September 15, 2023

9/15/2023

Friday | September 15, 2023

Good Conversations This Week

The PCDA Board of Trustee meeting for September was yesterday and many good conversations were had on workforce recruitment, childcare needs for employees (and employers) and of course, housing. Staff presented their hearts out on these topics and more, engaging not only Trustees, but also those attending the meeting interested in these topics. And we know those attending are interested because hey, 7:30 am meeting. A special welcome to this year's Ponca City Leadership shadow Reba Bush.

Staff updated on building projects: Duke is nearing completion and the City Central HVAC renovation is completed! A special public thanks from all of us at PCDA to the City Staff and Commissioners for getting this million dollar HVAC grant for City Central. Just so you know, PCDA is a trust of the City of Ponca City. In effect, City Central is part of the City's buildings roster. These types of improvements make large buildings like City Central more efficient and cost effective.

Other topics included a presentation about the Create Central project. This is a large scale, industry based maker space to support entrepreneurial efforts and start-ups and a vote on building insurance. You gotta have those boring, but necessary, agenda items like insurance. Staff's August activities included 26 new industry contacts, 127 existing industry contacts, 26 small business and 85 "Nice to metchas" at City Central.

Growing Our Own Workforce

PCDA hosts Girl Power! Camp every summer for the last eight years. Occasionally, one of the campers shares their experience with staff. Thanks Ava!

Ava O’Neill

Girl Power Camper and Teen Counselor

When I was in eighth grade in 2021, my mom asked me if I wanted to go to Girl Power camp, I said, “What’s Girl Power?” I’d never heard of Girl Power. I ended up going with my two best friends and I loved the weeklong camp so much! I learned about the S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Manufacturing) community here in Ponca City, and what STEAM has to offer, especially all the jobs available to women.

Two years later in 2023, I was asked to come back as a Teen counselor for Girl Power! Camp hosted for seventh and eighth grade girls at City Central. And I learned even more when I came back! The campers and counselors went on so many tours to all the manufacturing places in town and hung out all day at Phillips66 with the engineers and support staff. During the tours, the campers and I heard from women working in STEAM areas. So many questions were asked and answered, and it was all around a great experience.

Ava welding (and she is really good) on her 2021 Camp Project.

Ava (second from right) as a Teen Counselor 2023 Summer.

Let's Talk About Housing

Ponca Works has touched on a few barriers to employment over the past weeks, and today’s board meeting was no exception to that train of thought. The number one concern plaguing PCDA trustees is available housing, or lack thereof. There are several multi-family housing units under renovation, including the Pioneer Place Apartments, a small building of units on South Pine St, The Wilbanks Apartments, and a new construction project of affordable houses and town houses for rent being built on Fifth and Bradley.

These rehabs and new construction projects will start to put a dent in the current market housing needs, but much more is necessary to match the demand. To attract population, and primarily more workforce, a solution(s) to lack of housing will be pivotal. Anecdotal stories are sometimes as powerful as hard data.

If you have information that will help share the housing needs of Ponca City, please share with us! 580-765-7070 or [email protected]

International Economic Development Conference

PCDA is a member of several local and national economic development organizations: Select Oklahoma and IEDC are the main ones. Staff attended Select Oklahoma's conference two weeks ago and next week is the IEDC's Annual Conference in Dallas. Yay for close proximity conferences. Staff will hobnob with eight to nine hundred of our closest economic development brethren (and a host of vendors who flock to these types of things). We like the vendors too. They have access to information, data and processes that make our jobs more efficient.

One of the programs that staff will be attending is the Accredited Economic Development Organization meeting. PCDA was the first office to be accredited with this program in Oklahoma back in 2008-09. This is year is another accreditation year for us, so be on the lookout for our brag box to be in full view for the last three years. And of course we will share. Staff is very proud of our award wall and you should be as well.

Positive Press - Ponca City and Oklahoma

The second quarter Cost of Living numbers have been released and Ponca City is still in the top 10 in the United States for lowest cost of living. And it isn't some unbelievable low number at 82.7% of the national average of 100; But compared to the absurdly high cost of living in San Jose, CA of 174.9 percent, we are doing pretty well here in Ponca City.

Oklahoma ranks #3 in Wind Power and #7 in Film & Television Production on the 2023 Business Facilities' State Rankings Report . The rankings help site selection professionals evaluate locations for their corporate expansion and relocation projects. Texas was #1 in Wind Power and Georgia was #1 in Film & Television.