AN ENTREPRENEUR...... state of mind exists here in Ponca City. According to youreconomy.org (and we checked: their stats come from federal data) Kay County (which is mostly Ponca City) ranks in the top 20 of job growth out of the 77 Oklahoma counties in 2021. AND barring our top three employers, every other business in town employs less than 500 people qualifying them as small businesses. Small businesses that began with an individual, or a family or a dream to start a company, own a franchise or just be their own boss. Congratulations on surviving the pandemic, getting into growth mode after the big P and helping Ponca City and Kay County grow, grow, grow. Now about that workforce.....

PCDA's workforce arm Ponca Works. has been plugging away at the workforce retention and attraction conundrum for 10 years now. Last week during Girl Power Camp, staff had a great moment while touring a local company. Keep reading: It's good! And then there is the Entrepreneur Roadmap for those thinking of starting a business and wondering what resources are available. Staff also want to congratulate some of our small businesses in growth mode.

THE CUTENESS FACTOR..... An entrepreneurial spirit (say that three times fast) exists when you have offspring imitating what they see everyday. Make sure you check out the young ones following in adult footsteps. Lemonade stands are up and down Grand Avenue this week for Crazy Days. Buy one. Heck, buy one at every stand and see which one you like the best! Staff does love a good small biz story. And these entrepreneurs are so photogenic!

FINDING FUNDING...... for your small business startup may be tough. But there are a lot of resources to help: Pioneer Tech Business Services, PCDA, Oklahoma Small Business Development Center. your local banker and believe it or not, some grants are out there right now, if your business qualifies. Would you like a list of these resources? With phone numbers and contact points? Look no further. And if you have a tough time reading this great resource on your phone, stop by the PCDA office at City Central and staff will give you your very own copy. And tour you through the building. And possibly introduce you to some other small businesses. Staff is friendly that way.

GROWTH......is nothing to be afraid of for your small business. Many business owners like being a "lifestyle" business: they work when they want to and the business pays their bills. Many times this lifestyle owner is also a "soloproneur" and doesn't really want any employees. Well, we can't say that about businesses in the AIP. For instance, Cookshack is a family owned company, celebrating over 50 years in their industry, which continues to grow and diversity every year. An expansion project is underway at the company's current location in the Airport Industrial Park with the dirtwork all ready for the concrete to be poured. Though the rest of us are loving this rain break, the concrete pour is not.

BEFORE......was five years ago during the 2017 Girl Power Camp held at Pioneer Technology Center. 20 soon to be eight grade girls discover the allure of welding, power tools and all the products made right here in Ponca City. Brenna found a love of machining and building that summer.

FAST FORWARD.....to Girl Power Camp this summer and guess who is employed at CME as a new hire? Yup, congrats Brenna. And congrats to Ponca Works for the outreach to keep future workforce working in Ponca City. (Brenna is on the right of the picture with her CME co-workers). A big thank you to all the companies that allowed the Girl Power campers to tour their facilities.

Saturdays // Farmers Market at Pioneer Woman // 8 to 11 am

Every Saturday during the summer (and some of the Fall)

make time to get your produce, baked goods, meat

and other local food at the Pioneer Woman circle.

July 29-30 // Crazy Days // All Day Ponca City

Check out your local retailers for Crazy Days deals

Downtown and all over Ponca City

Friday, August 5 // Health Fair at Carolyn Renfro Center

Hospice of North Central OK & Ponca City Senior Center

are hosting this Health Fair from 1 to 3 pm.

see flyer below for details

Friday, August 5 // DXDT // Central Fare 6 to 9 pm

Check out Down by Downtown at Central Fare: music,

food trucks and pop-up shops. Great time to come out

and enjoy the summer fun!

Tuesday, August 9 // Business on the Balcony // 7 to 8:30 am

On the PCDA Balcony - City Central

Grab some grub and do some networking.

Wed, August 17 // New Teacher Luncheon // Country Club

Make sure to get your sponsorship into the Chamber to host

a new to Ponca City teacher. Call 765-4400 to reserve your seats.

Friday, August 19 // Party at the Palace // Marland Mansion

Make sure to get your tickets for the best little party on the prairie.

