News from Enid, Oklahoma

Greetings!

2022 is off to a great start at ERDA. We have hit the ground running and made progress on many exciting projects for Enid.

Our mission at ERDA is to assure the economic prosperity of Enid and the surrounding area. Keeping our mission in mind, the primary work in our office is centered around two items:

  1. Making Enid a great place for businesses to locate and for people to live.
  2. Ensuring our existing businesses have what they need to succeed and help eliminate any roadblocks to their growth.

The foundation of making Enid a great place to live and work include:
  • Strong Education system
  • Robust Healthcare system
  • Adequate housing
  • Reasonable regulation
  • Quality of Life
  • Sound Infrastructure

ERDA is working on various initiatives in each of these categories to strengthen our community. As we accomplish goals in these areas, our efforts in business recruitment and talent attraction will fall into place. If you are interested in knowing more about our work in any of these areas, give me a call.

We hope that your year is off to an exciting start as well. If our office can ever be of assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.


Sincerely,

ERDA Board of Directors

Sandra Robinett
Matt Parrish
Scott Athey
Dwight Hughes
Martie Oyler
Don Roberts
Brian Henson
Scott Northcutt
Kyle Williams
Dave Lamerton
George Pankonin
Rob Stallings
Jerry Allen
Jason Turnbow

Non Voting:
Jerald Gilbert
Jon Blankenship
Water-Planning for Enid's Worst Case Scenario
 Enid could be diving head-first into a drought like the one Oklahomans experienced in the first half of the 2010s, a water planning consultant with a long history of working for the state says.
Duane Smith, former executive director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and leader of the Northwest Oklahoma Water Action Plan, said the city of Enid has to plan for the “worst-case scenario” in a future water supply, as it nears construction of its long-planned Kaw Lake water pipeline project.

Aviation Education in Enid
ERDA joined the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Enid Public Schools , Chisholm Public School District, Autry Technology Center, Woodring Airport, and Vance Air Force Base to discuss the future of aviation education in the Enid area.

Our hope is that the new partnership will inspire students to consider a career in the aviation industry
USDA Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program
The Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program provides financial support to qualified lenders whose loan applicants want to start or expand middle of the food supply chain activities such as aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesale, or distribution of food. The program’s goal is to increase capacity and help create a more resilient, diverse, and secure U.S. food supply chain

Enid customers can sign up as construction continues for 2 fiber-optic networks
 Enid residents are starting to see the fiber-optic fruits of the city’s labor to get more broadband options into the area.
Customers will be able to sign up for higher-speed internet and TV services as construction continues throughout the year, representatives with the two fiber-optic broadband companies laying the new networks.

City Manager Jerald Gilbert told the News & Eagle that new broadband providers were sought out in order to provide residents better customer service than existing options.
“In a matter of … two years, pretty much the whole city should be covered and everybody should have choice,” he said, “whereas now, there’s not a lot of choice.”

Clark, with Dobson, called fiber the “latest and greatest” technology because it allows for faster symmetrical speeds, for both uploads and downloads.

Fiber is not affected by the weather either, Clark said, unlike satellite or other dish plans.


Wake up, downtown Enid’: New nightclub opens on Randolph
Downtown Enid’s newest business, Gold Door Night Club, has been open for a week, bringing new music and energy to the downtown scene.
Gold Door Night Club, at 120 W. Randolph, has a full bar, outdoor patio, seating options and an unobstructed dance floor.
The club opened Jan. 11, and was open through Sunday. Normal operating days are Thursday through Sunday.

Wall of Honor acquires Vietnam-era helicoper, World War II Jeep
A Vietnam-era Bell UH-1 Iroquois military utility helicopter — nicknamed Huey — arrived at its final resting place at Woodring Wall of Honor and Veterans Park on Monday.

The Huey helicopter came from the now closed Cold War Museum in Lancaster, Texas, and will be on display as part of the M.L. Becker Educational Center and Woodring Wall of Honor exhibits.

“We are privileged to have this as a permanent part of our park,” said Elaine Johns, Wall of Honor executive director. “We can’t wait for the rest of 2022, that we can’t talk about right now, but there is more coming.”


Claire's opens up in new location

Claire’s moved from its longtime mall location into the Sunset Plaza last week.
The store had its first official open day Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.

Assistant Manager Maalan McCauley said the new store in the south Cleveland plaza is more square than their last store in the mall, which was longer.

Vaccine Mandate - FAQ
On January 13, 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court put on hold the implementation and enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS).

This latest development in the ongoing saga of vaccine mandates is sure to cause confusion among employers that are considering how best to respond to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the link below gives some answers to questions employers have regarding the status of vaccine mandates.

ERDA Small Business Software Program
business_owner_female.jpg
The Small Business Software program will assist with the purchase of software to run the business such as a POS system, inventory tracking, website development, or accounting software.

For more information contact Debbie Moore at
580-233-4232 or [email protected]
ERDA Participates in Successful Call Trip to Dallas
ERDA staff members had a great time representing Enid and the state of Oklahoma at the Oklahoma Reception in Dallas, TX.

During the event we were able to connect and network with Dallas/Fort Worth Site Selectors, Real Estate Brokers, and firms active in the site selection process.

Connecting with these stakeholders is valuable in showcasing the numerous benefits companies can take advantage of when the choose to do business in Oklahoma.
Northern Oklahoma College Receives Accolade
Congratulations to Northern Oklahoma College on being ranked the Best Associate Degree College in Oklahoma by UniversityHQ!

Thank You to the following businesses who have renewed their ERDA Membership for 2022
AT&T
Atwoods
Autry Technology Center
A.W. Brueggeman Co.
The Bank of Kremlin
Best Western GLo of Enid
BKD, LLP
City of Enid
Dense Mechanical
Dillingham Insurance
Encompass FSI
Enel Green Power
Enid News & Eagle
Envirotech Engineering & Consulting
Garfield County Industrial Authority
Gungoll, Jackson, Box & Devoll, P.C.
Hanor Family of Companies
Henson Construction
Hutton Construction
John Stambaugh, PC, CPA
Johnston Seed Co.
Jumbo Foods
Koch Fertilizer
Lippard Realty
Messer Bowers
NBC Oklahoma
NextEra
Nicholas Commercial
No Man's Land Food
Northcutt Chevrolet Toyota Buick
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
ONEOK
Oxbow Calcining, LLC
PT
Pioneer Cellular
Security National Bank
Sidwell Strategies
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
Stride Bank
Stride Bank Center
TPI Staffing Service
Transportation Partners & Logistics
Tyson Foods
Wymer Brownlee
Contact Debbie to renew your membership or receive a new member application! [email protected], 580-233-4232