SENATOR BILL COLEMAN…was honored on Tuesday with an award from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for his leadership in updating statewide economic development incentive programs. These decades old programs were focused on an economy that were adopted back in the day and were not exactly up to modern standards. Senator authored legislation that will update the programs and help counties, cities, the companies themselves and economic development organizations like PCDA trying to use them. The award was presented during the monthly meeting of the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce by Brent Kisling, the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC), and Brent Wright, the Legislative Liaison for ODOC (on the left). 

In his remarks as he presented the award, Kisling called one of the Senator’s bills the “heaviest lift.” That is high praise legislative speak for a bill that is complex, difficult, not easily understood and politically challenging yet super important and one that ODOC has wanted for a long time. The ODOC leaders then joined the senator, Representative Ken Luttrell, Mayor Nicholson and representatives from PCDA and the Chamber for lunch before a tour of two Ponca City industrial facilities.   

SAFEGUARD YOU COMPUTERS.....especially at work. As you hear more companies getting ransomed and "hacked", here are some tips to pass on to your employees to keep your computer network safe.

Infection of a single device on your local network can compromise all local data.

If you receive an unexpected email stating you need to update your account password, do not click a link in the email to go reset it. Open another browser and go to that website and reset the account there. The links embedded in the email are often spoofed to have you enter your account information into the bad guys’ system..

Any email with overly aggressive wording, poor grammar or spelling errors, very tight or urgent timelines, or requesting purchase of materials that can easily be turned into cash are most likely fraudulent.

If you receive an email that seems to be from a contact you know and feels out of character, be wary of any attachments, links, or requests. Just don't click. Send a new email to that person confirming the first email or call them. Better safe than sorry.

Make sure your organization has solid backup strategies in place for all data, and is following best practice guidelines for firewall use and Antivirus software. Seriously consider implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever possible to prevent unauthorized access in case of a compromised password.

MORE TIPS: Here is a good link from the Federal Trade Commission that gives details and more tips. Be Safe out there. It is pretty scary in cyberville.

This is quality of life stuff right here.

Goblins on Grand was fun last week. Thanks to all the businesses and organizations who were on Grand sponsoring games and handing out candy. Now welcome to Halloween weekend, after a pandemic. Pretty much every statement can be followed by ",after a pandemic." Here's some Halloween Activities for young and older.

Crawloween from 4 until 1 am downtown and Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Poncan Theatre tonight at 8:00 pm and 11:30 pm respectively.

"Hocus Pocus" is movie night Saturday, October 30th at the RecPlex. Movie starts at Dusk.

Trick or Treat is Halloween night for the kiddos (young and old) so stop by the USW Union office at 1202 W. Ponca Ave for candy and to show off those costumes.

HellSide Manor Haunted House is happening again this year on Halloween night. This is a free haunted house at 1116 S. 9th Street, but be ready to wait in line for awhile. Bring friends. It is a fun time. Be safe and Happy Halloween!

SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO TRAVEL.....to get some quality time with your business partners. Ponca City industries were at the Wichita Industrial Tool show this week. Stuart Powell (Cookshack) and Kirk Brown (K&C Manufacturing) got some time to discuss a project their companies are working on together while walking the show. Known in some circles as serious multitasking!

Tuesday, Nov 2 // Pitch Off Business Plan Deadline // City Central

Get your business plan submitted to pitch on Friday, November 12th for over $5000 in business incentives: office space, marketing, equipment and money for your company.

Friday, Nov 5 // Main Street Fall Ladies Night // 5-9 pm

Up and down Grand. Participating businesses will be open during the evening.

Bring a friend or five! Food, drinks and fun!

Wed, Nov 10 // Copyright & Trademark for Artists // City Central

Art is big business. Learn how to protect your income with the Lunch & Learn

presentation on copyright & trademark by Patent Attorney Chad Hinrichs.

11:30 to 12:30. Lunch is provided. Call to reserve your seat. 580.765.7070

Thurs, Nov 11 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // City Central

7:30 am in the Gravity Room

Friday, Nov 12 // Business Plan Pitch-off // City Central

Business plans will be pitched to a group of three judges in this

Shark-Tank format. Find out more by calling Kat at 580.761.3028.

Nov 12-21 // Ponca Playhouse Presents: The Humans by Stephen Karam

Tickets will be available online November 1, 2021 at PoncaPlayhouse.com

Nov 18-21 // Evans Children's Academy Presents Winnie the Pooh.