Dance, dine, hang out with your favorite 300 people

at the Marland Mansion. Call 765-4400 to get your tickets.

Rental Property - Available Listings

TOO HOT......MUST STAY COOL...... there is your t-shirt, hat and bumper sticker slogan for the next couple of weeks. Staff cannot ignore the topic which has been uttered in passing at every meeting, every phone conversation and pleasantry: "How about this heat?" PCDA has been cooking (get it?) right along this week with a Trustee Board Meeting, City Central Projects, delivering City Small Business Grants, dirt moving in the AIP (keep reading) and Girl Power Camp. Whew! We have definitely broken a sweat.

Other projects staff have been assisting with are theIce on the Plaza, a Hispanic Heritage Festival, Ponca City Arts Festival, motorcycle rallies at City Central in September and October, cost of living surveys and the Business Plan Pitch-off coming up this fall.

MOVING DIRT...... in the heat is hard work. These guys (and their equipment) make it look easy. After the equipment gets delivered, the dirt work gets started. This is the Cookshack expansion project. Cookshack leases PCDA building "BOB" and is busting at the seams. This expansion project will give them room to expand inventory, hire more employees and grow their company right here in Ponca City.

PRESENTING GRANTS...... to small businesses in Ponca City has definitely been the highlight of staff's week. 32 small businesses were awarded grants in the amounts of $2500 to $10000 from the City of Ponca City to assist with COVID related expenses. Staff did not get to hand out all the checks, but let's just say several businesses were very happy. These little deliveries continue through the month of July as the small businesses and 20 Ponca City non-profit organizations receive funds. Thank you to the City of Ponca City for all their hard work requesting, allocating and dispersing this federal ARPA funding. PCDA staff assisted with grant applications, grant reviews and continuous contact with the applicants. Teamwork makes the dream work!

GIRL POWER CAMP......was this week at City Central and it was all hands on deck. 25 soon-to-be eighth grade girls experienced hands-on welding, carpentry, chemical reactions and design while visiting local industry to see what is made right here in Ponca City. Guest speakers gave the campers some insight on jobs that may not be traditionally female, but hey, if you want to do it, here is how. Thank you to P66, CME, Cookshack, Continental carbon, Creative Cabinets, Lindsay Manufacturing, Century Products and MakeKings for hosting our campers on tours of their facilities. This is our next workforce and PCDA is so excited for the future.

Saturdays // Farmers Market at Pioneer Woman // 8 to 11 am

Every Saturday during the summer (and some of the Fall)

make time to get your produce, baked goods, meat

and other local food at the Pioneer Woman circle.

Thursday, July 28 // Business After Hours // Country Club

Join your favorite people in celebrating Business

After Hours at the Ponca City Country Club

5 to 7 pm.

July 29-30 // Crazy Days // All Day Ponca City

Check out your local retailers for Crazy Days deals

Downtown and all over Ponca City

Friday, August 5 // Health Fair at Carolyn Renfro Center

Hospice of North Central OK & Ponca City Senior Center

are hosting this Health Fair from 1 to 3 pm.

see flyer below for details

Friday, August 5 // DXDT // Central Fare 6 to 9 pm

Check out Down by Downtown at Central Fare: music,

food trucks and pop-up shops. Great time to come out

and enjoy the summer fun!

Wed, August 17 // New Teacher Luncheon // Country Club

Make sure to get your sponsorship into the Chamber to host

a new to Ponca City teacher. Call 765-4400 to reserve your seats.

Friday, August 19 // Party at the Palace // Marland Mansion

Make sure to get your tickets for the best little party on the prairie.

Dance, dine, hang out with your favorite 300 people

at the Marland Mansion. Call 765-4400 to get your tickets.

Rental Property - Available Listings

KEEPING IT LOCAL...... and by "IT" staff means everything. Can you buy locally? Yes, you can. We realize sometimes it costs a bit more to buy local, but you are supporting local families and businesses with your purchases. And using less gas, which right now, is a good thing! Buying groceries in town is easy: how about buying clothes, shoes, glasses, braces, etc.... We hate to harp; However, if COVID has taught our small community anything it is a community must support our local businesses so we can keep them running. Places like the Farmer's Market only happen for a few months, but your relationship with these local growers can last a lifetime. Explore local shops, check out local restaurants and of course, check in with friends and family. You never know when someone you know has decided to start a business; until you ask.

