April 8, 2022

4/8/2022

SHOW ME THE MONEY..... is definitely a topic of discussion today. The City of Ponca City grant applications for small business and non-profits is open until April 30th. Keep reading for all the info. And for our manufacturers, you have a state grant open until April 15th. The Business Plan Pitch-off participants from last month are making food and taking names, literally. Both businesses are officially open and Ponca Citians are raving about authentic Mexican tacos fromNena Tacos and Central Cafe juices, protein snacks and Buddah bowls.

In other news, people are still looking to get out of the house as working and living under the same roof has caused some lack of life/work balance. Hmmmm, who'd of thunk? Other fun bits of trivia in the office were phone calls for boat dock measurements out at Ponca Lake, Native American population and tribal impact on North Central Oklahoma, someone seeking statistics on pay for industry jobs, both starting and salary, a couple of tours for office space, an inquiry on outdoor event space and a couple of visits to our wonderful Airport Industrial Park. It was a good week. Well, the boat dock measurement went to another office, but the rest of those inquiries are what we are all about here at PCDA.

PONCA CITY GRANTS..... are available for small businesses (less than 20 employees) and non-profits in the Ponca City city limits. This three page application will take you a little bit of time to fill out, but it is worth up to $10,000 to your business or non-profit to help out with COVID costs to your business over the last year (March , 2021 to March 2022). Do you have questions? Need an assist on figuring something out? GIve PCDA a call at 765.7070. There is also a computer kiosk set up here at City Central if you need a quiet place to work.

B on the B....is back. Business (and Breakfast) on the Balcony here at City Central, Suite #200 on the PCDA Balcony. From 7 to 8:30 am (that's morning time) next Tuesday, April 12 and every second Tuesday through the summer, grab some grub and meet some peeps. This is a great way to connect with the City Central tenants, business staff from Pioneer Tech and all your favorite people from local businesses. On the Balcony. Flyer below for more details. See you next Tuesday. It is come and go, so even if you only stay for 15 minutes, you will meet somebody or have a conversation that will help you with your job, your project or connecting with the community. It's kind of our thing.

STATE GRANT PROGRAM FOR

MANUFACTURING COMPANIES…Manufacturers still have to to apply to a grant program aimed exclusively for YOU!!!. This is statewide program which received 137 applications last year. 108 of those were approved, so the chances are good for your company. The Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program (OIEP) is seeking to encourage capital investment and expansions, particularly those that help diversify the state’s economy and increase manufacturing capacity. Successful grants are paid as a payroll rebate to the company on a monthly basis so it’s not a lump sum. It does not necessarily require an increase in job creation but that certainly would make an application more attractive. There is some company buy-in as well, but hey, it's money for your company! Applications will only be open from April 4^th to April 15^th so get going. Visit The Oklahoma Commerce Website here. to fill out this simple application.

WORK/LIFE BALANCE..... now that people have been working from home, either full or part time, and may have seen the We Work movie, PCDA would like to assure you City Central is no We Work, but we can help out that life/work balance. City Central has a Co-work or shared work space on the first floor called The Link. If you want a little tour, check out the website here and if you have more questions, PCDA staff are standing by to help you, a friend or family member find a great temp to permanent office space. Now, if you need water in your office, we will give you some referrals to other downtown spaces. City Central is a bathroom and kitchen have water only kind of lady. Check out building tenants here.