Spirit to Hire Plant Workers
Spirit AeroSystems Inc., the Wichita-based aerospace manufacturer that fabricates wing components in Tulsa for several Boeing commercial aircraft, will hire 200 factory workers for the Tulsa and Wichita plants in the first quarter of 2011. The Tulsa facility is seeking aircraft assemblers with a minimum of three years experience in structure mechanics, systems installation and sealing. Industry executives attribute the new jobs to increasing aircraft demand in late 2010.
GWACS Defense Announces Expansion
Tulsa-based GWACS Defense Inc. is finishing development of a one-pound sniper-busting device, wearable by troops, that uses acoustic sensors to identify and track the source of gunfire with advanced logarithms, then display the distance, direction and location of the shot in less than one second. GWACS plans to deliver the device to troops within the year. As a result, GWACS is moving forward on hiring 58 additional employees in Tulsa.
Ameron to Build New Plant in North Tulsa
Ameron International Corp. announced a steel pole factory in north Tulsa that will create as many as 50 welding and engineering jobs. Ameron’s new, 75,000-square-foot facility will produce products for highway lighting, traffic control, light rail and smart grid structures. The $35 million plant, located near 66th Street North and Whirlpool Drive, should be complete in about two years.
Metro at Brady Arts District Begins Construction
With construction beginning at a former parking lot at Archer and Main, the long-planned companion apartment building to the Tribune Lofts began in mid-January. The $12 million, 75-unit building will be known as The Metro at Brady Arts District when it’s finished in early 2012. Of the 75 units, 71 will be divided between one and two-bedroom floor plans with rents ranging from $875 to $1,275 per month. The remaining four units will be “live/work” rentals, with office space on the first floor and living area on the second.
Airport Outlines Five-Year Improvement Program
The five-year, $158.7 million capital improvement plan for Tulsa International has 16 projects, including the $31 million rehabilitation of the east passenger concourse with electrical upgrades, a new fire suppression system, lighting, passenger boarding bridges and furniture. Construction will begin in 2012. Also planned are a $31.5 million expansion of the passenger terminal parking garage and upgrades to rental car facilities and the $22 million second phase of the six-year $70 million reconstruction of the 10,000-foot main north-south runway.
Arrow Engine Announces Expansion
Tulsa-based Arrow Engine is gearing up for an expansion that will change the 56-year-old oil and gas industry supplier into a more competitive entity. Construction began in early February on a remodel and expansion of the plant at Lewis Avenue and Independence Street, one of the company’s three area factories. Plans call for adding 20,000 square feet and remodeling the existing 20,000 square feet. Arrow Engine’s growth from 40 employees in 2001 to its current work force of 230 has been spurred by the continuing demand for energy in the form of oil and gas wells.
Avis Budget Group Adding 60 Positions in Tulsa
Avis Budget Group is adding 60 employees at its reservations and customer service center in Tulsa. The expanded employment at Avis Budget will provide a $10.7 million economic impact to the local economy. The facility now employs 550 people. The growth is a result of closing two regional call centers in the past two years and transferring positions from those facilities to Tulsa.
Ductmate Selects Tulsa for Distribution Center
Ductmate, one of the largest heating, ventilation and air conditioning accessories manufacturers in the U.S. announced that it has chosen Tulsa for its next distribution center. The Charleroi, Pa.-based company has leased a 61,250-square-foot facility on 9.4 acres at 3248 N Sheridan Road. The company expects to employ 10 to 25 people at the facility. Ductmate plans to add manufacturing at the facility within five years.
Port of Catoosa Announces Company Expansions
Two companies are building facilities at the Port while others are expanding their workforce. Insulation Specialists of Tulsa announced a new Port facility; Carbonyx has started construction on a new 60,000-square-foot facility and Viking Packing Specialist recently expanded into another building. In the last 18 months, Port companies have added more than 200 new jobs with total Port employment exceeding 2,950 people. Officials also announced that 2.25 million tons of cargo was shipped in or out of the Port in 2010, the most in four years.
New Movie Theater Planned for Tulsa
A 12-screen Carmike Cinemas movie theater will open this year at The Walk, a shopping center being developed in southwest Tulsa. The Columbus, Ga.-based chain is the first tenant to commit to the planned shopping center, which will be located on 32 acres at the southeast corner of 81st Street and U.S. 75. Dallas-based Garrett Moore Co. is leading the $35 million development, just south of the new Tulsa Hills shopping center. The theater will be the first in Tulsa for Carmike, the nation’s fourth-largest cinema company.
TU, Gilcrease & Philbrook Expanding to Brady Arts District
Construction began in late January on the east section of the interconnected buildings on Brady Street between Boston and Cincinnati avenues, which will ultimately house facilities for the Philbrook Museum of Art and the University of Tulsa. The total budget for the Mathews Warehouse project is $18 million. The TU portion of the project will become the Zarrow Center for Arts and Education, a three-story facility that will house art exhibit spaces, art studios for students and visiting artists, classrooms and offices, and a wine and cheese bar. Gilcrease Museum, which is managed by TU, will also use the facility to augment its education programming and for temporary exhibits with works produced by area artists or items from the Gilcrease collection that have not been shown due to space considerations.
Oklahoma Economy on the Rebound According to State Treasurer
The state’s economy continues a slow and steady recovery from the recession according to State Treasurer Ken Miller. General revenue fund collections for December were $454.5 million or 13 percent above the same month last year and $18.9 million or 4.3 percent above the state estimate. The state sales tax produced $145.2 million for the month - $9.4 million above the prior year. The figure is $4.3 million or 3.1 percent above the estimate.
BOK Center Continues to Perform Among the Best
Nationally, Tulsa’s BOK Center made it to No. 10 in ticket sales in 2010, according to Pollstar Pro, with 360,871 tickets sold. The venue ranked No. 23 in worldwide arena ticket sales, with the Oklahoma City Arena at No. 96 on that chart, with 124,766 tickets sold. In 2009, the BOK Center ranked No. 8 nationally and No. 20 worldwide.
Kaiser Foundation Receives Cleanup Grant
The state’s environmental agency awarded a $200,000 brownfield cleanup grant to the George Kaiser Family Foundation to help develop an energy-efficient park in the Brady District. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality grant will be used to remove underground fuel tanks at the site last occupied by Central Freight Lines. The $8 million park and pavilion project funded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation will occupy an entire block and include a large lawn, a water feature and a performance pavilion.