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The official newsletter of the
Enid Regional Development Alliance www.growenid.com |
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Quick Links | |
It's that time of year again to renew or begin your ERDA membership!
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Enid, We Got It! | |
 | | Click to Watch on YouTube! |
Please share this with all of your friends, family, and business associates. This video was made to share, so feel free to embed it on your website!
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| Move to Enid Video |
 | | Click to watch on YouTube now!! |
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| Start With Enid Program | |
The City of Enid along with the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Enid, and the Enid Regional Development Alliance have developed an incentive program for new and expanding businesses to encourage the growth of new business in Enid. The goal of the program is to reduce start-up capital costs and to help companies get involved into the local business community activities.
Please see the attachment for details and how to apply.
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Greetings! |
What is your point of view?
Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
The pessimist remembers the loss to K State instead of the win at KU.
The pessimist notices the squeaky front door instead of remembering the warm home.
The pessimist hates vegetables instead of loving a full stomach.
The pessimist is "concerned" about the prosperity in Enid instead of relishing the unprecedented wealth in our community right now. The pessimist remembers the 80's and is waiting for the bust to happen instead of noticing that oil is not the only thing driving the economy in NW Oklahoma today.
The pessimist will always cling to the status quo instead of dreaming of what we can become.
I would rather be an optimist.....
...and I think most of the residents of Enid feel the same way right now.
Enid collected the most sales tax revenue we have ever collected in 2011...and then we beat that by 13% in 2012.
We are continuing to grow as a community. We have the fastest growing school district in the state, 5% job growth in the past 12 months, and the census bureau has already estimated that our population within the city limits of Enid has growth by over 3,000 people (from 49,000 to 52,000) since the official count in 2010.
We've seen growth announcements from AdvancePierre Foods, GEFCO, Central Machine and Tool, Mid Continent Packaging, Triangle Insurance, Wymer Brownlee, and Aircraft Structures International in the past few months just to name a few. These are not companies that will pick up and leave town if the drilling slows down north of town. These are companies that have been here for decades and will continue to drive our economy for years to come.
Still...we should keep an eye on the oil play. Most of the leases in Woods, Alfalfa, and Grant Counties will expire in 2015 and 2016. At that point, some of the drilling may start to spill over into Kansas, which is still an area serviceable by the companies out of Enid. Many of the larger oil and gas service companies that are coming to town today (and they are still coming) are buying land and building buildings. They intend to be here for many years to come and continue to contribute greatly to the local economy. Horizontal wells require much more long term maintenance than the traditional vertical wells which makes this play much different than what we remember from the 80's.
Finally, even if the drilling begins to slow down over the next 5 years, the pump jacks will most likely continue to pump out royalty checks for land owners in our region. Those checks make their way to businesses that don't typically consider themselves oil and gas, but the money still spends the same.
As the eternal optimist, I want to think of this as a new era of economic prosperity rather than a fad that will come and go. If we play our cards right as a community, we can use this golden age as a springboard rather than a hammock...of course that will depend on your point of view.
Brent Kisling
Executive Director
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City of Enid Parks Plan Funding Vote Schedule for March 5 | |
Enid residents will vote March 5 on a pair of proposals that would generate $50 million in revenue to upgrade the city's parks system.
Enid City Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to send a pair of ballot questions to voters: one to raise $20 million by increasing the city sales tax rate by one-half cent for five years, and one to pay for $30 million in general obligation bonds by extending an existing 7 mill ad valorem tax. The 7 mill ad valorem tax previously was enacted to fund city bridge improvements.
An outside firm's findings were developed into a plan that would: renovate all existing parks; build two new neighborhood parks; build a large community park at 30th and Randolph, to include a water park, pool or other water feature; and expand on the city's trail system. It all would be funded by the combination of continuing the existing 7 mill ad valorem tax and increasing city sales tax by one-half cent for a term of five years.
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City of Enid is Financially in Good Shape |
Revenue is up, expenses are down, and cash in the bank is on the rise.
That was the news city of Enid Chief Financial Officer Jerald Gilbert presented to the Enid City Commission Tuesday night. Gilbert reviewed an independent auditor's report of the city's financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.
The report, prepared by Ronald Cottrell, CPA, showed the city continued a trend in 2012 of increasing its revenues and operating "in the black."
