LOOKING DEEPLY ..... into your crystal ball may be as accurate as listening to the economists, pundits and politicians about what the economic future holds for consumers. One thing is certain, people gotta eat. Instead of debating the price of eggs, PCDA staff are looking at which comes first: the chicken or the egg. In this case, the chicken is workforce and the egg is childcare. Or vice versa. Also on topic, is transportation: appropriate and available transportation. Everyone has an opinion. Keep reading to give yours in survey form.

And no matter which side has your vote for what the economic future holds, people continue to start, launch, grow and need assistance with small business ventures. If you want to get more involved with small businesses in the Ponca City area, make sure to attend 1 Million Cups next week. And there is always our wonderful manufacturing community collaborating, cooperating and getting ready to seek more contracting in the wilds of Texas at the D2P show. Catch up on what is happening in our world this week.

And stay tuned next week for the spotlight on our Industry of the Year, as well as all the other award recipients given at the Ponca City Chamber Banquet.

Transportation Survey – what is missing in our community with regards to transportation?  Make your opinion known by taking this survey from Oklahoma Active Transportation. This group wants to hear from people in all types of communities about wants and needs for transportation, including infrastructure and all types of mobility including walking.  Click here to read more about OKATP.org and take the online survey.

1MC.... is happening next week on Wednesday, February 1st at Pioneer Technology Center. This program is the first Wednesday of each month, 8 am at Pioneer Tech. As a program of the Kauffman Foundation, 1 Million Cups works with entrepreneurs, empowering them with the tools and resources to break down barriers that stand in the way of starting and growing their businesses. The Ponca City chapter is always on the lookout for entrepreneurs to share their business story. Contact Brook Lindsay to share your story at (580) 718-4316 or brookl@pioneertech.edu.   See you next week. There is always coffee ready and bring business cards for networking.

BUSINESS RESOURCES...... are available for your start-up or existing small business. Need some management training? How about HR questions? Team building, setting goals and crucial conversations with partners or employees? The Business Services Team at Pioneer Technology Center is a resource for your company: Training, one-on-one meetings, both paid and free resources. Give Corbin Dewitt a call and find out what management training resources are available for your business, no matter what size or how many employees, the resources are available. Call or email for more information 580.718.4222. Find all the services and resources at Pioneer Tech Business Services here.

IT IS TIME....to collaborate and market Ponca City contract manufacturing again at the March Design 2 Part show in Dallas. This award winning program assists Ponca City contract manufacturers to market their ability to make stuff: metal, plastics, moldings, electrical and more. PCDA sponsors the booth and promotes Ponca City as the manufacturing hub we are, while our companies wheel and deal for new contracts and prototyping. Contact Laurence if your company is interested in participating.

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE..... at City Central. The Link and Link II have plug and play office space available for your specific needs. Need a desk for a day? Gotcha covered with wifi included. Need an office for a week to meet clients or have business meetings? Why yes, The Link is ready to assist. If you need further information, give Aubrey or Lori a call at 580.765.7070 or check out more info at CityCentralPC. The public art and comfy waiting chairs are just bonus features for the daily, weekly or monthly rates.

Wed, Feb 1// 1 Million Cups // Pioneer Tech

This month, Chad Winslow from OK Labels will be telling his business story.

Doors open at 8 am. And there is coffee.

Thursday, Feb 9 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // City Central

7:30 am at City Central. Coffee is on. Meeting location will

be posted at the elevators.

Wed, Feb 22 // Canva 2.0 // Pioneer Tech Seminar Room

Join Terri Busch for this next level course on Canva.

9-10 am. Click here to register.

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

BUILDING BUILDINGS… is always an interesting proposition; more so in the post covid world of supply chain issues, shipping/trucking delays and all around higher prices. Staff is proud to say concrete is poured at the Duke building and sticks will be in the air soon (keep reading). Also currently on staff's radar is the continuing need for manufacturing companies (and other industry segments) to adapt to workforce and timeline demands while receiving some well deserved recognition for excellence in the workplace.

Word on the manufacturing.net street is sustainability and prepping for risk will be the focus for 2023. PCDA is here to support opportunities for local companies to grow and collaborate in these areas as Ponca City manufacturers move through the first half of this new year.

