 Elizabeth Coffman, an intern at A+ Printing, has already made a big impact with her work, according to CEO Paige Winslow (pictured above). “She’s knocked it out of the park with some of her designs,” said Winslow. “She is such a talented artist. We handed over our social media marketing to her, and now she’s learning how to market products effectively.” In addition to creating ads for the company’s social media accounts, Elizabeth has designed business cards, a newsletter for a marketing project, and a customer order pad that a client “just loved.” Chad and Paige Winslow, owners of A+ Printing and Oklahoma Labels, noted that their shared production facility offers Elizabeth unique opportunities. She’s able to collaborate with different employees and designers, learning to use various software programs and machines for a wide range of projects. Soon, Elizabeth will work with their lead designer on building a new website, and she’ll also get hands-on experience designing labels and operating the label press machine. Elizabeth is thrilled with the opportunity to be creative every day while learning new design software. Her only regret? Not starting her internship at A+ Printing earlier during her time at PoHi. Fortunately, Paige has been a strong mentor, offering Elizabeth advice and connecting her with resources at Pioneer Tech and NOC to help guide her next steps after graduation in May. For Elizabeth, the internship at A+ Printing has proven to be a perfect match, blending her passion for art and design with invaluable real-world experience. See some of Elizabeth's designs for Oklahoma Labels and PoncaAPlus below.
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 Log10 LLC Acquires PCDA Spec Building, Solidifying Long-Term Commitment to Ponca City
Ponca City, OK — [1/22/25] — The Ponca City Development Authority (PCDA) is pleased to announce that Log10 LLC, a microbiology lab specializing in the production of probiotics, has acquired the spec building it has called home since 2015. This milestone underscores Log10’s commitment to Ponca City and highlights the company’s significant contributions to the local economy and industrial ecosystem. Log10 LLC, originally recruited to Ponca City by PCDA in 2015, found its initial home in a state-of-the-art spec building designed to attract manufacturing companies. Over the past decade, Log10 has transformed the building into a cutting-edge facility with more than $10 million invested in improvements, including specialized lab space, advanced equipment, and infrastructure upgrades. The company’s workforce has grown to approximately 25 employees, with positions offering competitive wages in high-demand scientific fields. “Log10’s acquisition of the building is a testament to their confidence in Ponca City as a strategic location for their growth,” said Lori Henderson, Executive Director of PCDA. “This move reinforces our belief in the power of spec buildings to attract and retain innovative companies that drive economic progress.” Log10’s expertise in microbiology and probiotics serves industries ranging from pet food to food manufacturing sanitation. Their presence has brought high-paying lab jobs to Ponca City, while their advanced capabilities enhance the industrial park’s ecosystem by attracting complementary businesses and fostering innovation. A Proven Strategy for Growth PCDA’s spec building program has been a cornerstone of its economic development strategy for over two decades. By constructing four spec buildings to date, PCDA has created opportunities for companies to establish and expand their operations in Ponca City. These facilities have become home to businesses that form the backbone of the community, contributing to job creation and economic diversification. The latest addition to this program, the Duke spec building, was completed in July 2024. Spanning 39,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space, the Duke building has already garnered interest from several companies within and beyond Ponca City, further demonstrating the enduring value of PCDA’s proactive approach. About Log10 LLC Founded in 2009, Log10 LLC is a leading microbiology laboratory dedicated to manufacturing probiotics and providing microbial solutions for various industries. Their products improve pet health, enhance food manufacturing processes, and promote environmental cleanliness. With a commitment to science and innovation, Log10 continues to deliver solutions that benefit customers and communities alike. For more information, visit www.log10.com.  Ponca City Development Authority Announces Incentive Contract with Century Products, LLC
