October 18, 2024 - Economic Update

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. This week, PCDA staff and many Ponca City companies were out and about in the world. Some made it back just in time to light up 2000+ kids lives at Goblins on Grand. To celebrate all the things, check out these pictures sent back to the PCDA office.

KR Automation (pictured here) and Centerline attended the Oil & Gas Show in Oklahoma City last week.

These conferences are an excellent way to meet a lot of prospective clients. Always nice to have several companies at one show.

Centerline was joined by some Pioneer Technology friends to help at their booth.

We are pretty sure Johnny Thornburgh (left) and Ian Freeman (right) hung out at the KR Automation booth some as well.

Apparently, Johnny T was everywhere. He and Laurence attended The Fabtech show in Orlando.

Forming and Fabrication with 3D printers was almost out of reach 10 years ago. Ask LB or Johnny T about capabilities now.

CENTURY PRODUCTS ANNOUNCES

MORE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS

CAREER TECH IN THE NEWS

Every Monday & Tuesday: Sunny Creek Farm Hub Store Open

City Central //10 to 6 pm

Thursday, Oct 24 // Business After Hours // Equity Bank

222 E. Grand Ave., 5-7 PM



Saturday, Oct 26 // PonCon: Out of the Dungeon // City Central

See Flyer Below for Schedule of Events

Ponca City's own microcon.

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 // 1 Million Cups // 8:30 am

Pioneer Technology Center

Support your local small businesses and hear their stories.

Wednesday, Nov 6, 2024 // Kay County Healthy Living Coalition

11:00 am here at City Central

Redbud Room, Lower Level

Thursday, Nov 7, 2024 // Worklahoma @ Pioneer Tech Center

Calling all job seekers. Network, get your head shots and

bring your resume for that possible interview.

Thursday, Nov 14, 2024 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting

7:30 am at City Central in the Redbud Room.

Coffee's hot.

Nov. 28-29, 2024 // Thanksgiving // PCDA offices closed

City Central will be closed on Thursday, Nov 28th

October 4, 2024 - Economic Update

PAWS ON THE PAVEMENT

CHILDCARE WOES

CHILDCARE TRAINING

WORK READY PONCA CITY

CHEERS TO A FESTIVE WEEKEND

Every Monday & Tuesday: Sunny Creek Farm Hub Store Open

City Central //10 to 6 pm

October 5-6 // Octoberfest//Marland Mansion

Make your way to Octoberfest on the

fabulous Marland Mansion grounds. Games, food and

of course, beer!!

Sat, Oct 5 // Fly-In at Ponca CIty AIrport // 8 to 10am

Get your breakfast on with a couple hundred

other flying enthusiasts.

Sat, Oct 5 // Haunted Halls // PoHi

Hosted by the Wildcat Theatre Co. $10/person

For a scary good time!

Flyer Below for details

Thurs, Oct 10 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // 7:30 am

In the Redbud Room, Lower Level of City Central

Sat, Oct 12 // Mutt Gala // Tickets still on sale

See flyer below to support this fundraiser for our

Northern OK Humane Society.

Monday, Oct 14 , all day// Childcare Training // City Central

Hosted by PCDA. See flyer below to sign up.

Thursday, October 17 // Goblins on Grand // 5:30 pm

Take your littles (and your bigs) out for a

fun night on Grand Ave - costumes are FABULOUS!

Saturday, Oct 26 // PonCon: Out of the Dungeon // City Central

See Flyer Below for Schedule of Events

Ponca City's own microcon.

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 // 1 Million Cups // 8:30 am

Pioneer Technology Center

Support your local small businesses and hear their stories.

Wednesday, Nov 6, 2024 // Kay County Healthy Living Coalition

11:00 am here at City Central

Redbud Room, Lower Level

Thursday, Nov 7, 2024 // Worklahoma @ Pioneer Tech Center

Calling all job seekers. Network, get your head shots and

bring your resume for that possible interview.

August 16, 2024 - Economic Update

Do You Host Interns? You Should

Business on the Balcony

Tracking Cost of Living

The Growth Factor

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

Back by popular demand, here is the list of upcoming events

Every Monday & Tuesday: Sunny Creek Farm Hub Store Open

City Central //10 to 6 pm

Saturday, August 17 // Stuff the Bus // 9 am to 1 pm

Donate school supplies and stuff the bus at Walmart.

