax rates and workers' compensation costs.
OKC Council approves $200M TIF for high-rise Bricktown project The Oklahoma City Council voted 7-2 to allocate up to $200 million in tax increment financing for a $736 million urban infill project at the southwest corner of Bricktown. The Boardwalk at Bricktown will include more than 900 apartments, a hotel, multiple commercial spaces and 890 public parking spaces on three-quarters of one block. The project site lies within one of the new downtown TIF districts the council approved four months ago.
Details emerge on $13M Diversion Hub in OKC Preliminary plans for the new Diversion Hub presented at the Oklahoma City Council meeting Tuesday show a modern, spacious building designed to meet the clients’ every need. Diversion Hub is a nonprofit organization that works with multiple community partners to help divert low-level offenders from reoffending and put them on a path toward a better life. The groundbreaking for a new two-story, 35,575-square-foot Diversion Hub is expected to happen early next year. City voters approved $13 million in city sales tax funding for the construction under the MAPS 4 capital improvements plan.
Kisling, Hayes join forces to help attract retail investment Brent Kisling, who oversaw the Oklahoma Department of Commerce during Gov. Kevin Stitt’s first term in office, has joined with new partners in the state working on behalf of towns and cities looking to attract retail business investment. Kisling recently announced that his new company, NexTo LLC, has formed a joint venture with Retail Attractions with the intention of increasing the impact of both entities. He said he established NexTo LLC to continue encouraging people and building businesses and communities in the state. Retail Attractions was founded in 2007 by Rickey Hayes to provide a suite of services to cities and governments looking to attract new retail development and ultimately increase sales tax and ad valorem tax revenue.
Notching 4 decades of philanthropy, Inasmuch has much to celebrate In celebration of its first 40 years, the Inasmuch Foundation recently looked back at some accomplishments, including some that have positively changed the course of lives of many Oklahomans. The foundation’s “40-year report” released this month also provides some perspective on where it now stands in strongly supporting good causes and how foundation officials see things developing in coming years. Founded in 1982, the Inasmuch Foundation is a grantmaking organization dedicated to improving quality of life in Oklahoma through avenues of human services, education, community activism and journalism.
Archeology, dinosaur bones spark interests of Native Explorers In the United States, Native American and Alaska Native students have the lowest graduation rate among any minority group. One explanation may be that only 47% attend public high schools where a full range of mathematics and science courses are offered. One nonprofit organization in Oklahoma is working to change those numbers. Native Explorers, based in Oklahoma City, provides educational programs to Oklahoma and national Native students in an effort to increase the number of Native Americans in science and medicine. Educational programs include the Native Explorers Program at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa and the Native Explorers student organization at the University of Oklahoma.
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