Downtown Ponca City is hopping with new businesses opening. Keep reading to see local building projects, local trustees being appointed and local young artists. Crazy Days are just around the corner, so go crazy! Take a walk on the downtown side of Ponca City. See you there.

WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH…Kirk Brown became one of PCDA’s favorite people, after you of course, when he was sworn in to the PCDA Board of Trustees this past Monday. PCDA Board Members are called “Trustees” because they oversee the use of the dedicated economic development sales tax and they volunteer their time to do so. They also don’t take the “trust” in “Trustee” lightly, and take an oath to do that, hence the ceremony at City Hall on Monday. Kirk replaces outgoing PCDA Chair Lee Evans who came to the end of his term-limited term at the end of June. Kirk is the President of K&C Manufacturing, located in the Airport Industrial Park. Since PCDA’s primary focus is on manufacturing, it helps to have manufacturers represented. They know what works, what the challenges are, where the opportunities are and so forth. The new PCDA Chair, Nancy Laffey, will take over in that role next Thursday when the Trustees get together sans Lee and plus Kirk for the first time. If you are keeping score, it is true that the PCDA meeting was moved from yesterday (July 14^th) to next Thursday (7:30 a.m. in the Gravity Room of City Central, 400 East Central in Ponca City). It is also true that the oath of office is typically administered at the beginning of PCDA meetings not as a stand-alone event. Mayor Nicholson, however, has a lot on his plate on July 21^st so the brief ceremony, and the tears and applause that followed, were moved up so that he could swear in the person the City Commission appointed (see how that works?). As Ferris Bueller once observed, “life moves pretty fast…” so you, or in this case PCDA, adjusts to schedules and circumstances.

INDUSTRIAL PARK GROWTH......The Airport Industrial Park is getting ready to grow. Equipment is being delivered to the job site for the new Duke spec building. This project along with an expansion project on the Cookshack building (background) should see dirt work commencing in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for all the updates on Duke as we get ready to market this new building. Check out the virtual building here.

SHOPPING LOCAL......is something staff, The Chamber, The City and our local businesses say over and over. And here is why: Shopping local allows small business to survive and thrive. Take Central Cafe, the small cafe which opened this April in City Central. Central Cafe has coffee, salads and sandwiches but also fresh pressed juices, smoothies and vegan options. This is a niche cafe. And it is thriving. Why? Because local people are shopping (and eating) locally. YAY! The Chamber Ribbon Cutting was this week to officially welcome owner Kal to the family. Stop in sometime and get some grub. Good for you food that tastes good! Open M-W-F, 7 to 3pm. Follow Central Cafe on Facebook and Instagram.

BUYING LOCAL.....can be as easy as hanging out with local farmers and buying local eggs, meat and chicken. Local cafes are buying eggs from local suppliers, dare we say Farmers, who have found a marketplace during COVID as local suppliers of real food. No chicken at the grocery store? Check out RLC Farms or Sheets Farm. Local Pork? Same people plus Half Pound Farm. Don't like to prep your own food? Check out Grand Cafe, J Cobbs or Central Cafe for locally sourced meat and produce. And staff are sure there are more. Just ask your favorite restaurant some questions. Buying local has never been easier or more rewarding.

LOCAL ARTISTS.......City Central hosted Art Camp this week for ages small to large. This picture is from the immersion room designed and painted by the Art Camp Director and instructors. And we all loved it! Make sure to check out all the campers out of this work art today from 9 to noon in the John McNeese Gallery located on the First floor of City Central.

Local art is booming in our community. Go on a "Fox Hunt" for the painted and 3D foxes located all over downtown. Check out art in the alley and stay tuned for more art tours all over Ponca City.

Saturdays // Farmers Market at Pioneer Woman // 8 to 11 am

Every Saturday during the summer (and some of the Fall)

make time to get your produce, baked goods, meat

and other local food at the Pioneer Woman circle.

Friday, July 15 // Dancing in the Courtyard // 7:30 to 10 pm

Join Aaron & Katherine Neale for some salsa/latin dance lessons

in the Courtyard. Well, in the Summit because it is hot.