Friday, August 23 // Party at the Palace // 6:30 to 10 pm

Tickets still available from the Chamber office.

Saturday, August 31 // Under My Wing Academy Fun Run

See the flyer below for the details. Fundraiser for outside equipment

at Marland's Place. 2nd Shift & overnight spots available.

Tuesday, Sept 10 // Business on the Balcony // 7 to 9 am

Join some of your favorite business people for a little

breakfast and a whole lot of networking.

City Central // 400 E. Central Ave

Thursday, Sept 12 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting // 7:30 am

Redbud Room, Lower Level.

Wednesday, Sept 4 // 1 Million Cups // 8:30 am

Pioneer Technology Center

Support your local small businesses and hear their stories.

August 2, 2024 - Economic Update

More Houses Equal More People

Welcome New Teachers

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Adam Meeks from Link #7 grabbing a group selfie with Chamber Staff.

PC Chamber @City Central

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

Connect with us!

July 19, 2024 - Economic Update

PCDA COMMITS $1 MILLION

There Might Be A Grant for That....

CONGRATULATIONS!

GEN Z WORKPLACE CONVERSATIONS

LOCAL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

Connect with us!

GODSPEED, PONCA CITY…Today is my last day at PCDA. I am so incredibly grateful to all of Ponca City for these past two decades. It’s almost a cliche to say that you can’t thank everyone…but I’m at least going to try.  Let’s start with you. You may not, and probably do not, fully recognize how important you are to this community.  People make Ponca City, and like the pebble in the lake, the ripples we all make spread far and wide.

We live in our own little worlds; However, there are people with whom we come into contact daily. I have been very fortunate to rub elbows with leaders who were and are focused on making Ponca City one of the finest examples of success in rural America.

Rather than name them all due to space limitations, the following are their initials. Some of these are three initials but most are two. To save space, some represent more than one person with the same initials. Sadly, some are no longer with us but, happily, the vast majority still are. All represent the finest of Ponca City. They may be in business, city or county government, education, health care, non-profits, the PCDA staff or private citizens. The one thing they all have in common is that they all call Kay County home, and I have been blessed to have the opportunity to stand by them all at one or more points over the last 21 years. The lift can be heavy, but the load is lighter with more hands lifting. 

My thanks to them all:

“jmsktlkjledsgnjlcvdmspjmdrlclmcrfbgmtbcbaumgcgsbbppplbhspdhchgpdcdhwbrhkwstttmbmkrkrscsbcklsvdmslpsawjnjschkrelchjkekmbdsjgdbdwdcntkcrmnfdwmslbjcscpbtrcclcmdjdcemehfpgigghrhbhcjpjrkalhlvmsmtmcmsrdnhncshpefepbpjpttsabwdppsjskllltstssjtbhmtrwkejdshjrbglcgbmbbltlnlmgmkmdkbltlwalbbjm”

You may have noticed that there is one set of initials, the first two and the last two, that do repeat: JM. When I walked into PCDA on September 8, 2003, my wife Janice was at my side. As I head into retirement today, I’ll be at her side. Words fail me. I tried to thank her in public recently for all she has meant not just to me but to Ponca City. No deal, however, is ever truly done until it’s in writing so here it is. No one could ask for a better life partner. Thank you, Sweetheart.

I leave PCDA under the guidance of a remarkable group of leaders, PCDA Trustees, city leadership and the most qualified economic development staff in the state of Oklahoma. I’m not just saying that; the data backs that up. 

Please never forget that economic development means different things to different people. At its core, it is about guiding and growing an ever-changing local economy, influenced far more by having what people and companies want than by other factors. There are different ideas about the how, the why and the which way. It can be a messy, time-consuming business where you give a little and get a little. Welcome to life. But having a tool such as PCDA in the toolbox to get us where we collectively want to go can make all of the difference. Disagree, sure. Disengage, never.

The next generation has begun.

David Myers

Mondays// Sunny Creek Trading Post // City Central

Sunny Creek will have a Monday Store

every week, 10 am to 6 pm. Pick up your

favorite local merchandise at this Farm Hub.

Tuesdays // Summer Movies // Poncan Theatre

Every Tuesday, 10 am and 2 pm.

If you have the kids or grandkids,

take advantage of these free movies.

Friday, June 28 // Fish Fry Blood Drive // 9 to 6 pm

Carolyn Renfro Event Center

Honoring Sean Anderson

Thursday, July 4 // City Central Building Closed

Happy Fourth of July Celebrations!