CONCRETE DOWN.... at Duke. Above, you can see the second section of concrete being poured and below is the final pour for the Duke building pad.   PCDA received the break test results on the first section poured. The concrete is well above the required pressure per square inch (PSI) requirement on strength. Building framework should begin on January 26th or 27th. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO.... Cookshack, as they have been selected for the second year in a row (and for the fifth year overall) as a top place to work in the state of Oklahoma. Read all about Cookshack, their values and what makes them, well, Cookshack here. Proud of you guys! Keep up the good work.

IT IS TIME....to collaborate and market Ponca City contract manufacturing again at the March Design 2 Part show in Dallas. This award winning program assists Ponca City contract manufacturers to market their ability to make stuff: metal, plastics, moldings, electrical and more. PCDA sponsors the booth and promotes Ponca City as the manufacturing hub we are, while our companies wheel and deal for new contracts and prototyping. Contact Laurence if your company is interested in participating.

YOU HAVE TO SEE..... this interactive, immersive exhibit! Located in the first floor lobby inside the John McNeese Gallery, the pictures do not do it justice. Local artists lent their talents to create the creatures and backgrounds. Children (and there have been all ages of students coming through since the exhibit opened) as well as adults are invited to participate. Visit the Seed Reef Tuesdays - Fridays 12-6 pm and Saturdays 12-4 pm until February 18th. Active arts for the family. This is quality of life stuff right here.

Thurs, January 26// Surety Bonding for Contractors//

Pioneer Tech Bis Services D123

Call Dawn at 580.718.4261 to register. 10 to 11 am.

Wed, Feb 1// 1 Million Cups // Pioneer Tech

This month, Chad Winslow from OK Labels will be telling his business story.

Doors open at 8 am. And there is coffee.

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

WITH OUR THANKS…Tuesday’s election effectively extending PCDA for five more years is now in the books. Thank you. At a time when opinions seem to be more or less dived 50/50 on everything, an almost two to one margin is humbling. Elections such as this are first and foremost about trust. PCDA never forgets that this means public funds must be properly handled. People can agree to disagree on how to grow a local, rural economy in post pandemic 2023 but managing public funds is something more universal. The controls, the public decision making, the accountability, financial transparency and keeping faith with everyone in Ponca City (voters and non-voters alike) is a pledge that PCDA eagerly makes once again. 

PCDA looks forward to pursuing the goals and action steps in the new PCDA strategic plan, and we continue to welcome discussions on how to grow our community even more. For now, we simply say thank you. We have never forgotten the trust and faith put into PCDA by the public…and we never will.

BEFORE DAWN.... last week, staff captured this great picture of the concrete pour at the Duke Building. This was the first pour of several to complete the base of this 39,000 square foot building. But really, how cool is this picture!?! Good Job Laurence. He is the only one hanging around with the concrete crew before sunrise in the AIP.

JUST IN CASE.... you need an introduction to Laurence, he is also the Zone 5 Board of Education Board Member for Pioneer Technology Center. PCDA has an extremely strong partnership with our friends at Pioneer Tech, so naturally LB jumped at the chance to be a board member. Need a part machined? He knows a guy. Looking for a contract manufacturer? Here's a phone number. Looking for new contracts to grow diversity at your company? Laurence is your guy. What can staff say? He is everywhere. Really early. Before dawn even (see above). Thanks Laurence for being "the guy".

CITY CENTRAL..... is home to the John McNeese Art Gallery in the first floor lobby area. The Gallery is hopping this week as the coolest installation opens: an immersive Seed Reef. The pictures do not do it justice. Local artists lent their talents to create the creatures and backgrounds. Children (and there have been all ages of students coming through this week) as well as adults are invited to participate. Visit the Seed Reef Tuesdays - Fridays 12-6 pm and Saturdays 12-4 pm until February 18th. Active arts for the family. This is quality of life stuff right here.

Thurs, January 26// Surety Bonding for Contractors//

Pioneer Tech Bis Services D123

Call Dawn at 580.718.4261 to register. 10 to 11 am.

Wed, Feb January 10// 1 Million Cups // Pioneer Tech

This month, Chad Winslow from OK Labels will be telling his business story.

Doors open at 8 am. And there is coffee.

