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THIS WEEK..... PCDA staff were all over these United States spreading the good wood, researching new words, changing perceptions, congratulating, networking....that is a lot of -ings! Conferences were attended to promote the wonderfulness of Ponca City as well as to research how other communities grow their workforce and align education with what employers need of the next generation of employees. Staff may have talked a little about Girl Power! and how PoncaWorks assists employers. Staff used to refer to this gathering of ideas as stealing, but have been schooled that this is in fact, research & development, otherwise known as R&D. Staff wished Dennis Ruttman, a former PTech staffer, a fond retirement (he will be missed) even as PCDA and Pioneer Tech get ready to send Mike Boon, current PTech staffer, off to his retirement next week. PYE had a very successful Lunch & Learn (see story below) this week with "Mentoring with Molly"; and staff along with everyone else, is gearing up for the holiday weekend and summer activities. Speaking of summer activities, Ponca City is teeming with stuff for the kids and families to do from camps to movies. Make sure you check out the Summer Activity Guide and mark the calendar for all the fun stuff happening now that the kiddos are officially out of school.
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Memorial Day Weekend - Be Safe!
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Monday, May 29: PCDA office Closed
for Memorial Day.
Friday, June 2: Ponca Main Street
Battle of the Burger - Library Parking
Saturday, June 3: Herb Festival 8 to 4:00 pm
LA Cann Gardens
Thursday, June 8: Insure Oklahoma
Lunch & Learn 11:30 to 1:00 pm
Pioneer Technology Center
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"To invent, you need a good imagination
and a pile of junk." -Thomas Edison
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GROWING OUR OWN..........is a catch phrase we enjoy using here in Ponca City. Economic gardening refers to tending to the "garden" of homegrown businesses, workforce, entrepreneurs and now, inventors. PCDA has had an influx of tinkerers and inventors needing information, "how to"s, guidance and more importantly , a place to collaborate with other tinkerers and inventors. So, on Tuesday, September 12th, PCDA is proud to host an Evening of Invention in the City Center Atrium from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. If you are an entrepreneur, inventor, tinkerer or interested in learning more, we invite you to come hang out with like minded people and hear from other inventors, people who develop products and owners of businesses that manufacture products. What is your big idea? What is the next step? How did someone else succeed with their invention? Mark your calendars now and we will see you on September 12th. Stay tuned for more information.
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MENTORING WITH MOLLY...happened this week at El Patio. Over 30 people crowded in to hear Molly Kyler present the four Rs of being a focussed, present person. Want to know what they were? Check out the Ponca Young Employees - PYE Facebook page and stay in the know of what is happening next with the PYE group here in Ponca. Socials and Lunch & Learns happen all through the year. Make sure you don't miss out on what is happening with the under 40 set. Sometimes, they even invite us old folks to attend. You know, the "over 40s".
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CHANGING PERCEPTIONS........PoncaWorks just blew back in this morning from the Windy City, where the ideas flew like the pollen in the air this time of year! You don’t know what kind of off-the-wall schemes will come about when eight professionals dedicated to solving manufacturing workforce issues facing our nation gather up and get creative! Creativity, ingenuity, data, analytics and a large pool of education professionals rubbing shoulders and exchanging information with manufacturing professionals was what the Dream It Do It conference was all about. Did you know that 83% of Americans believe that manufacturing is vital to our economic prosperity? However, only 60% of parents would encourage their children to pursue a career in it. Changing the perception; Creating a young workforce of skilled and engaged manufacturing employees. This is the goal, this is the dream. This is our work.
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Ponca City on the road......
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PoncaWorks Manager Liz Pershing and Stephanie Cameron, Dream It Do It Rep for Oklahoma hanging out at the Dream It Do It Banner at this week's conference.
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Showcasing Ponca City with Mayor Nicholson, The Chamber and The City at ICSC Show this week. People do love that Cookshack rub !
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