Friday, July 5 // DXDT // Veteran's Plaza

6 to 9 pm

Food trucks and live music

Tuesday, July 9 // Business on the Balcony // 7 to 9 am

Local Producers edition.

Local food, local agriculture

Thursday, July 18 // Workforce & Education Summit

Pioneer Technology Center 8:30 to 3:30

Sign up by calling the Chamber 765.4400

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

Many conversations (some lamenting, some extolling) are had on the youth of today. Many of these conversations are about future workforce; some are about current workforce. And then there are the conversations about where IS the workforce?

Staff believes all these conversations are valid. At an economic development conference in OKC, Mark Perna was the keynote speaker and the topic was generational divide and workforce engagement. Perna gave the example of his own son's lack of engagement with school. Until, that same son became motivated by the possibility of a profession: An end goal. Perna tells a heck of a story and he also gives his listeners practical techniques to overcome the lack of engagement and battle the generational divide happening all over the world.

Whether you are a business owner, educator or parent, the upcoming Workforce & Education Summit is a must attend event. Topics will include career awareness, Gen Z motivation, skills gaps, apprenticeships and local solutions. Call the Chamber now to get signed up. PCDA thanks our partners on this event including Northern Oklahoma College, Pioneer Tech, Ponca City Public School and the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce. Save the date: Thursday, July 18th.

Ponca City has some great businesses, projects and people who are finalists in the Oklahoma Main Street Awards for 2024. A big shout out to all, but especially to 2020 PCDA Business Plan PItch-off Champion Aesthetic State of Mind, our favorite grant writer Rhonda Skrapke, the very popular event Goblins on Grand (those kids are adorable!) and our very own staff person Lori Henderson.

Congratulations to all our Ponca City people, businesses and programs, and to our Ponca City Main Street Program for writing some fantastic nominations.

Work Ready Oklahoma (WRO), the Ponca City office, held their first community job fair at Pioneer Technology Center. WRO is powered by Pioneer Technology Center and is a program designed to assist individuals gain independence and provide financially through quality employment.

At the event yesterday, professional headshots were offered, local resources were highlighted, and several local employers were taking applications and doing interviews at the event. If you would like more information on the WRO program, please call 580.718.4237 or visit the WRO Ponca City office here at City Central, Suite #307.

Mondays// Sunny Creek Trading Post // City Central

Sunny Creek will have a Monday Store

every week, 10 am to 6 pm. Pick up your

favorite local merchandise at this Farm Hub.

Tuesdays // Summer Movies // Poncan Theatre

Every Tuesday, 10 am and 2 pm.

If you have the kids or grandkids,

take advantage of these free movies.

Friday, June 21 // Fish Fry for the Small Fry // 6 pm

Standing Bear Park - supports Dearing House

Tasting kits are $10.

Friday, June 28 // Fish Fry Blood Drive // 9 to 6 pm

Carolyn Renfro Event Center

Honoring Sean Anderson

Thursday, July 4 // City Central Building Closed

Happy Fourth of July Celebrations!

Tuesday, July 9 // Business on the Balcony // 7 to 9 am

Local Producers edition.

Local food, local agriculture

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

Big corporations get a lot of press when it comes to creating jobs, but small businesses employ more people and have an easier time pivoting when times get tough. And, if you think about it, all big businesses started small. No one ever opened their doors with thousands of employees. Staff may be repeating ourself, but it bears repeating: 99.9% of all U.S. businesses are made of businesses employing 500 employees or less (SBA's definition of small business).

Now, don't take that the wrong way. We love having Phillips 66 and Lopez Dorada Foods. If you know their origin stories, both of these over 500 employee companies began with a much smaller footprint. And our Ponca City economy applauds their growth. And the growth pattern of all small business in Ponca City.

The Ponca City Chamber does an excellent job celebrating our small businesses in the community. This week, Farm House Kids Co. was awarded June Business of the Month by the Chamber Business Council. Find out more on theirFacebook page or website. Farm House Kids Co ships items all over the United States and has a baby/mama registry online and in-store. Supporting these local companies keeps the Ponca City economy moving on down the road. Beep, beep.

Girl Power Camp is on its ninth year of encouraging Ponca City seventh and eighth-grade girls to explore non traditional careers (for women) at local manufacturing companies. The power of an onsite visit to see the machines, ask questions of the employees and to have the owner of a business like Century Products giving the tour: wow! Jay Fagen, Century Products CEO, showed off equipment by saying "when you work here" and "when you are working with this type of equipment". That is the power of industry right there.

