MANUFACTURING..... is being accomplished using robotics and AI. This used to be a thing of the future. Welcome to the future! With ChatGBT, Google AI, Salesforce Einstein and many more AI programs used for writing, art and business, a new arena to conquer has emerged: workforce. Robotics are becoming more prevalent in the manufacturing world. Several manufacturers here in Ponca City have machines going 24/7. And the demand for these machines grows daily. Robotics won't replace workforce; machines do what they're told and employees must have higher and better skill sets to be able to manage and program the robots. So, where does AI come into play? Can employees use AI to become more proficient at their jobs? Will artificial intelligence take over jobs? Maybe. We may all need to re-watch the "Terminator" movies because the future is now.

We still don't have hover skateboards for purchase, but computers live among us and they are changing our world. Some for the better; some for the worse. Because, good or bad, computers are still controlled by humans. And there are humans with good intentions, ethics and practices and then there are the bad humans; Using AI for scams, money bilking and calling poor old grandmas and grandpas and scaring them to death. Let's all be good humans and use AI and robotics in the best ways possible: Use technology to build bigger, faster, better businesses and communities.

THE AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL PARK.... or as staff lovingly refer to it, the AIP, is 1.25 square miles which includes the west and east sides of the Airport. That is 800 acres of land for industry, storage, some shovel ready land for development and water detention. Because, for better or worse, we have some hilly land in the AIP and water has a tendency to pool. Many thanks for our City engineers for being on top of this situation and enforcing the rules for building new buildings. Currently, many of the AIP companies are landlocked or water detention locked: Even though companies own land for building expansion, there must be concurrent water detention built.

PCDA continues to work with our companies to assist with these type of "good for industry" projects. Stay tuned for more updates in the water detention arena as staff explores the possibility of these large scale land (or water) projects.

GIRL POWER CAMP.....sign up is happening now for seventh and eighth-grade girls until June 10th. Discover the exciting world of STEM and unleash your inner genius. Girl Power STEM camp is the ultimate day camp experience designed exclusively for seventh and eighth-grade girls. This camp isn't just about fun; it's about building a pipeline of brilliant young women who will change the world. Get ready to immerse yourself in hands-on STEM activities and gain invaluable exposure to diverse industries. You will tour local companies, witness the latest innovations, and meet inspiring women who have conquered the STEM world! 

Sign up now at poncaworksgirlpower.com and secure your spot in this exclusive camp. Discover your passion, make lifelong friends, and unleash your inner brilliance.

Some of the hands-on activities include project management, welding, using hand tools and chemistry.

MAY IS SMALL BUSINESS......month. Have you always wanted to start your own business, but don't think you "know enough"? Even more common for staff to hear is you have a gig/garage business that could become your full time business, but are unsure how to proceed. Enter in Oklahoma Small Business Development Center online programs. Many of these small business programs are remote and webinar based.

Use this last week of May to plan for June. There are programs for website design, business start-ups and budgeting (see below). Classes are all online. After you sign up for them, make sure to get dates and times on your calendar. Take an early lunch and tune in. Most programs are right around lunch time. Too much work and you can't make the program? OSBDC will record the presentations and send you a link to watch. You don't have the Q&A opportunities, but the information is gold. Bookmark upcoming events here.

PCDA STAFF..... wishes everyone a safe and wonderful Memorial Day Celebration!

Friday, May 26 // Ponca City High School Graduation //

Sullins Stadium

8 to 10 pm - Congratulations Graduates!

Monday, May 29 // Memorial Day // Observed

PCDA office will be closed

Thursday, June 1 // SBDC Online Program

"Establish a professional Domain/Website/Email

Sign up for this online program here.

Friday, June 2 // DXDT // Veterans Plaza

Live entertainment, open shops and food trucks

at the kickoff 2023 DXDT.



Wednesday, June 6 // 1 Million Cups // 8:30 am

Pioneer Technology Center

Seminar Room

DMP Media presenting

Fall 2023// Business Plan Boot Camp

Are you ready to plan your business? This Boot Camp will

show you how. Hands on. City Central

Contact Kat to get signed up. 765.7070

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

FIBER IS GOOD FOR YOU…whether it is the fiber in your diet or the fiber to your home. The pandemic taught us many things, but one of the biggest civic messages was that a successful community in the future will, at a minimum, need great education, strong health care and robust, modern connectivity. It’s not just remote workers, or gamers, or Netflix bingers, it is about being a part of the real world in real time. Connectivity means that you can be a part of everything that is evolving in the digital world. In case you didn’t notice, the digital world continues to expand and drive a lot of economic growth, including the growth of brick and mortar companies and businesses. If a community does not have good, strong, fast connectivity, people and businesses will pack up and go to where that connectivity is. 

