News from Enid, Oklahoma

Greetings!

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. While many Thanksgiving looked different from years past, we hope you could still find ways to connect with family and friends. As we move into the Christmas holiday season, I look at the opportunity to seek JOY. In a year that has been filled with challenges, there is an opportunity to look forward to a bright future in the New Year.

My challenge to you this holiday season is to continue shopping local. I know that I am making the extra effort to shop local this season and stay away from shopping online from major retailers. Typically, I never buy clothes online; but even I broke down and gave it a try last month. It was maddening! I assumed it would be “easier” to browse a wide range of options and select what I wanted – wrong. It took hours to find what I was looking for online. And then, you have to determine what size you are by looking at endless size charts and measuring every inch of your body. When I finally had it figured out, they were sold out of my size – then the payment wouldn’t go through – then the shipping date was three weeks away – then it was on back order – when it arrived, it was the wrong size – I had to make a trip to the post office to return it – I had to pay for shipping (again) – then I was left with nothing, and I spent too much money….NEVER doing it again. There are so many local boutiques that would have prevented this from happening. That is why we created www.ShopinEnid.com to let people see the variety of locally owned boutiques.

Our #1 goal at ERDA is to prevent any Enid business from closing. If your business is in trouble, if you need advice, consulting, or technical assistance, please give us a call. There is no cost for the services that we provide, and our sole focus is to keep our businesses open, our citizens employed, and the economy of Enid growing. I love the people of Enid, Oklahoma. We are fierce, determined, stubborn, proud, hard-working, and passionate – all traits have served us well since we first settled here on September 16, 1893. These same traits will get us through this pandemic and make us stronger on the other side. This is the time for us to circle the wagons and support our own – help your neighbors, shop local, and stay well.

Merry Christmas,
Visit ShopinEnid.com to jump start holiday shopping
NextEra provides STEM kits to area high schools
ERDA member NextEra Energy Resources recently donated 1,500 STEM kits to area high schools, including; Enid Public Schools and Chisholm Public Schools.

The STEM kits are a Kre8 Wind Generator Kit made by Kelvin Electronics. The kits walk students through the steps of building a wind turbine from multiple pieces and wind turbine blades. Once complete, the wind turbine powers a small LED light bulb demonstrating how wind is converted to energy.

5 Reasons to Shop Local this Holiday Season
1. Job Creation – Local business owners hire local people. In fact, according to a 2016 study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, compared to Amazon, independent retailers create 2x as many jobs for the same amount of revenue.

2. Keep Money Local – Sales tax is a vital part of funding services in our community. When you shop local, you are increasing the sales tax revenue to fund core services. Also, local business owners are more likely to spend their money locally, which continues to add money to the community. Research by Civic Economics has shown that, on average, 48% of the money spent at local businesses re-circulates locally. 

3. Better Customer Service – No one likes being put on hold or waiting for customer service. Local business owners are passionate about growing their business, and they work hard to provide quality products and services. 

4. Small Businesses Support Nonprofits & Organizations – Whether it is a local nonprofit, youth sports team, school group, or another group raising funds, many time key sponsors are our local businesses. Small business owners are involved in the community and look for a variety of ways to give back.

5. Growing Enid – Spending your money in Enid increases the demand for products and services which in turn will drive new business growth. Local businesses create a unique culture and vibrancy in the community which attracts more people who want to live, work, and shop in Enid.

Holidays in Enid
Downtown Ice Rink
Your whole family will enjoy ice skating on the real-ice outdoor rink in downtown Enid. Try it out for yourself, or just enjoy sipping hot cocoa while watching.
Christmas Tree Farm
Select and cut down your own Christmas tree at Redbird Farm. Enjoy a fun-filled day on the farm complete with petting zoo and a barn shop full of great gifts.
Big Country Meat Market Receives CARES Grant Check
Congratulations to Big Country Meat Market / Enid Packing Company for receiving $350,00 CARES Grant through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. The plan is to use the funds to expand their current site by 4,800 sq. ft. for dedicated processing room.

Chisholm Trail Meats was also selected as a recipient and will be presented their check at a later date.
Da Vinci's Opens 4th Location as Growth Continues
Since 2014, Da Vinci's Coffeehouse and Gelateria has grown from their original location on Willow and opened 3 new stores, each with their own personality. The newest location at 525 S. Arthur.

Da Vinci’s Coffeehouse and Gelateria locations
  • Da Vinci’s Original: 2315 W. Willow
  • Da Vinci’s South: 813 S. Van Buren
  • Da Vinci’s Central: 525 S. Arthur
  • Vance Air Force Base


Enid Summer Internship Program
Have you started thinking about summer interns for 2021? Now is the perfect time to start marketing internship opportunities to college students.

The Enid Summer Internship Program (ESIP) allows for companies to partner with ERDA to help recruit and market your internship openings. The interns you hire will benefit from networking with other ESIP interns and will participate in Enid’s community events throughout the summer. Qualified candidates may also be offered free housing at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid.

Contact Trent Misak (trent@growenid.com) to learn more about the Enid Summer Internship Program.

EYP Names 10 Under 40
Enid Young Professionals announced the 2020 10 Under 40 recipients during their 9th annual event on Tuesday, November 10th. There were 23 qualified nominees that submitted applications for consideration. A panel of 3 judges outside of EYP evaluated and scored the applications. The 2020 winners are:

Shelby Cottrill, Autry Technology Center
Stela Jantzen, Park Avenue Thrift
Hannah Hankey, BKD
Virginia Miller, Groendyke Transport
Jenna Rosine, Edward Jones
Chris Trojan, Attorney at Law
Lydia Kelley, Loaves & Fishes
Alex Evers, Family Martial Arts
Jake Krumwiede, CSRHC
Tiffany Misak, NWOSU-Enid. 

Congratulations!

Digging into Economic Development