July Newsletter-Enid, OK

The official newsletter of the

Enid Regional Development Alliance www.growenid.com

In This Issue

KOCH Nitrogen Invests $1B

Northstar Agri Industries

Quick Links

Enid Regional Development Alliance

ERDA Membership Application

It's that time of year again to renew or begin your ERDA membership!

Â Enid Community Calendar

New Staff

ERDA is happy to welcome the newest member to our team, Robyn Eitzen. Robyn is the new Executive Assistant, and will be the person who coordinates our events and welcomes our clients. We know that you will enjoy working with her as much as we do!

Lisa Powell

Congratulations to Associate Director, Lisa Powell for her recent appointment to the Governor's Economic Development Marketing Team. The Governor's Economic Development Marketing Team is a private-sector organization promoting Oklahoma's business development. Members travel nationwide on behalf of the State of Oklahoma to call on business prospects, consultants and investors interested in location, relocation or expansion of manufacturing and service opportunities in Oklahoma. The Team annually sponsors and participates in several targeted domestic trade missions and events.

Greetings!

Have you ever had a conversation with someone from Texas about their state? According to them there is nothing wrong, everything is bigger, and they could become their own country if they wanted. They are very proud.You can have a similar conversation with a fan of OSU or OU. Both fans will fight you to the death over who was a better quarterback, Brandon Weeden or Sam Bradford. Oh, and don't even get me started about Iphone users, Ford drivers, or NW Oklahoma basketball supporters. We all seem to be die hard fans of the products we use, the teams from our schools, and places in which we live. I believe we are beginning to see this type of attitude spreading throughout Enid.

I was spending some time with friends of mine a few weeks ago and the subject of steak places came up. One person said there were no good steak places in Enid and three other people jumped all over them with a list of locally owned restaurants that could grill a steak as well as anyone in the country.

I had a similar discussion lately where someone actually said there was nothing to do in Enid, only to be jumped all over by others in the conversation because they were actually upset because they had to miss First Friday and the Retro Theaters' presentations because they had a local tournament with their kids that conflicted.

I love hearing people stand up for Enid...but I have to admit, it is becoming a lot easier to do.

There is an unprecedented amount of wealth in this community right now. 2011 was a record year for retail sales in Enid with $748 million in local sales. In 2012, we beat that record by almost $100 million with $844 million in sales! The May Unemployment Rate for Enid was 3.7% at a time when the Oklahoma rate was 5.0% and the national rate was 7.6%. Our job growth has been steady and strong and not completely driven by the oil play in the area. You still have many of our legacy companies such as WB Johnston's, Central Machine and Tool, Aircraft Structures International, Hiland Partners, and Triangle Insurance that are growing and adding employees.

ENEL North America has completed work on their 235 megawatt wind farm north of town, Northstar Agri Industries will begin construction soon on their canola processing plant east of town, and Koch Industries has announced their $1 billion expansion in our area.

In June, we cut a ribbon on a beautiful new downtown arena and shortly thereafter we should be breaking ground on a new downtown hotel.

We have a great story to tell right now....

...And your Enid Regional Development Alliance staff are doing our best to tell the story to the masses.

We attended the American Wind Energy Conference in Chicago last month. We were in Washington DC with the Chamber in April, and hosted a regional job fair at the newly renovated Convention Hall and the message we are sharing is always one of growth and prosperity and how we are experiencing a new normal in Enid instead of the boom and bust cycles of the past.

There is a saying going around town right now that I love. "You can wait for the bust or you can use the boom." I am pleased to see Enid "using the boom" to grow into a community that its citizens can be proud of.

Brent Kisling
Executive Director

KOCH Nitrogen to invest $1 Billion in Enid

Koch Nitrogen Company, LLC is moving forward with plans to build a new urea plant at its Enid, Oklahoma facility. In addition, the company is revamping existing production processes at the facility. Combined, the investments are estimated at $1 billion and are expected to increase fertilizer production at the facility by more than 1 million tons per year. The improvements to existing processes will be implemented in stages from 2014-2016. Construction on the new plant, which will include additional storage and enhanced loading facilities, is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2014. The plant is projected to be operational in 2016. Read More...

Stonebridge Village housing project is a go

The developer of the multi-million dollar Stonebridge Village housing project has compromised, opening the door for the development to begin.

Gene Anderson made concessions to his opponents and agreed to place a buffer zone between his development and the high-priced homes in the Rolling Oaks and Quailwood neighborhoods.

His revised Planned Unit Development largely mollified their concerns, earning praise from several neighbors who spoke against Stonebridge Village in planning meeting last month.

Consultant: Enid needs more apartments, housing

The city of Enid seems to be doing everything right.

The city has attracted enough companies to lower its unemployment rate to a mere 2.9 percent. It has built parks for people to frequent when they move to the area. It has also built a venue for major events with its new civic center and created a marketing plan to bring visitors to the city.

"Enid's on a roll right now," said Brent Kisling, executive director of the Enid Regional Development Alliance. He said he's heard fear expressed by some residents that this boom is temporary and the city will see a bust again like it did in the 1980s. "I don't want to see a cycle of boom and bust in Enid," he said. "I don't think we're going to see a cycle of boom and bust."

With the city's new boom, the one amenity left behind is housing availability, according to a study conducted by Steve Spillette of CDS Market Research. Spillette and CDS were hired by the Enid Regional Development Alliance to research housing demand in the city and Garfield County.

"Every market is different," he said. "The things we found in Enid were some of the most unique things we've seen." Read more...

Enid's violent crime rate low compared to other cities

Enid fared well when compared to the violent crime rates of other large cities in Oklahoma, according to statistics compiled by the FBI.

Statistically, Enid had only 445 violent crimes per 100,000 residents - the number used to normalize population data among cities of different sizes.
The larger cities of Lawton, Oklahoma City and Tulsa had about twice as many violent crimes in 2011. Read more...

Enid retail sales increase in April, May

Retail sales rebounded strongly in Enid in April and May, based on June sales tax distributions to cities and towns from Oklahoma Tax Commission.

The current figures represent local tax receipts from spending in late April and early May. Net taxable sales in Enid during that period were up $6,267,542 compared to the same period in 2012.

According to OTC figures, net taxable sales in Enid during the period were 9.6 percent above sales during the same period in 2012, continuing strong results for the past couple of years. There was a small blip in the May distribution, when Enid showed a slight decrease. Read more...

Inaugural program allows for networking opportunities

The collective experiences of Enid interns should be getting a little brighter thanks to the new Enid Summer Achievers Program.

The Enid Regional Development Alliance introduced this inaugural program, which offers free housing, utilities, Internet and cable. Additionally, dinners are organized with business partners, and social outings are planned to help interns experience Enid's fun side and allow for networking opportunities. Read more...

Neil Juhnke of Northstar Agri Industries

One of the hallmarks of successful entrepreneurs is adaptability. Successful business leaders have the ability to deviate from the current path of business and take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.

A great example of this innovative, flexible spirit right here in Oklahoma can be seen in the farming community. With 5.4 million acres of wheat farmed in Oklahoma annually, sprawling wheat fields and herds of cattle grazing are a sight Oklahomans are used to seeing. But soon, local farmers may be significantly changing our agricultural landscape, shifting a portion of their focus to canola.

In March, the Oklahoma Canola Council held a "Canola College," at which more than 300 farmers learned more about growing, maintaining and maximizing canola production. They learned that canola not only helps increase farm revenue potential up to $60 per acre, but also that rotating their wheat crop with canola helps their wheat with a higher yield. Read more...