You will want to take everyone to see this family classic.

Tickets available online and at the door.

Nov 25-26 // Happy Thanksgiving! // City Central

City Central will be closed to the public these two days. Have a fantastic Turkey Day.

Rental Property - Available Listings

Mark your calendar for Oct 29th for PC first annual Crawloween.

Get dressed up in your favorite costumes. Gather up with your favorite guys and ghouls and do the PC Entertainment district pub crawl. @theaxeholepc, @astoriablvd_ponca, @thegrandcigarlounge and @vab2016 will be your Crawloween destinations.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT…is a contact sport. The pandemic showcased how important contacts with existing businesses, industries, entrepreneurs, product developers, educational partners and everyday face to face meetings are to staff here at PCDA. Business on the Balcony, Part II was a success these past six months and will reboot starting in April 2022 as part of the PCDA outreach to businesses. Until then, make sure to attend those Chamber functions like Business After Hours (BAH) next Tuesday at the Ponca City Country Club, 1 Million Cups at Pioneer Technology Center the first Wednesday of every month and all the Lunch & Learns hosted by the Chamber, Pioneer Tech and PCDA. Oh, and let Laurence and Liz into your buildings to visit with you on B2B alignment with other companies, internships and apprenticeship programs.

The information is important, but the connections and contacts are critical to your businesses' success and longevity. How many connections can you make at each event? Find a PCDA staff person next week at BAH and compare contacts. Yes, we are a bit competitive, but you would not have us any other way. Go Pokes!

HOLDING COURT..... at City Central is the Probate Court for Kay County. Every Thursday morning in the Link, our favorite attorneys gather and get stuff done with probate cases. They have been meeting in The Link area and using the Leverage Room for actual court. This has been a great partnership and City Central is so glad these facilities were available when they were needed. Your tax dollars at work.

The Link has four available month-by-month office spaces right now. You can always sign a longer lease, but these offices were designed for plug and play space needs. Want more information on The Link? Give PCDA a call at 765.7070. Wifi, desk and chair included.

This is quality of life stuff right here.

Goblins on Grand was last night. LIttles and bigs were out in force making up for missing a year of Trick or Treat in 2020. Here is just a taste with My Media Matters Alice in Wonderland booth and the Cake Walk at the Conoco Museum booth. We hope to see more pictures on Facebook, so share away!

The gig economy is something economic development offices have been watching as a workforce trend. It has been building momentum for the last decade or so. In true middle America form, the trend took about this long to be fully present in our area – but it now has arrived. So many factors are playing into the scarcity of workforce, but add this one to your list. Jobs you can work on your schedule, contract based, paid per job – it’s attractive to the work life balance that many are seeking. Delivering Amazon packages, picking up grocery orders, picking up food orders, picking up people, picking up scooters, services that Ponca City is excited to have based on the use that the services are getting. 

So, when you’re thinking about your hiring and workforce struggles, think about these new competitors making work easier in the marketplace. How can you be creative with your positions? Splitting that full time person into 2 part-timers, or maybe creating your own contracted gig for some of the things you need done. While you’re thinking about that – don’t forget to attend our job fair next Thursday the 28^th. See you there.

Tuesday, October 26 // Business After Hours // Country Club

Pioneer Technology Center is hosting their Business After Hours at the

Ponca City Country Club - 5 to 7 pm.

Tuesday, Nov 2 // Pitch Off Business Plan Deadline // City Central

Get your business plan submitted to pitch on Friday, November 12th for over $5000 in business incentives: office space, marketing, equipment and money for your company.

Friday, Nov 5 // Main Street Fall Ladies Night // 5-9 pm

Up and down Grand. Participating businesses will be open during the evening.

Bring a friend or five! Food, drinks and fun!

Wed, Nov 10 // Copyright & Trademark for Artists // City Central

Art is big business. Learn how to protect your income with the Lunch & Learn

presentation on copyright & trademark by Patent Attorney Chad Hinrichs.

11:30 to 12:30. Lunch is provided. Call to reserve your seat. 580.765.7070

Thurs, Nov 11 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // City Central

7:30 am in the Gravity Room

Friday, Nov 12 // Business Plan Pitch-off // City Central

Business plans will be pitched to a group of three judges in this

Shark-Tank format. Find out more by calling Kat at 580.761.3028.

Nov 25-26 // Happy Thanksgiving! // City Central

City Central will be closed to the public these two days. Have a fantastic Turkey Day.