The Ponca City Development Authority (PCDA) is proud to announce an incentive agreement with Century Products, LLC, a leading manufacturer of agricultural and livestock solutions. This collaboration will support Century Products' $2.5 million expansion project, which includes the acquisition of new equipment and the creation of 20 new jobs over the next three years. Century Products was founded in 1993 in Shilder, Oklahoma, and relocated to Ponca City in 2021 under the leadership of Jay Fagan. Since the move, the company has experienced substantial growth, diversified its product lines, and expanded its workforce. In July 2023, Century Products acquired the former Smith Bits building, where they plan to consolidate their operations while retaining their current facility for storage. The company's innovative approach to manufacturing has solidified its reputation as a trusted supplier in the agricultural industry. Century Products is best known for pioneering the first poly plastic feeder, a durable and weather-resistant solution for livestock feeding. Over the years, the company has continued to develop high-quality, long-lasting products that meet the evolving needs of the agricultural community. “We are grateful for the support of the Ponca City Development Authority as we take this next step in our journey,” said Jay Fagan, owner of Century Products, LLC. “This expansion is not just about growing our business; it’s about investing in our community, creating jobs, and continuing to deliver the quality products our customers expect. Ponca City has been a great place to call home, and we look forward to what the future holds.” The PCDA’s incentive contract is part of its ongoing mission to foster economic growth and create opportunities for businesses to thrive in Ponca City. This partnership with Century Products highlights the shared commitment to building a vibrant and sustainable local economy. "Century Products' decision to expand in Ponca City is a testament to our community's supportive business environment and skilled workforce," said Lori Henderson, Executive Director, PCDA. "We are excited to support their growth and the economic benefits it will bring to our area." For more information about Century Products and its offerings, visit www.centuryproductsusa.com.  Ponca City is the retail hub for North Central Oklahoma. No, really. Do not scoff. What other community has five grocery stores? And all are doing very well. With the return of a movie theatre, thanks to PCDA and ICON Theatres, more people will be attracted to Ponca City to shop and recreate. The word is out and PCDA is hoping to welcome more retailers like Bealls and Whataburger to the community. Stay tuned for more information. Retail buildings, land and demographics for Ponca City MSA are listed below. Find a complete listing of available properties and more information by clicking Ponca City Retail.
 2024 has been a year of changes and updates; of "What can we do" and "What will we do" for our community and economy. PCDA is proud to be part of our Ponca City community.
 To boost January sales as a small business, focus on targeted marketing campaigns highlighting special offers, utilize email marketing to reach customers, refresh your online presence, consider New Year-themed promotions, and actively engage with potential customers by reminding them about their resolutions and offering relevant products or services to help them achieve their goals.
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In May/June of this year, PCDA Trustees and City Commissioners voted to add housing and retail assistance to the trust indenture. This means that PCDA can now work with and incentivize these sectors. PCDA recently announced the intent to purchase the former AMC Movie Theater and contract with Icon Cinemas to operate a movie theater. We know that workforce is the number one issue for industry growth. We also know that this workforce expects a certain level of amenities in a community to even consider living there. Reopening the theater will be a great start to workforce attraction, as well as keeping local folks happy and engaged in the community. Theater renovations should begin in January, and Icon Cinemas hopes to open by the summer blockbuster season. We are excited to make this project a reality for our city, and will plan a grand opening when it is ready to go, so stay tuned! If you have any questions or need further information about the Icon Cinemas Project, please do not hesitate to contact Lori Henderson, PCDA Executive Director. This includes information about incentives and the building purchase. Bid projects for the HVAC and Roof are out and will be opened and announced in early December.  This guy knows his merchandising! Check out his website www.retaildoc.com for more tips on sales and retail development. Especially Love "Concentrate on the front of your store." This means flow, merchandising, pricing and sale items. 