Enter through the courtyard.

Thursday, July 21 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // 7:30 am

Meeting in Gravity Room, 5th Floor for the July

PCDA Board Meeting.

Thursday, July 28 // Business After Hours // Country Club

Join your favorite people in celebrating Business

After Hours at the Ponca City Country Club

5 to 7 pm.

July 29-30 // Crazy Days // All Day Ponca City

Check out your local retailers for Crazy Days deals

Downtown and all over Ponca City

Wed, August 17 // New Teacher Luncheon // Country Club

Make sure to get your sponsorship into the Chamber to host

a new to Ponca City teacher. Call 765-4400 to reserve your seats.

Friday, August 19 // Party at the Palace // Marland Mansion

Make sure to get your tickets for the best little party on the prairie.

Dance, dine, hang out with your favorite 300 people

at the Marland Mansion. Call 765-4400 to get your tickets.

Rental Property - Available Listings

COMMUNITY BUILDING...... is a necessary task for a city the size of Ponca. A Tulsa or OKC has a larger population and it is easier for a newcomer to the community to find their tribe when moving to a larger city. Here in Ponca we have the golfers, both frisbee and clubs, the sports families, the artsy types (check out the new gallery opening), the crunchy types (you know who you are). The younger, the older and all those in between. PCDA Staff range from new transplants to "I was born in Blackwell", so we get it. Finding your people can be hard. Especially coming out of a pandemic. Staff is happy to showcase some of the community building that has happened just in the last week.

Art builds community. Food builds community. Celebrations build community. History, parks, libraries and the list goes on, but these are all part of building a thriving, strong, vibrant community. Ponca City is that community. And continues to grow because of strong advocates living and working in Ponca City.

HEAD FAMILY FEAST ..... Last week at Lake Ponca The Head Family organized a feed for all and invited 5,000 Ponca people to head over and get some good food. Over 60 volunteers from Ponca City Leadership Alumni, The Chamber and Rotary to name a few served, directed and said Howdy to a lot of people last Thursday. The Head Family did an outstanding job of organizing, cooking and orchestrating this big 'ol cookout. And Ponca City says "Thank you Head Family". If you missed it, check out the News 8 broadcast on the event.

GROWING IN PONCA... One of the newest companies in the the Airport Industrial Park (AIP) is Century Products. Jay Fagan is the owner and CEO, moving his little company from Shidler to Ponca City in the middle of a pandemic. Fagan needed to expand his business and add product lines and had run out of room at his previous location. A year into his expansion in the AIP he has added workforce, additional agriculture products to his livestock feeder core and has added rotational molding for feeders and waterers. Check out his automated rotational molding equipment here.

ART IN PONCA CITY..... is everywhere: in the alleys; on buildings and sometimes, on the sidewalks. The newest addition to our Ponca City art world happened this week with the opening of the John McNeese Gallery last night. Maxine Warren prints were showcased and a lovely evening was had by all exploring the art and celebrating John McNeese and his long time support of the Ponca City and Oklahoma visual arts. Find out more about John here and come check out the John McNeese Gallery at 400 E. Central Ave, Room 101. Yes, it is in the building and open Thursday thru Sunday.

FINDING YOUR TRIBE.....can be as easy as hanging out with some good music in an outdoor setting like Down by Down Town at Central Fare. DXDT happens the first Friday of June, July, August and September from 6 to 9 pm. Food trucks, live music and pop-up shops make for a fun and entertaining evening. Sure its hot, but there are cold drinks and sunshades, games for the kids and just enough room to grab you a dancing partner if the mood suits. Last Friday was the best yet with the Scribble Cart, local food and good music. These might just be your people. See you August 5th at DXDT.

Saturdays // Farmers Market at Pioneer Woman // 8 to 11 am

Every Saturday during the summer (and some of the Fall)

make time to get your produce, baked goods, meat

and other local food at the Pioneer Woman circle.

Tuesday, July 12 // Business on the Balcony // 7 to 8:30 am

Join PCDA on the Balcony for a little food and

a whole lot of networking. Bring a friend and

your business cards.