Rental Property - Available Listings

Mark your calendar for Oct 29th for PC first annual Crawloween.

Get dressed up in your favorite costumes. Gather up with your favorite guys and ghouls and do the PC Entertainment district pub crawl. @theaxeholepc, @astoriablvd_ponca, @thegrandcigarlounge and @vab2016 will be your Crawloween destinations.

SCHOOL BOND AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT…Tuesday’s resounding approval of an almost $50 million bond issue for local schools is good news for Ponca City’s economic development efforts. Good schools attract families. Families produce workforce. Workforce attracts employers. Following the merger of Conoco and Phillips back in the day, there was some concern about the ability of the local economy to restructure. In 2003, economist Mark Snead said “There is nothing about the Ponca City economy that 3,000 new residents wouldn’t fix.” 

Since that time, the economy has not only survived, it has grown strongly in almost every metric but one: population. With housing developers currently looking at Ponca City (and, yes, they are) having these new educational tools and facilities may help push some of these developers off the fence. Perhaps more importantly, it will be truly good for the children coming up through the local schools. All in all, investing in yourself is the best way to convince others to invest in you.

Thank you Ponca City!

YOU STILL HAVE TIME!!! The Fall Pitch off is just around the corner for those with a great business idea or an existing business ready to get to the next level. Maybe you are an inventor or product developer ready to launch the next big thing. We want YOU to write that business plan and pitch your idea to our group of judges on Friday, November 12. Business Plans need to be submitted by Monday, November 1st to be considered for this Pitch-off. Not ready? There will be another PItch-off in June of 2022.

Call Kat at 580.761.3028 or Ben Evans at 580.718.4262 to get started on your business plan writing. You will have access to a great online resource called LIvePlan to help you write and refine your plan. What are you waiting for? Your future is just a PITCH away!

It's been a little windy this fall, so the first the-wind-won't-knock-you-off-the-roof day, PCDA staff (thank you Laurence) ventured onto the roof for an updated pic of the Emergency Resource Center. If you haven't been by to check it out, grab a Jim's Jumbo burger and have a gander. This is going to be such an improvement both in usability for our emergency and police providers and in the aesthetics of downtown buildings. Columns and windows echoing the other downtown architecture is a thing of beauty and function.

OCTOBER 28th JOB FAIR

Searching for a few good employees? Sign up now for the Ponca Works job fair at GoPonca.com/Work and mark your calendar for October 28th at City Central. Need to adapt some job descriptions? Want to know what competitive pay is for your positions? Now is the time to call Liz at 580.765.7070 or email lleaming@goponca.com to get all your ducks in a row to hire the right person for your open positions.

Thursday, Oct 21 // Goblins on Grand // Downtown Main Street

Mark your calendars and get those costumes ready. All ages welcome; Family event

Tuesday, October 26 // Business After Hours // Pioneer Technology Center

Check out the almost completed new construction at

Pioneer Technology Center 5 to 7 pm on the campus.

Postponed // PTC Foundation Roast for Bill Coleman// Pioneer Technology Center

if you already have your tickets, hang on to them. This event has been

postponed until Spring 2022 due to construction supply delays.

Friday, Nov 5 // Main Street Fall Ladies Night // 5-9 pm

Up and down Grand. Participating businesses will be open during the evening.

Bring a friend or five! Food, drinks and fun!

Wed, Nov 10 // Copyright & Trademark for Artists // City Central

Art is big business. Learn how to protect your income with the Lunch & Learn presentation on copyright & trademark by Patent Attorney Chad Hinrichs.

11:30 to 12:30. Lunch is provided.

Rental Property - Available Listings

Find out more about Goblins on the Grand here.

YES, THERE IS A SCHOOL BOND ELECTION TUESDAY…if you’re a fan of good schools and a strong local economy, Tuesday is a big day. An election for school bonds will be held and the outcome is very important to the Ponca City economy. PCDA, like Ponca City Public Schools, is a public agency and we cannot, therefore, take a position in the election. That’s a legal thing. Here’s an economic thing: Good schools equal strong economies, increased property values, more growth as families seek areas with the best schools, better jobs and higher wages. This is not an endorsement cause we’re not allowed to endorse. YES…we wish we could endorse but we can’t. YES…there is a direct correlation between school quality and a higher quality of life. YES…we are aware that the proposed bond would not increase taxes. Nevertheless, PCDA follows the law and the law says we can only encourage people to vote not tell them how to vote. So here goes: YES…we think you should (please) VOTE ON TUESDAY!!!!  