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New Owners of Enid's Broadway Tower are Making Plans for a Hotel |
At least part of Enid's historic Broadway Tower will be turned into a boutique hotel and help to fill the need for downtown hotel space, the building's new owner said.
"Because of the need for hotel rooms and the new event center opening, we felt boutique hotel rooms was the thing to do," Peart said.
The decor still is being developed. Peart said he may have a separate theme for each floor. The rooms will be average sized for hotel rooms, and he hopes to have 10-foot ceilings in each room. If possible, they will design doors between the rooms so that one room can flow into another as a suite. Peart doesn't know if every room will be designed that way, but said some will.
"Average price makes the most sense. There won't be any high-end, $200-a-night rooms, I can tell you that," he said.
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Plans for a New Downtown Hotel Continue |
David Owen and Dave Mashburn, of LodgeWell LLC, of Overland Park, Kan., presented the city with a plan that calls for developing a 131-room hotel downtown in conjunction with the Enid Renaissance Project. LodgeWell and the city of Enid entered a 120-day agreement in December to craft a plan for the new hotel, designed to be the final piece of the Renaissance plan.
Commissioners were presented two location options for the new hotel: one to the west of Convention Hall, across Independence; and one with frontage along Maine and Independence in the location currently occupied by the Cherokee Strip Conference Center, the former Kress Building and Enid Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The former option would be a stand-alone hotel with a parking lot.
The latter option would entail demolishing the current conference center and interior of the Kress Building, then building a new hotel that would incorporate the facade of the Kress Building into the hotel structure. This option also would include construction of a parking garage along Maine east of the new hotel, possibly with ground floor retail space with street frontage.
Both plans specify a 131-room hotel to be opened under the Hilton Garden Inn brand.
Read More... |
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Governor Fallin Recognizes Oklahoma's Outstanding Job Growth |
On Monday, February 4, Governor Mary Fallin delivered the annual State of the State address. She outlined her 2013 Agenda and spoke on many positive activities that have been happening around the state. One of those points was geared towards Oklahoma's job growth and rising household incomes.
"Since January 2011, we've created over 62,400 new net jobs, giving us the fourth highest growth rate in the United States. Unemployment in Oklahoma has been reduced by 30 percent, from 7 percent in 2010 to an enviable 5.1 percent today, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. Our median household income rose in 2011 by $4,000 - placing Oklahoma at No. 1 in the country."
To learn more about Governor Fallin's 2013 Agenda and read a copy of her State of the State Address, click here.
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Leadership Oklahoma Class XXVII Applications Available | |
Leadership Oklahoma is a statewide leadership program established in 1986. It selects, challenges, develops and educates Oklahoma citizens who have demonstrated an interest in local and/or statewide issues. The program is designed to be a series of issue-oriented forums and experiences, which are based on the belief that knowledge is a key element and prime motivator of leadership. Encourage those you know to consider completing an application and investing 10 weekends in what will surely be a life changing adventure.
Applications are on the LOK website. March 15, 2013, is the application deadline for submission with a discounted application fee of $25. Applications received after that date must submit the $40 application fee. Completed applications are due in the LOK office no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 2013.
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ERDA Staff Out and About | |
Below is a photo taken at the 2013 AgConnect Expo in Kansas City.
Brent also helped represent Enid in a recent call trip to Dallas where he was able to meet with site selectors from various industries. 
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Upcoming Events | |
Enid Day at the Capitol -- February 20, 2013 Oklahoma City
Red Carpet Country Annual Tourism Conference -- February 26, 2013 Enid
NwOA Legislative Reception -- March 27, 2013 Oklahoma City
Funding for Enid Parks Vote -- March 5, 2012 Enid |
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Monster.com Job Postings Still Available!! | |
"ERDA's Monster.com program has been instrumental in helping us to get the word out about job openings here in Enid. It's a one stop shop for me to get a posting on Monster and an ad in the Enid News & Eagle, I simply send the ERDA an email and tell them what I need. Almost immediately my inbox is filling up with applicants. Not to mention the partnership allows for a huge savings!"
-- Holly M., Groendyke Transport, Inc.
Check out this great article highlighting the partnership between ERDA, Monster and the Enid News & Eagle! ERDA, Monster Join Forces to Find Workers
Monster Flier PDF
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