It is also worth noting that the growing number of people who need to be connected at their homes (and this is part of, but more than, the whole remote workers thing) is a fast-growing part of the economy. It is here in Ponca City and we certainly want it to stay and grow in Ponca City. The good news is now it can. This week, the city announced that the fiber to the home project was now available in every neighborhood. This is big economic news. With “Google City” like speeds and reliability, someone living in Ponca City enjoys connections that are fast (truthfully in many if not most cases faster) than the speeds available in major cities. This week’s announcement by the city may not play or feel like a major economic announcement but make no mistake, it is just that.

CONGRATULATIONS....to Cookshack this week for celebrating 275 days with no lost time accidents. In the manufacturing world, this is a big deal. And in the Cookshack world, that means food and lots of it for all their people.

DUKE....is 90% finished on the inside. If it stops raining (staff is okay with rain falling as we need it) the parking lot will receive its allotment of concrete to catch up the outside to the inside. Staff anticipates the building will be completed in late summer. Tours are being scheduled, after the PCDA Board of Trustees have had a chance to kick the tires so to speak. This 39,000 square foot building called Duke will be ready for a tenant by Fall 2023.

THE TRADE SHOW BRIGADE....return on investment or ROI is always a great thing for staff. This week, staff received an email with this picture attached saying "Good Morning. This is the picture of the parts we made for a company we met at the Design 2 Part Trade show in Dallas. They really appreciated our detail and now want us to be a "Critical Supplier" for them."

For those not in the know, a critical supplier is a supplier delivering materials, components, or services that may influence the safety and performance of the device. This is a big deal for K&C Manufacturing. Staff loves these stories! We are proud to be able to assist our companies with these types of connections and contracts.

CREATING A ......business plan is one of those things very few business owners WANT to do. However, once the business plan is being worked, it becomes a living, breathing document which will assist your business grow, become successful and then, when someone offers to buy you out, will guide the valuation of the business. Yes, it does all of these things and more.

If you need some help with your business plan, do not hesitate to call Kat at PCDA. From customer identification, product development or determining the value of your existing business, assistance is available. Did we mention it's free? Call the PCDA office at 580.765.7070 or email [email protected] now.

ACTIVE LIVING.....and transportation were the topics for a regional conference held on May 4th at City Central for cities and organizations interested in ease of movement in their communities. With 27 parks, several water features, walking trails and curbed sidewalks, several participants were from Ponca City. Hosted by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), the day was spent planning the creation of safe, active, equitable and healthy communities whether urban, suburban, or rural. This workshop included topics such as Active Transportation Planning, Policies, and Programs.  City Central is proud to be at the hub of these types of activities and workshops which promote Ponca City.

RESILIENCE......is the name of the new exhibition on display in the John McNeese Gallery right here at City Central. The official opening was last week with an exhibit curated by Kayla Maxwell. This collaboration of City Arts and Ponca Tribal Victim Services is to bring awareness to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Peoples epidemic taking place currently in our country.

The Exhibition Hours are Thursday & Fridays 12-6 pm and Saturdays 12-4 pm

May 11 - June 10th

Wed, May 24 // The Hero Effect // Pioneer Tech Center

Sign up here to attend this motivational presentation

by Kevin Brown (flyer below)

Thursday, May 25 // Last day of School // Ponca City

Let the summer begin!

Friday, May 26 // Ponca City High School Graduation //

Sullins Stadium

8 to 10 pm - Congratulations Graduates!

Monday, May 29 // Memorial Day // Observed

PCDA office will be closed

Fall 2023// Business Plan Boot Camp

Are you ready to plan your business? This Boot Camp will

show you how. Hands on. City Central

Contact Kat to get signed up. 765.7070

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

LEADS…If you look at the PCDA log right now, the number of leads this year is big. It goes along with some of the headlines you may have seen about big projects that came close to coming to Oklahoma only to end up in Kansas or Ontario. With the pandemic now officially behind us, a lot of companies are looking to capitalize on the many shifts that the last several years have brought. All of the leads that resulted in news stories which you have heard about have been leads that PCDA has seen. Most, particularly the big ones, wanted stuff that Ponca City does not have. You do not go, for example, to Lowe’s for bread. When a company wants 100 MW of electricity everyday (more than the current use in Ponca City on a hot August day), they are not going to come to Ponca City.

