December 2018
Greenheck celebrates phase I completion with phase II expansion groundbreaking
Greenheck Group, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of air movement, control and conditioning equipment, celebrated the completion of phase one at its Tulsa campus, a $100 million capital investment that will employ 600 people. This first phase includes more than 200,000 square feet of operational space and 20,000 square feet of office space. Greenheck leadership also revealed renderings and details about the second phase of construction, which will include over 160,000 square feet of manufacturing space for dampers and power roof ventilators. The campus will support more than 600 jobs once phase two opens for production in early 2020.
Spirit AeroSystems announces $80 million expansion, 250 Jobs
Spirit AeroSystems announced the company plans to expand operations at its Tulsa site by hiring about 250 employees and investing more than $80 million in capital projects to support fuselage manufacturing and assembly work. The multi-year expansion project was achieved in partnership with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). The state of Oklahoma and City of Tulsa offered incentives to help secure the work statement in Tulsa with support from the Tulsa Regional Chamber.
Morcon Inc. opens manufacturing and distribution center
Morcon Inc., a supplier of commercial paper products for the food, health care and industrial markets, is moving into a 60,000-square-foot facility at CenterGate Business Park. The organization is scheduled to move in during the first quarter of 2019 and is the company’s first Oklahoma plant. The New York-based company has facilities in Cambridge, New York and Great Falls, South Carolina.
Helmerich & Payne announces new tech business
Helmerich & Payne, the Tulsa-based drilling company, announced the start of H&P Technologies to development advanced technologies and directional drilling automation. The company also announced the acquisition of Angus Jamieson Consulting, a software-based training and consultancy company based in Scotland.
HVAC manufacturer expands
Specific Systems, a Tulsa manufacturer, moved into a space more than double the size of the company’s former facility. Established in 1974, the company engineers and manufactures explosion-proof air conditioners and industrial grade HVAC systems. The new facility is estimated to increase the company’s overall capacity by more than 50 percent, as well as increase efficiency.
Large, multifamily complex to break ground downtown
A new, $40 million, six-story development will create new housing downtown when it opens in 2020. The 198-unit complex features two pools, an attached parking structure and views of downtown’s skyline and ballpark. The complex, dubbed The View, will be on the southeast corner of Archer Street and Elgin Avenue.
Arvest Bank to build downtown parking garage
Arvest Bank, a longtime downtown denizen, has committed to building their own parking garage. The bank, at 5th Street and Main Street, is building a four-story, 180-spot parking facility. The project is beginning in January and scheduled to complete in July.
Mayor names new Deputy Chief of Staff
Mayor G.T. Bynum promoted Amy Brown to be the city’s new deputy mayor, replacing Michael Junk, who left the office to become newly-inaugurated Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s chief of staff. Brown, 30, was Bynum’s deputy chief of staff since he took office in 2016.
ORU’s new supercomputer to tackle major calculations
Oral Roberts University unveiled its new $850,000 supercomputer with plans to compute code related to a myriad of applications, including weather forecasted and bioinformatics. The computer was donated by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and has more than 1,300 high-performance computing cores and the capacity to perform 45 trillion calculations per second.
State economy still growing
Gross receipts to the state treasury continue to signal economic growth with numbers 16 percent higher in November compared to the same month last year. With 20 consecutive months of growth in gross receipts and unemployment at its lowest in 17 years, Oklahoma is on track to finish 2018 on a high note. November gross collections total $1 billion, or $140.1 million more than November 2017.
State expects $612 million additional funds for new budget
The state will have an extra $612 million to spend in fiscal year 2020, according to a preliminary report by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. The increase is attributed to conservative budgets over the past few years and a growing statewide economy. The $612 million is an 8 percent increase above fiscal year 2019.
