Investing in Ada's Future
Sales Tax Renewal Scheduled for January 10
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Photo credit: Richard R. Barron, The Ada News
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The Ada City Council voted unanimously to renew the one-cent sales tax for another five years and put the question on the next ballot. Voters will decide the issue at a special city election, set for Jan. 10, 2017.
The city uses proceeds from the sales tax, known collectively as Propositions 1 and 2, to finance road improvements and economic development projects. Three-quarters of the proceeds from the sales tax are earmarked for road upgrades and other public works projects, and the remaining one-quarter is set aside for economic development projects.
A few interesting facts!
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Standing Room Only at Air Evac Grand Opening
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| Air Evac Lifeteam's New Facility at the Ada Municipal Airport |
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Joe Grygiel, Senior Director of Base Operations of Air Evac speaks at Ada Facility Grand Opening
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Air Evac celebrated the construction of its new facility and location in Ada, Oklahoma with a well attended ribbon cutting and ceremony on November 8.
By choosing to relocate in Ada, Air Evac will provide the citizens of Ada and the surrounding communities with faster response times for air ambulance services, resulting in economic and quality of life benefits for the community.
Speed to medical care is vital to survival. Lori Wightman, CEO of Mercy Hospital Ada shared, "18 minutes is the time we have saved in response time from Air Evac moving their base to Ada. This doesn't sound like much, yet its a big deal with trauma patients, heart attack or stroke."
"Air Evac locating in Ada is just one more example of how our community has invested in itself through support of the proposition 2 incentive, which allowed Air Evac to defray start-up costs and incorporate architectural elements of the new terminal and Chickasaw Hangar into their facility." stated Michael Southard, President and CEO of the Ada Jobs Foundation, "
Adding
new
jobs
at
wages
higher than the county average
will have a direct impact
, but the indirect impact is that
Air Evac provides a new service
to the community
which
makes
the Ada area
more
competitive in our efforts to attract business and talent
."
Air Evac will locate 14 staff at its Ada Municipal Airport facilities to provide helicopter air ambulance services to the area. The average wage will exceed $30 per hour and include six salaried employees and eight hourly employees. The company's Ada facility includes an office, sleeping quarters, hangar, and helipad. Air Evac is located at 231 John Herrington Ave, Ada, Oklahoma.
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| Rita Bosico Wins October #myAda Contest |
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Congratulations to the October #myAda photo/video contest winner, Rita Bosico. Rita's picture from the Ada Firemen's Rodeo Parade showcases one of the great things happening in and around Ada, Oklahoma.
"When Ada has a parade the whole town shows up! We love to celebrate our life and its roots and growth, from western heritage to ECU's homecoming to the Christmas parade of lights. Parades bring us together in joy."
Rita explained when sharing what her picture and #myAda means to her, "When I moved here from Tulsa in 1999, Ada was a big "little town." With planning, pride and investment, it has grown to become a little big town. It is big enough to serve you, small enough to know you. I hope Ada always keeps its local charm, casual friendliness, and keeps honoring its western and native roots while embracing progression that makes life better for all of us. "
"Investing in ourselves benefits our community in so many ways," stated Jim Eldridge, Economic Development Specialist for the Ada Jobs Foundation, "Rita's quote about what #myAda means to her is why people choose to live and companies continue to grow in Ada."
Post your pictures of Ada and the surrounding area publicly on social media with #myAda for your chance to win $50.
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Top Pitch in Tiger Tank Competition made by Christian Cody
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 On November 3rd, East Central University hosted their annual "Tiger Tank" Competition. The competition, which is loosely modeled after the TV show "Shark Tank," hosts teams of high school and college students who pitch new business ideas before groups of judges. At the end of the morning, the judges pick a winner and runners up among the high school and college students. The winning students receive a cash prize and are recognized at an award luncheon following the competition. ECU students were joined by local high school students from Ada High School, Latta High School, and Paul's valley to pitch their ideas.
The Ada Jobs Foundation has been a consistent sponsor of the competition. This year, the Ada Jobs Foundation sponsored the top prize for the college student division, and awarded $250 to Christian Cody for his business idea. Cody's idea is an app which connects people to potential training partners at local gyms, also provides workout plans, access to local personal trainers, workout tracking, and meal plans to help people reach their fitness goals.
"So much of Ada's economic success has come from local entrepreneurs," said James Eldridge, Economic Development Specialist for the Ada Jobs Foundation. "Events like this help local students gain experience and allows the community to demonstrate support for their ideas." Eldridge recently received a professional certification in Economic Gardening, a program focused on helping "second stage" entrepreneurs. The Ada Jobs Foundation is continuing to find ways to support local entrepreneurship and build on existing community strengths.
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Growing Opportunity: Land Your Business in Ada
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Oklahoma is Aviation! The Oklahoma Delegation at NBAA 2016 included: Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Ada Jobs Foundation, Enid Regional Development Alliance, Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Tulsa Regional Chamber, Ponca City Development Authority, Guthrie Airport, OU, and Norman Airport
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The Ada Jobs Foundation and other communities from across Oklahoma attended the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention & Exhibition to promote the State as an ideal location for aerospace companies to locate.
NBAA represents more than 11,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community. The NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, the world's largest civil aviation trade show.
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Quarterly Manufacturing Roundtable Held
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Ada area manufacturing executives toured
Ram Jack following the quarterly Roundtable discussion.
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New Overtime Rule Blocked
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After a hearing was held in mid-November, U.S. District Judge Amos Massant issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the Obama administration's new overtime rule.
Twenty-one state attorneys general and a coalition of business groups filed separate lawsuits against the rule, and the lawsuits were subsequently consolidated into one in a federal district court in Texas.
The rule, scheduled to take effect on December 1, would have doubled (to $47,476) the salary thresh
old under which most workers are guaranteed overtime pay. The lawsuits argue the salary threshold is too high and that the Department of Labor exceeded its authority in indexing it. According to news accounts, the judge will hold a hearing November 28 on whether to grant summary judgement with a decision expected before the rule takes effect.
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Check out Ada Jobs Foundation's new website!
GrowAda.com
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