Friday, July 15 // Dancing in the Courtyard // 7:30 to 10 pm

Join Aaron & Katherine Neale for some salsa/latin dance lessons

in the Courtyard. Well, in the Summit because it is hot.

Enter through the courtyard.

Wed, August 17 // New Teacher Luncheon // Country Club

Make sure to get your sponsorship into the Chamber to host

a new to Ponca City teacher. Call 765-4400 to reserve your seats.

Friday, August 19 // Party at the Palace // Marland Mansion

Make sure to get your tickets for the best little party on the prairie.

Dance, dine, hang out with your favorite 300 people

at the Marland Mansion. Call 765-4400 to get your tickets.

Rental Property - Available Listings

CELEBRATIONS.......are a great way to keep in touch with the local community. Yes, July 4th is coming up and we know there will be some great family get togethers as well as groups of friends celebrating the holiday. For all of you hosting out of town family and friends, share your stories of why you live and work in Ponca City with others. If you have been reading our little economic update for any length of time, you know workforce recruitment is a topic which comes up again and again in our current economy. Who better to be recruiters than those already living in our wonderful community? And who better to be recruited than people you already know and love? Just tour those friends and family around town, head out to one of the lakes, go golfing or walk down Main Street to enjoy that small town charm. Staff is sure you are the right person for the recruiting job, oh current Ponca Citian. Go get them!

And of course, have a fun, wonderful and safe Fourth of July celebration.

ATTENTION CAMPERS ..... Girl Power STEM camp is this month. This is the seventh year for this award winning program and staff is excited to host two groups through the camp. Campers will participate in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing projects which utilize welding, chemistry, carpentry, robotics and oh so many more brain cells. It is science after all! Campers will be touring local manufacturers and getting to see how things are made right her in Ponca City. Eating local food and we hope, planning for high school and beyond. City Central will be hopping that week!

CONGRATULATIONS!... to Garaga this week for completing their agreement with PCDA to add jobs, increase pay for their employees and make significant improvements in the plant at Hartford and Ash Street as part of this four year incentive package. Garaga Door purchased Mid America Door in 2018. With plants in Ontario and Quebec, of course Garaga needed a center of the universe location like Ponca City. For the documented millions Garaga spent on their Ponca City location, the job growth and ramp up in pay levels, these dollar incentives are just that, incentives. The real investment is Garaga's. Congratulations on a job well done here in Ponca City. PCDA Trustee Garrett Bowers, Garaga CFO Carl Christenson, Melissa and Sophia from Garaga and Mayor Nicholson pictured.

NETWORKING..... can be hard. Especially coming out of COVID. PCDA staff has the solution: Business on the Balcony is happening Tuesday, July 12th. This isn't your normal networking event. First, it's early: 7 to 8:30 am. Second: It's on the Balcony at City Central. Yup, staff found a way to use this wonderful venue every month during the warm times. And that early, hey, even Oklahoma summers are bearable. So come get some breakfast and meet some new-to-you people. Bring a friend or co-worker and see what is happening at B on the B. We promise: it's worth getting up early.

See you on the balcony. Tuesday, July 12 between 7 to 8:30 am.

Saturdays // Farmers Market at Pioneer Woman // 8 to 11 am

Every Saturday during the summer (and some of the Fall)

make time to get your produce, baked goods, meat

and other local food at the Pioneer Woman circle.

Monday, July 4th // PCDA Office Closed //

City Central will be closed this day as well.

Happy Fourth of July!

Thursday, July 7 // John McNeese Gallery Ribbon Cutting // 5:30 pm

Make plans to attend right here at City Central.

Tuesday, July 12 // Business on the Balcony // 7 to 8:30 am

Join PCDA on the Balcony for a little food and

a whole lot of networking. Bring a friend and

your business cards.

Wed, August 17 // New Teacher Luncheon // Country Club

Make sure to get your sponsorship into the Chamber to host

a new to Ponca City teacher. Call 765-4400 to reserve your seats.

Friday, August 19 // Party at the Palace // Marland Mansion

Make sure to get your tickets for the best little party on the prairie.

Dance, dine, hang out with your favorite 300 people

at the Marland Mansion. Call 765-4400 to get your tickets.

Rental Property - Available Listings