NEXT WEEK!.....is the last Business on the Balcony for 2021. Make sure you hit the Balcony on Tuesday, October 12th.

7 to 8:30 am. Find out about FREE business resources, the upcoming Pitch-off to grow your business and meet local business owners.

Grab a little breakfast and meet with Chamber staff, PCDA staff, Pioneer Tech people or any number of other businesses in our community.

THE NOVEMBER PITCH-OFF.... is just around the corner for those with a great business idea or an existing business ready to get to the next level. Maybe you are an inventor or product developer ready to launch the next big thing. We want YOU to write that business plan and pitch your idea to our group of judges on Friday, November 12. Business Plans need to be submitted by Monday, November 1st to be considered for this Pitch-off. Not ready? There will be another PItch-off in June of 2022.

Call Kat at 580.761.3028 or Ben Evans at 580.718.4262 to get started on your business plan writing. You will have access to a great online resource called LIvePlan to help you write and refine your plan. What are you waiting for? Your future is just a PITCH away!

Ian Freeman, the Welding Instructor at Pioneer Technology Center (blue shirt), Recently demonstrated to his welding students the merging of two technologies, welding and robotics. According to Freeman, “The Vectis robotic welding system will help fill the gap in the growing welder personnel shortage. It will also allow the skilled welder to focus on the more difficult and complicated weldments while the robot works on with repetitive production work.” 

Freeman, who has been a welder for many years, commented on how easy and intuitive the system was to learn. Within 10 minutes, Freeman was running his first weld. After looking at his first weld, he smiled and said, “that’s cool and the weld is perfect.” Pioneer Tech and the PCDA are planning a small technology expo for local manufacturers showcasing the Vectis robotic welding, the Markforge 3D printer and the Keyence Laser Coordinate Measurement Machine. Stay tuned for date and time.

Dearing House Presentation at 1MC

Participating in 1 Million Cups is a great way to meet, greet and find out all the deets about local small businesses and organizations in our community.  Maggi Hutchason from Dearing House was the presenter this week with information about how a child advocacy case starts, is conducted and outcomes: communication, collaboration, cooperation.  Teamwork for the support of the child is their goal at Dearing House. 

If you have a few minutes, click here and watch Maggi give this engaging and informative presentation.  Good questions at the end too!

Monday, October 11 // Columbus Day // Federal Holiday observed

Just a reminder why the banks are closed this day.

Thursday, Oct 14 // PCDA Regular Board Meeting // City Central - Gravity RM

Get up bright and early and join the PCDA Trustees at the regularly scheduled

Board Meeting at 7:30 am. Public is welcome.

Thursday, Oct 21 // Goblins on Grand // Downtown Main Street

Mark your calendars and get those costumes ready. All ages welcome; Family event

Tuesday, October 26 // Business After Hours // Pioneer Technology Center

Check out the almost completed new construction at

Pioneer Technology Center 5 to 7 pm on the campus.

Postponed // PTC Foundation Roast for Bill Coleman// Pioneer Technology Center

if you already have your tickets, hang on to them. This event has been

postponed until Spring 2022 due to construction supply delays.

Friday, Nov 5 // Main Street Fall Ladies Night // 5-9 pm

Up and down Grand. Participating businesses will be open during the evening.

Bring a friend or five! Food, drinks and fun!

Rental Property - Available Listings

Find out more about Goblins on the Grand here.

BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL…On October 12^th, there will be an election for an important school bond that will help Ponca City Public Schools update, maintain and improve their facilities, something all of us do to our house from time to time. PCDA is not allowed to take a position in the election but we can tell you that the facilities are much needed. Why? With over 2,000 open jobs to fill in Ponca City, we need to attract people. People have options. One of the biggest single factors people use when deciding whether or not they will move to any given community to take an open job is the quality of the schools. Today that means STEM facilities, competitive music and athletic facilities, attractive and safe school campuses and then the ever popular, but critical, good bathrooms in schools. It is not enough to say that back in the day education was “X” and that it’s all about the reading, writing and arithmetic. How is that working out for you? 