Perhaps more significantly, if a company projects that they will employ 3,500 people, they are going to go somewhere that has those people available (think close enough to an urban center). This is not a “build it and they will come” situation. You can do that with a spec building, but you cannot simply create people or install massive infrastructure on speculation. So what does work? You have probably not heard about the small manufacturing company from another state that just moved in downtown. You have heard about NextGen, the new tenants of the big hangar at the airport. You may also know about expansions at existing Ponca City companies. These do not generate headlines but they do generate jobs and they have been regular occurrences in Ponca City. The local economy is quite healthy right now. The goal, of course, is to keep it that way, not to create headlines just to pat ourselves on the back.

TRADE SHOW BRIGADE.....last week staff chatted about collaboration and then dropped the ball by not giving a shout-out to Centerline (also pictured below). Centerline has been participating in this trade show collaboration since its inception and staff apologizes for the miss. Thank you Centerline!

Precision Tool/Cadrex; Source Fabrication; K&C Manufacturing, Centerline Inc. and Moonlight Machine.

WILL WELD FOR.....ice cream. The annual two-day Weld to Work program, sponsored by MJH Fabrication, wrapped up on May 11. Ten Career Tech students from around the region competed in this year’s event. The top winners received very nice welding, equipment and supplies, and were also offered a job upon completion of their school’s program. 



As a treat for a job well done and in recognition of teachers, appreciation, week, the Welding Program instructor, Ian Freeman,(R) received a delivery of an ice sandwich from Pioneer Tech Administrative Staff members (L-R) Kendra Knight, Kahle Goff, and Ryan Burkett. The camera person did not receive an ice cream sandwich (which was disappointing).

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO ATTEND....Motivational speaker and author Kevin Brown is passionate about helping people and organizations embrace a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else - he calls it The HERO Effect®. Through his books and presentations, Kevin entertains, inspires, and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life! Tickets are $20 each or you can purchase a table of 10 for $200. Contact 718-4222 for more information. Thank you to the sponsors Bobby Garrett, Renfro Family Foundation, First National Bank, PCDA, Quality Pools & Spas, RCB Bank, Evans & Associates, & Pioneer Tech.

B ON THE B.... had some new faces show up on the Balcony and also in the office area. If you are new to the area or just want to get a little networking in before 8 am, make sure to mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 13 to attend the next Business on the Balcony @City Central, suite #200. And yes, there really is a balcony. There were a few non-believers about the whole "balcony thing".

Pictured: L to R: Samantha Goodno, Brook Lindsay, Pioneer Tech and Jackie Blackwell.

HEAR FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES..... and ask them how Ponca City can support their growth. 1 Million Cups happens the first Wednesday of each month. This month Grand Mental Health presented their business story to local community leaders and business owners. If you would like to tell your story or attend 1 Million Cups,click here to see the presentation. Call Brook Lindsay at Pioneer Tech to get more information or get signed up. This is another marketing/networking opportunity. And did we mention it is free? We even have coffee.

Pictured: L to R: Samantha Goodno, Brook Lindsay, Pioneer Tech and Jackie Blackwell.

TACOFEST......a celebration of Cinco de Mayo was this past Saturday in Central Fare and Central Courtyard. Traditional tacos were available for purchase al fresco, along with murals for the kids to paint, games, music, some great salsa and other traditional Hispanic foods. The Hispanic Oklahoma Latino Association (HOLA) of the North Central area hosted and over 400 people attended. City Central and PCDA are proud to be the location of this type of culturally inclusive event and look forward to hosting Hispanic Heritage Festival on Sunday, October 15th here at City Central.

Wed, May 24 // The Hero Effect // Pioneer Tech Center

Sign up here to attend this motivational presentation

by Kevin Brown (flyer below)

Thursday, May 25 // Last day of School // Ponca City

Let the summer begin!

Friday, May 26 // Ponca City High School Graduation //

Sullins Stadium

8 to 10 pm - Congratulations Graduates!

Monday, May 29 // Memorial Day // Observed

PCDA office will be closed

Thursday, June 15, 22 & 29 // Business Plan Boot Camp

Are you ready to plan your business? This Boot Camp will

show you how. Hands on. 6 to 8 pm

City Central

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

CONNECTION AND COLLABORATION....... is a new way of looking at competition. Used to be, everyone was competing: With sales. With Customers. With each other. If a worldwide pandemic has taught us anything, it is communities need connection and collaboration to succeed. Ponca City industries regularly work with each other, collaborating on projects, to land bigger contracts and introduce large companies to the Ponca City model. Because that is what it is: A model of collaboration and connection which has been fostered by PCDA, Pioneer Technology Center Business and Industry, The City of Ponca City, our education system and local civic groups as well as state and federal partners who have the luck to work with the best group of industry leaders, bar none.