1. Change Displays Monthly Holidays and seasons only last so long, and promotional items have a short shelf life. Feature new arrivals in your store layout first. If you ordered products meant to go together, keep them together. You don’t want their first appearance to be diluted or the potential add-on sale to be lost. Later, group any leftover items with new arrivals to change their look. 2. Visually merchandise the products people want, not need.Don’t choose to highlight products the customer already needs; that is what they are coming in for. Customers respond to product displays of items they want. For example, don’t display the cheap hand mixer when every Emeril wannabe desires the fancy KitchenAid. Just because they need a mixer doesn’t mean they won’t treat themselves to the expensive model if it is displayed well. 3. Look for one thing that makes a grouping other than price.While all of one product works well in a grocery store, it is little more than warehousing the items in a retail store. Your visual merchandising strategy should include making displays according to product use – an assortment of items related to brewing and drinking tea, for example. Or display by colors – the strongest color combinations to attract attention in retail are red, white, and black. Try related or contrasting colors. Our eyes quickly get the point and move on, so never make a monochromatic display. 4. Focus on the front of your storeStart with the display area closest to the front door and highlight your newest and most expensive items. Be sure to have several levels of height—even on shelves. Make sure your store fixtures are clean from top to bottom and filled with enough products so that customers can pick up and touch them without having to totally dismantle your display. 5. Add a stuffed pig to at least one window. Really.Find an unrelated item and put it on your display. It serves as a prop, and its only purpose is to grab your customer’s attention. Add a stuffed toy pig to complete your KitchenAid display. Adding a prop to every product display is unnecessary, but the idea should always be there. These visual elements make the customer ask themselves, "Why is that there?" They are intrigued by your visual merchandising picture and come in to learn more. 6. Add additional lighting so the merchandise stands outLight your display like it’s important. Adjust overhead lighting. If you have a particularly dark display with no way to highlight it from above, consider moving your best-selling products to an existing light source or light from below with small spotlights. Remember, light makes the merchandise pop. 7. Add compelling signageAdd a few well-placed, well-worded signs - even on store fixtures. Ensure the signs are short and easy to read to catch customers' attention. If your customers are mostly seniors, use larger fonts to make it easy on them. Handwritten signs with markers are okay for a kid’s lemonade stand, but they tend to look amateurish anywhere else. Don’t ever put up signage that says DO NOT TOUCH. You might as well put up a sign that says DO NOT BUY. Displays are supposed to get messed up. 8. Rotate your displays but not your fixturesMove existing displays around the sales floor when new merchandise comes in. Since the fairly new inventory will still sell, switch your store layout two weeks after arrival. Move one from the front to the middle of the sales floor and the other from the middle to the back. 9. Track your sales by SKUMonitor your computer printouts and inventory levels weekly. If something takes off, be prepared to reorder these best-selling products immediately. If you have sold through your inventory and have no back stock, change your visual merchandising plan to something you have plenty of. If something doesn’t sell, try moving the same display to another location or incorporating different product placement before giving up on it. 10. Make sure every product in each arrangement is pricedMake sure all of your product is priced. No one wants to have to ask how much something is. 11. Engage more than one sense in your storeYou may have seen those stores selling health aides in malls with several oil diffusers working, pictured at right. You're probably already wondering what they smell like. That's the power of engaging more than one sense. I've seen retailers use ScentAir for beachy Tommy Bahama clothes departments to engage the nose, high-end grocery stores to offer fine food tastings to engage the mouth, and sound retailers to have separate rooms to engage the ears. Just make sure to go easy on scent. Many people have allergies or other preferences. 12. Add motion to your displayIt is easy to only think about what the display looks like in terms of colors and textures. Still, you can go further and add movement with a fan carefully placed out of sight to slightly billow out a summer dress, add a toy train during the holidays, or demonstrate your product in use. Usually, the motion also provides a sound, which is a bonus. Or, check out a company that works with in-store media for retailers. See also: How to craft a retail merchandising plan with this comprehensive primer The most important element of visual merchandisingWhat's the most important aspect of visual merchandising? Your creativity. You must learn the science and the art of arranging beyond just SKUs and discounts. These retail merchandising tips do not include all possible ways to organize merchandise into your silent salesperson. Still, they form a foundation any retailer or small business can use to boost sales. Be careful that your floor plan remains open and that aisles are easy to walk down. Customer service extends to the ease with which they can navigate around your stellar displays. - From www.Retaildoc.com. Bob Phipps |
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