In the real world, one of the foundational building blocks are strong schools with modern facilities that attract people. What we all learned in kindergarten was it was better to take your nap in a nice place. Not much has really changed. Since the proposed bond will not raise taxes, the question seems pretty straight forward. Do we want and value good, modern, updated schools? Since PCDA cannot take a position, however, we are limited to encouraging you to get out and vote and asking your friends to vote as well. There has been a lot of talk about elections in recent time so don’t take your right to vote, or the outcome of any apparently straight forward election, for granted.       

MARK YOUR CALENDARS.....for the next (and last for 2021) Business on the Balcony Tuesday, October 12th.

7 to 8:30 am.

Grab a little breakfast and meet a few business people from the Ponca City community. You might get a few minutes with Chamber staff, PCDA staff, Pioneer Tech people or any number of other businesses in our community. If you have business questions or are looking for an introduction, this is the place to be. And there's avocado toast!

THE NOVEMBER PITCH-OFF.... is just around the corner for those with a great business idea or an existing business ready to get to the next level. Maybe you are an inventor or product developer ready to launch the next big thing. We want YOU to write that business plan and pitch your idea to our group of judges on Friday, November 12. Business Plans need to be submitted by Monday, November 1st to be considered for this Pitch-off. Not ready? There will be another PItch-off in June of 2022.

Call Kat at 580.761.3028 or Ben Evans at 580.718.4262 to get started on your business plan writing. You will have access to a great online resource called LIvePlan to help you write and refine your plan. What are you waiting for? Your future is just a PITCH away!

Guilty By Association Truck Show (GBATS) is a bi-annual truck show held by Chrome Shop Mafia & 4 State Trucks in Joplin, Missouri. This three day event is where the trucking industry comes together to enjoy all aspects of trucking and the super cool things that come with it. Two Ponca City companies, Bowers Trucking and Bunkr Trailer found themselves in booths right next to each other at the show. This is a transportation industry place to be seen, network and see all things transportation. Pictured are Brad Fredericks, Bunkr and Garrett Bowers, Bowers Trucking. Bring home those drivers and new accounts boys. Good Job!

Bowers Trucking also participated in a Tribute to the Troops & Veterans Parade Convoy: 800 trucks, including the Bowers Legacy wrapped truck, made up the parade. We will have pictures of that next week. Maybe even a little video footage. Stay tuned!

PCDA was honored that the Oklahoma Main Street Center chose us (who, me!?) as the winner of the state wide Best Business Practices. Ponca City Main Street is one of our besties and we love having them right down the hallways for all our collaborative efforts. Thanks for nominating us, and for all you do!

As Fall finally hits us with these cooler temperatures, staff are cozying up for some good brainstorming sessions in the office. Conversations we’ve had with employers (You!) is the need for employees but you’re too busy and overwhelmed with the day to day performance metrics and fires to put out that revamping your hiring process or finding ways to fill your pipeline of future employees is not possible. It’s often large corporations who are good at this because, let’s face it, they have an entire recruiting department and extra staff to set up processes. 

How can you, the hometown employer, take some of these processes and adapt them to work for you? It’s by doing the little things:

If any of these sound like you could accomplish them, but need a little direction – call us! We’d be happy to share our info and connections to help you get started.

Sept 30-Oct 3 // CINDERELLA // Poncan Theatre

Evans Academy of Performing Arts production Cinderella is all weekend.

Get your tickets online or at the door.

Sat & Sun, Oct 2-3 // Octoberfest // Marland Mansion

Make sure to get the family to this fun event the first weekend in October.

Thurs, Oct 7 // Lt. Governors Travel & Tourism Summit // City Central

For more information or to register for the Summit in the Summit, click on this link:

Monday, October 11 // Columbus Day // Federal Holiday observed

Just a reminder why the banks are closed this day.

Thursday, Oct 14 // PCDA Regular Board Meeting // City Central - Gravity RM

Get up bright and early and join the PCDA Trustees at the regularly scheduled

Board Meeting at 7:30 am. Public is welcome.

Thursday, Oct 21 // Goblins on Grand // Downtown Main Street

Mark your calendars and get those costumes ready. All ages welcome; Family event

Thurs, Nov 4 // PTC Foundation Roast for Bill Coleman// Pioneer Technology Center

You want to get tickets for this one: Bill Coleman being Roasted in the new Pioneer Technology Center Conference Center. Get your tickets now here

POSTPONED - September 30 // Po Hi Hall of Fame Banquet - POSTPONED

Has been postponed. Keep your tickets and stay tuned for the future date announcement.

Find out about the inductees here

Rental Property - Available Listings

Find out more about Goblins on the Grand here.