In our humble opinion, manufacturing, agriculture, food production, health and energy, which are Ponca City's top five industries, thrive because of connection, sharing of information, collaboration on projects and participating in community events. And PCDA is not alone in this thought. Ponca City Main Street brought home awards this week from the State (keep reading). A local citizen participated in Miss Indian World in Albuquerque. 22 businesses gathered during lunchtime at PoHi to recruit employees (graduating seniors) and student interns as well as a local celebrating their five year milestone. This is community. This is connection and collaboration. This is Ponca City.

This is the Trade Show Brigade. Several local manufacturers collaborating at the Design 2 Part Show to bring Ponca City contract manufacturing to new and existing companies.

Precision Tool/Cadrex; Source Fabrication; K&C Manufacturing and Moonlight Machine.

OKLAHOMA MAIN STREET.....awards were this week. And staff doesn't want to brag....Who are we kidding? Staff loves to brag on our partners, especially when PCDA staff are on said partners Board.  Ponca City Main Street was well represented, vying for top prize with 13 nominations in 11 different categories. Of the 23 award categories, Ponca City projects, people and companies received the following five awards: Farm House Kids Co. won for Best New Business 2023; My Media Matters won for Best Adaptive Reuse under $25,000 and Ice on the Plaza won for Outstanding Community Engagement Effort, Best Creative Fundraising Efforts and Premiere Special Event with over 1000 Attendees. Congratulations to all who support, volunteer, sponsor and participate in the Ponca City Main Street success!

FIVE YEARS..... in business is a huge milestone for any small business. It says "you survived and your business thrived". The Doodle Academy is celebrating this milestone today. Imagine starting your business and in anticipation of your two year business anniversary, the world stops for a pandemic. A celebration is definately in order. Stop by the Doodle at 2 pm today to give them a "Good Job" and check out all the arty stuff they do for our community and for Ponca Citians creativity! And if you are a marketing type, The Doodle is seeking a new employee for their creative customer outreach. So take your resume with you and drop it off.

B ON THE B.... is next Tuesday. This is a morning networking event on the Balcony at City Central. What? You haven't made time to attend? Business on the Balcony is a chance to connect with other business owners in the community. If you are new to the community, or you know someone new to Ponca City, invite them to swing by anytime between 7 and 9 am. This is a come and go event and people new to our little part of paradise may need to find their tribe. We can help. There is something for everyone at B on the B.

STEPPING OUTSIDE YOUR BOX.......is hard for many people. Meet Nadia Kent, a Ponca Tribe member who decided to participate in Miss Indian World. She filled out the application, sat her family down and said "I'm doing this" and spent last week in Albuquerque representing her White Eagle community. She participated in Interview, Talent and Public Speaking. Along with mostly Canadian and United States tribes, seven tribes were represented from Oklahoma. Nadia is still waiting for her results and scores. But after participating in this type of competition, staff believes there is no one better to represent the young leaders of the Ponca Tribe than Nadia! City Central is proud to have service offices in the building for both the Ponca Tribe and Kaw Nation.

CONGRATULATIONS...... to the 36th class of Ponca City Leadership graduates. These 20+ new Leadership grads are the future City Commissioners, business owners (if not already), maybe even a future Mayor in their midst. If you are interested in being part of this leadership tradition, the 37th class application is available now from the Chamber office.

Best of luck. Staff sees greatness in your future. This was their first picture together. They look so young. Special thank you to the Quad Chairs: Corbin Dewitt, Brook Lindsay, Luke Garrison and Natalie Fraser.

Internship and Career fair at the High School this week. 22 local employers made connections with graduating students, and future junior and senior students for part time jobs and internship placements. There were over 400 students through the lunch periods, and each employer left with glowing reviews of outcomes that they see coming down the pipeline with this connection. 

Saturday, May 6 // Cinco de Mayo Celebration // Central Fare

9 am to 7 pm

Food trucks, music, dancing and vendors

Tuesday, May 9 // Business on the Balcony // City Central

Get networking - on the Balcony

7 to 8:30 am City Central

Thursday, May 11 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // City Central

7:30 am in Room #300

Wed, May 24 // The Hero Effect // Pioneer Tech Center

Sign up here to attend this motivational presentation

by Kevin Brown (flyer below)

Monday, May 29 // Memorial Day // Observed

PCDA office will be closed

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE