There are times in a community when a leader comes along who pushes us to think of things differently. To push us to a new level. To give us confidence that we can accomplish more than we ever have before.

Oklahoma City had that leadership when they passed the first MAPS project downtown. Tulsa had that leadership when they created the BOK Center. Oklahoma had that leadership when we developed the Kerr-McClellan Waterway. Every project had one or two individuals who led the charge and challenged people to dream a bigger dream for their community than they ever thought possible.

For the past several years, Enid has had a leader like this....our City Manager, Eric Benson.

He had the vision for our community to get more aggressive in the area of Economic Development and helped revitalize our Enid Regional Development Alliance. He drove our out-of-the-box thinking on retail attraction, and delivered a vision for downtown event and convention centers and a community-wide network of walking trails. He has had a passion for developing quality of life venues to satisfy the needs of our citizens and potential citizens. Under his leadership our retail sales have grown from less than $650 million to over $900 million and our population and per capita income levels have risen every year. On December 31, Eric Benson will be retiring.

Like trying to unring a bell, we as a community will not be able to unrealize the vision that has been shared with us. It will be our responsibility to continue believing in ourselves and becoming the community our children will want to return to so they can raise their families and start their careers. We are on a very strong trajectory, but we can't rest on our laurels. 2015 will be a big year for Enid. We will have a $1.3 billion fertilizer plant under construction, a $150 million wind farm being built, more hotels, more houses, and more rental units rising up out of vacant pastures. It is a great time to be in Enid and I can't wait to see how far we can go.

It is a time of transition for Enid. Our office enjoyed working with Mr. Benson, but we are also very excited to begin work with our new City Manager, Jerald Gilbert. If you are reading this from outside of Enid, Mr. Gilbert has served as our City Chief Financial Officer for the past several years and knows how strong our community has become. He is the Commander for a Field Artillery Battalion with the Army National Guard and understands how important strong leadership is. I have no doubt that Mr. Gilbert will help us continue on this pro-growth path we are currently traveling.

Henry Ford also said, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success will take care of itself."

We are fortunate in Enid that the leadership of this community are all moving in the same direction right now. It is the biggest reason for our success. I have no doubt that 2015 will be another record setting year for our community on the rise.

Merry Christmas,

Brent Kisling

Executive Director

STATE CHAMBER BUSINESS ROUND TABLE

The State Chamber of Oklahoma Business Roundtable TV Program recently featured ERDA Executive Director, Brent Kisling. Brent fielded questions from Fred Morgan, President/CEO of the State Chamber about the mission of Enid Regional Development Alliance. You can watch this informative interview via this video link.

ERDA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR GRADUATES

Lisa Powell graduated from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute on November 20, 2014 at the OU EDI fall session held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lisa serves as the Associate Director of Enid Regional Development Alliance and is a graduate of Enid High School and Oklahoma State University. OU EDI is an intensive week long, three-tier program which provides a broad spectrum of advanced education for the economic development professional. OU EDI classes focus on three major core areas including: Business Retention and Expansion, Real Estate, and Finance, as well as areas of concentration in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Entrepreneurship, and Managing Economic Development Organizations. Lisa will sit for the Certified Economic

Developer exam this summer.

EXPANDED MENU: Enid tries to recruit new restaurants

Restaurants are doing well in Enid. So well, in fact, that there are always lines out the door, said Marcy Jarrett, Visit Enid director.

"There are just more people coming here and wanting to go out to eat," she said. Besides the workforce, the city has attracted more people from outside its city limits with its new Event Center and Convention Hall. Since it opened in June 2013, more than 120,000 people have gone through the venue, and 40 percent of ticket purchasers were from outside Grady County. Jarrett said people from outside Enid also come to the city for doctor's appointments or to shop. While the city has more people coming to its attractions, it's having difficulty getting enough restaurants to keep up with demand. "What we're up against is people looking at the community of 52,000, and what they're not looking at is the reach we have, and the market that comes to Enid that wants these restaurants," she said. "There are owners that are overlooking Enid and they're missing an opportunity." In fact, the city is losing $35 million in restaurant sales, according to a retail gap study by Rickey Hayes with Retail Attractions LLC. Read more...

RETAIL SALES UP AGAIN IN ENID

Retail sales in Enid are up for the second month in a row, following three straight months of declines, according to Oklahoma Tax Commission reports released this month. Net taxable sales were up $7,081,085 in comparison to sales reported in December 2013. The City of Enid received $2,711,379 in sales tax revenue this month - up 10.06 percent from the same period last year - for sales occurring in late October and estimated sales for early November. Read more...

NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER'S ENID EVENT CENTER

When Enid Regional Development Alliance Executive Director Brent Kisling speaks to a business about locating in Enid, he's been able to add the Enid Event Center and Convention Hall to his quality-of-life activities list. "The Enid Event Center is the crown jewel in the quality-of-life efforts," Kisling said. The 74,000-square-event center was built next to the existing convention hall, which has an 11,000-square-foot ballroom, a junior ballroom with 3,000 square feet, seven meeting rooms and a boardroom. The hall received $7 million in renovations as part of the $20 million Enid Renaissance Project that included building the event center. The center and convention hall are in downtown Enid, 301 S. Independence St. Read more...

ENID COMPANY WINS DREAM BIG TOP PRIZE

Enid's T&C Meats won the big prize in the final round of the Dream Big Oklahoma Cherokee Strip competition. The $5,000 first prize was awarded Wednesday, in Autry Technology Center's lectorium.

Four small businesses faced off in this final round for the $5,000 prize for their business improvement ideas. Competitors had five minutes to present their ideas to the audience and three judges in a pitch-off event similar to the television show "SharkTank." Read more...

OVER THE FENCE FARMS BEGINS CO-PACKING BRANCH

Over the Fence Farms is a family-owned business that makes specialty pickles, spices and baking mixes. Its product is now in more than 50 stores across Oklahoma, and it is already building a client base for its brand new co-packing branch. The new branch will be called Spotted Cow Packaging. "I never could have pulled together a commercial kitchen on my own." Owner Linda Beguin said. "Because the Center has that resource, I have been able to grow my business to what it is today."

NOC PLUS 50 PROGRAM TO BRIDGE THE GAP

Northern Oklahoma College believes that a college education should be available to everyone. Through the Plus 50 Encore Completion Program, the college prepares adults age 50 and older for fulfilling careers in nursing, social work and education for the adult learner who is facing the opportunities and challenges of leaving their current job and choosing retirement or a second career. Attend a Plus 50 Information Seminar on the first Tuesday in March, July and October each year. Learning is a lifelong process. Let Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa, Enid or Stillwater prepare you for the next step. For more information, contact Plus 50 advisor April Heitfeld at 580.548.2322 or click here.

ERDA MAKES ITS CASE FOR NORCE PROPERTY USAGE

Local interests are pressing the state to consider ceding parts of the Northern Oklahoma Resource Center of Enid campus for business or agriculture. There are some "great uses" for the facility that now houses just six developmentally disabled clients of the state, Brent Kisling told an Oklahoma Senate panel this week. Kisling is executive director of Enid Regional Development Alliance. "We're sad that NORCE is closing, but even in its closure it still could be a very valuable asset for us," he said after the hearing.. Read more...