Rental Property - Available Listings

A LONG TIME AGO, IN AN ECONOMY FAR AWAY…Ponca City went through some tough economic times. A company town no longer, the community faced some severe economic headwinds, more than once we might add. Fast forward to today. The economy is resilient, diverse, strong and sustainable. We even came through a global pandemic stronger than ever (and stronger than most). This is what economic development is all about. Attracting a new business is like the tip of the economic development iceberg. It’s what everyone sees but the vast majority of the work is unseen. True, a part of this work remains getting new companies to come to Ponca City and then helping them integrate into the local economy. It is also, however, about helping existing companies diversify into new industries. It's about finding workforce, helping private businesses transition into new opportunities, adapt to new tech, share resources, update facilities, become more efficient in a global economy that punishes inefficiencies and a lot more. It’s about a community taking its economic future into its own hands and taking control, not allowing random chance alone to determine the future.

We tell you all of this because economic development is on the ballot this coming Tuesday. A yes vote will continue funding for economic development while a no vote will discontinue the funding. You are undoubtedly savvy enough to understand that everything costs money so if something isn’t paid for, then it doesn’t happen. Ergo, next Tuesday’s vote is about whether or not there will be economic development in Ponca City.

PCDA cannot legally take a position or campaign for the election. We can, however, let you know the election is happening and ask you to vote regardless of your choice. The polls are open this Tuesday, January 10^th from 7 am to 7 pm. Early voting is going on right now. We are also allowed to give you information about the impact of economic development. You’ll see some of that below, and you can find more on the PCDA website. You can also read the PCDA strategic plan to see what the plans are for the next several years if voters decide to continue economic development. To be sure, there is a lot to do and the economic development resource can be deployed in many different ways. Like Rome, Ponca City was not (re)built in a day. Perhaps more significantly, we have had only a small peak at tomorrow's challenges and opportunities. 

Please vote this Tuesday. 

SPEC BUILDING #4.... has iron on the ground ready to go in the air. Spec buildings are essential to attracting new companies to Ponca City (think Custom Mechanical Equipment) as well as allowing existing companies to expand. Check out the newly expanded Cookshack building (Spec Building Bob) in the background. This spec building is called Duke and 2023 is the year it will be finished. Check out CME's story and why Spec Building #1 is their home here.

CITY CENTRAL..... is just that: central to the city. An almost shuttered five story building in downtown Ponca City was brought back to life under the leadership of the City of Ponca City and the ownership/management of PCDA. When PCDA was directed to own and manage City Central in late 2016, the occupancy of this wonderful then 40 year old building was only 18 percent. Fast forward to 2022: PCDA utilized a $1.25 million federal matching grant, forward thinking renovations, amazing partnerships and fantastic city grant writers with City Central closing out 2022 with an 84 percent occupancy.

Meetings are held in the building's four meeting rooms of varying sizes; Business on the Balcony happens April through October; PC Arts has the John McNeese Gallery and the Pickens Museum has an art installation, both on the Lobby Level. The Link co-work space offers visitors and entrepreneurs plug & play office space as well as having the Kaw Nation and Ponca Tribe offices call City Central home. It has been amazing to bring the building back to life. PCDA could not accomplish this project without the support of the Ponca City community. Well done!

BUSINESS PLAN PITCH-OFF..... continues to grow start ups here in Ponca City. This PCDA sponsored pitch competition began in 2016 with participants Vortex Alley Brewing and Gatehands, manufacturers and businesses that are both still operating in the community. This award winning program assists high scoring pitches with over $5000 worth of cash, equipment, office space and advertising assistant. Past participants include Aesthetic State of Mind, GameMaster's Guild and Grand Cigar & Lounge. Batter Up! The next business plan pitch-off is April 3rd with business plans due on March 22nd. Call or email Kat for more information. What's Your Pitch? Check out this video to see Sizzle Sauce Media owner Andy Hicks, the Fall 2022 Pitch-off champ.

THE NEXT WORKFORCE.... has to be grown and Ponca Works, an award winning program of PCDA is doing just that. Over 50 student interns have been placed at industries, retail and service companies in Ponca City this Fall. PCDA staff continue to attend college career fairs with companies seeking recent graduates (hey OSU Grads) and work closely with Pioneer Technology Center to continue to be a Center for Workforce Excellence. Want to know more about Ponca Works programs or find an intern for your business? Email PCDA or call PoHi and ask for Jordan Jackson-Gross 580-718-4878/ email jacksjo@pcps.us. We want you to have an intern!

Tuesday, January 10// Economic Development Sales Tax Extension

Please vote at your polling place. Polls open from 7 am to 7 pm.

Thurs, January 12// PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting //

City Central

7:30 am in the Summit Room, Lower Level

There is coffee this morning too.

Rental Property - Available Listings