A special thanks to CME, Phillips 66, Century Products, Log10, Cookshack, MakeKings, K&C Manufacturing and WT Architects for taking time to tour your next workforce through all the facilities.

This past week, along with all the other first weekend in June festivities and festivals, The Good Fix crew was back for a fourth time in Ponca City. The numbers for their four days of work are amazing! A big thank you to the Northern Oklahoma Humane Society for being the point person on bringing The Good Fix group to Ponca City.

Big shout out to Ponca City Schools for the use of the High School and to everyone who sponsored, donated or volunteered. PCDA cut loose our two favorite guys to help out one day and we got pictures to prove it. Thanks to everyone for these amazing numbers. Find out all the info on the NOKHS Facebook page.

Mondays// Sunny Creek Trading Post // City Central

Sunny Creek will have a Monday Store

every week, 10 am to 6 pm. Pick up your

favorite local merchandise at this Farm Hub.

Thurs-Sat June 7-9 // 101 Wild West Rodeo

Check out the website for tickets and info

101 Wild West Rodeo

Sat, June 8 // 101 Wild West Rodeo Parade // Downtown

Parade begins at 10 am and the library

will have after the Parade events happening.

Tuesday, June 11 // Business on the Balcony // City Central

Grab some breakfast and chat with local

business people t this once a month event

7 to 9 am. On the Balcony

Thursday, June 13 // PCDA Board of Trustee Meeting

Redbud Room, Lower Level

7:30 am

Thursday, June 13 // Celebrating David Myers // 4 to 6 pm

Retirement Reception for David Myers

John McNeese Gallery, City Central

Friday,

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

Sunny Dayz Mural Fest is happening in Ponca City! What does this mean for our community you ask? It started when 300 artists from ACROSS THE GLOBE applied to be one of the 50 artists currently creating over 30 murals in our downtown district this week. Check out Sunnydaysmuralfest.com for all the details. This is the fourth year for this unique Mural Festival, but the first year for Ponca City. And since PCDA staff is all about the economy (and in this case, the beauty) let’s chat about art as an economic driver. Public art increases the value of an area: increased property values, property and business owner investment and buildings with tenants are all ways to measure the economic impact of art as business.

The 30 murals completed this past week add over $300,000 of public art to the downtown area and will draw hundreds of people this weekend for the reveal tomorrow, June 1^st. But what about after June 1^st? Does public art make that big of a difference? Absolutely. We are a Pioneer Woman and Standing Bear statue community after all.   These new murals added to the foxes and other large-scale art in Ponca City, will give travelers coming to and through our community more art to visit, to see and do on a Sunday and after five pm, when most other museums and attractions are closed.  Murals, statues and public spaces increase Ponca City visibility at the state level as a public festival venue and add to the quality of life for ALL of Ponca City. 

Girl Power Campers are on the move next week. Part of the Girl Power STEM Camp curriculum is getting out to the manufacturing and target industry community. This means visiting companies like K&C, CME, Evans & Associates and others so the campers can see up close what is made in Ponca City.

PCDA thanks the companies and their employees for taking production time to share their products and processes with the next generation of employees during Girl Power Week.

And then there are the intangibles; the events and entertainment whose ROI isn’t measured by dollars: they are measured by community participation and involvement. Also happening this weekend is the Ponca City Library Summer Reading Program kickoff with Touch-A-Truck tomorrow (Saturday) morning, 9 am to noon. And if that wasn’t enough, the Farmer’s Market at the Pioneer Woman Circle has their opening Saturday from 8 to 11 am.    Supporting these community markets and events allows them to continue year after year. 

The library is funded by City, State and local taxes allowing them to offer programs like the Summer Reading programs; but only if people participate. So, get out to the library Saturday and all summer long for these amazing age-appropriate programs. Staff heard the bug guy from OSU is back this summer with the BEST BUGS on July 30^th.  And of course, the Farmer’s Market brings local produce and added value foods for purchase every Saturday and Tuesday throughout the Summer.  The dollars spent on that tomato, carrot, squash, flowers or beef, make a huge impact on local agriculture. Buy local; eat local means our community continues to have access to food that is outside the commercial grocery pipeline; insuring local food security. 

