October 21, 2022

10/21/2022

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED ......some new things around town: mainly signage. New signs downtown; new company signs and just more signs. Trying to catch shoppers and customers attention is hard. Now, take that to the city level. How does a community put up signs for their customers and new clients? Think buildings, jobs, accessible broadband, easy plug and play office space and of course, activities for families and individuals. And boy is this Fall full in Ponca City.

PCDA staff were all over Goblins on Grand, volunteering here and assisting there. The Poncan Theatre corner is alive with all kinds of movies and activities for the kids and adults alike, and the Veteran's Day Parade prep is in full swing. If you can't find something to do in Ponca City this month, you definitely are not trying hard enough.

NON-PHOTO OP…One of the fun things about building projects is watching them go up. As you probably know, PCDA has two major building projects under way right now. One is the Duke spec building project going up just north of the Cookshack building west of the airport. The second is the Cookshack building located, wait for it, just west of the airport. The Cookshack project is adding 10,000 square feet onto that building. You may have appreciated that more if you saw the building going up.

This, however, was a photo op that did not happen for most people because: a) The building went up so fast; and B) The building matched the original building so seamlessly that very few people even know it expanded. Don’t get PCDA wrong, we’re happy the building went up fast because it gets it into use more quickly. It’s also true that PCDA did get pictures of it going up because we knew it was happening. We’re just taking this opportunity to point out that it did happen for anyone who missed it. If that is you, not to worry, the “sticks in the air” on Duke will happen soon so get your phone ready for some glorious pictures.

AT WHAT POINT...does one cut and run? That was a question for PCDA this week as a company came to town to look things over. Mind you we wanted them to come to town. This was a company involved in an emerging industry that is getting a lot of attention these days (the industry, not the company) and the company seemed to fit Ponca City from the standpoint of projected workforce needs, property needs and so forth. Initial research into them raised a couple of red flags but that suggested caution, not outright dismissal. When they arrived, they went to see an existing local company and spent some (lack of quality) time with them. Then, PCDA showed them the Smith Building, the soon-to-be Duke building and a nice piece of industrial property. All good, they said.

As day one went on, we couldn’t help but notice that what was said at 2 p.m. differed from what was said at 4 p.m. As it stretched into day two, it became further apparent that what the company had said prior to the visit was, how does one put this, inconsistent with facts. Claims of having plenty of funding, employing “X” number of people and having multiple orders to fill became highly suspect and lacking in any verifiable evidence. No one likes to waste time, and PCDA really didn’t like that this new “company” wasted the time of one of our local industries that was otherwise busy filling orders and generating local paychecks. Now it should come as no shock that not everyone is as truthful as we’re all supposed to be. Part of the job of economic development is this kind of “due diligence.” When it becomes a time bandit for a local company, however, that’s when it becomes time to cut and run.

ONE OF THOSE NEW SIGNS.....waseen around Ponca City. Though CPM stands for California Pellet Mills, this Indiana based company recently joined forces with Bliss Industries right here in Ponca City. Stronger together (and with a bigger market share) CPM Bliss is blowing and going with testing and manufacturing. Congrats for the new signage!

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!

Only 10 days left.... to get your business plan put together, hammer out the financials and turn it into PCDA for the chance to pitch for over $5000 in incentive funding for your business. New businesses, start-ups, home-based businesses or your one man shop may be eligible to pitch. Call or email Kat right now and find out all the details. Past Pitch-off competitors include Aesthetic State of Mind, Survival Swim Co and Vortex Alley Brewing. Click here for all the information on participating in the PItch: How to get started on your business plan and phone numbers for those who can assist with questions.

The Pitch-off is for Ponca City start-ups and micro-businesses (owner/operator/sales/1 person business) ready to grow with a business plan and pitch to local judges for incentives. Hear from past participants and incentive recipients by watching this video. Next Pitch-off date is November 14th.