Mondays// Sunny Creek Trading Post // City Central

Sunny Creek will have a Monday Store

every week, 10 am to 6 pm. Pick up your

favorite local merchandise at this Farm Hub.

May 30 - June 2 // Good Fix Free Spay/Neuter Clinic

Ponca City High School - West Gym

Registration & Drop off start at 7:30 am

See flyer below for details

Saturday, June 1 // Herb Festival // LA Cann Gardens

8 to 4 pm

Sunny Dayz Mural Fest // Veterans Plaza

Touch A Truck @ The Library - 9 am to noon

Farmer's Market Opens @ Pioneer Woman

8 to 11 am

Thurs-Sat June 7-9 // 101 Wild West Rodeo

Check out the website for tickets and info

101 Wild West Rodeo

Sat, June 8 // 101 Wild West Rodeo Parade // Downtown

Parade begins at 10 am and the Library

will have after the Parade events happening.

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE

This week, PCDA staff participated in several conversations about rural economics: The Center for Workforce Excellence, Work Ready Oklahoma, surveys, data and cost of living all rotating around the word "Rural". Technically, Kay County is a rural county: The population is below 50,000 and most of the communities are small, rural communities such as Blackwell, Tonkawa, Newkirk and Braman. Ponca City is considered a Micropolitan community since our pop. is right around 25,000 people (give or take a few)

To understand our county's (and the state's) interesting mix of rural and urban, lots of data needs to be collected. Communities have an opportunity to collect some of this critical data from small business owners in our area. Many small business owners in rural areas may also own and work a farm of some kind, which makes this survey all the more relevant.

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau is collecting information to gain a better understanding of the rural economy to make more informative decisions about focusing resources and investment across the state. These survey responses will assist with the development of a Rural Asset Map which will be a regional resource map with support services identified from all over the state. The Survey closes on May 31st, so pleaseclick here to complete it. You can also forward it to any other small businesses in your community. This is one survey staff is encouraging business owners to complete.

This week Liz Leaming, the PCDA PoncaWorks Director, got a nice shout out on Facebook from MakeKings

" We here at MakeKings are really just overwhelmed and so grateful for the support and help that Liz Leaming with Ponca City Development Authority has given us in bringing on new qualified staff! This is the second time in the past few years we reached out to her and she really just knocked it out of the park each time!" - Justin

PoncaWorks is just one of many workforce resources available to all businesses in Ponca City. If you would like to get more information on all the resources and get up to speed on PoncaWorks, Liz can assist with setting up your JazzHR account and your business can have access to some great workforce resources in the Ponca City community.

Upcoming Job Fair hosted by Work Ready Oklahoma on June 20th at PIoneer Technology Center. See graphic below to get your company signed up.

Every three months, Ponca City joins 295 other communities to collect data on over 60 items/services found in the community. Pricing ranges from food items like olive oil and bananas to office visits with your local dentist or how much a new house costs to build.

If you or someone you know would like to compare the Ponca City cost of living with Denver, Houston, LA or any of the other 295 communities participating, you can do that on the goponca.com website. The Cost of Living Calculator is free to use and you can compare, quite literally, potatoes to potatoes (sorry, apples and oranges aren't part of the collection data). Just click here to check out the COLI calculator.

Join the PCDA Trustees and staff for a reception in David Myers' honor on Thursday, June 13th from 4 to 6 pm at City Central in the South Lobby (full invitation below). A little toasting to the man and a few tears on his "adios and ciao".

Come and go, but David will be pushed to the front to say something at 4:30 pm.

Due to the Holiday

Tuesday, May 28// Sunny Creek Trading Post // City Central

Sunny Creek will have a Monday Store

every week, 10 am to 6 pm. Pick up your

favorite local merchandise at this Farm Hub.

Monday, May 27 // Memorial Day // City Central Closed

PCDA Office is closed for the Holiday.

May 30 - June 2 // Good Fix Free Spay/Neuter Clinic

Ponca City High School - West Gym

Registration & Drop off start at 7:30 am

See flyer below for details

Saturday, June 1 // Herb Festival // LA Cann Gardens

8 to 4 pm

Sunny Dayz Mural Fest // Veterans Plaza

Touch A Truck @ The Library - 9 am to noon

Farmer's Market Opens @ Pioneer Woman

8 to 11 am

Rental Property - Available Listings

SIGN UP FOR SBDC PROGRAMS HERE