lol, if everyone keeps pressing Pete, he is going to stop bring stuff like this up till he can say something. But I'm just as curious as everyone else.

We did say this has nothing to do with it right?

Terex to upgrade Oklahoma City operations | News OK (http://newsok.com/terex-to-upgrade-oklahoma-city-operations/article/3894270)

We did say this has nothing to do with it right?

Terex to upgrade Oklahoma City operations | News OK (http://newsok.com/terex-to-upgrade-oklahoma-city-operations/article/3894270)

Yep, Pete chimed in and said this was a separate deal.

Please tell me Fed Ex is relocating here or moving some from it's Memphis headquarters? ;) How about Southwest Airlines? I'd love to see anything that could expand our airport and give us more flights and choices. Heck, I think Walmart should move some of its stuff from Bentonville and build a big tower shaped like a W for the world to see!!! I'm a dreamer but hey why not? How cool would that be to see 2 tall towers with the smaller arch in the middle??? Pete, get a hold of your sources and make this happen!

FedEx owns MEM, no advantage to moving here. What exactly would Southwest put in here that isn't already? Walmart controls Bentonville - no need to move.

Yes, this has been code named "Project Socrates" and the company has been using intermediaries to scout for sites and handle negotiations.

I know who the company is only because I've pieced together several different chunks of credible information but I won't say because I don't want to jeopardize the negotiations.


BTW, the GE Global Research Center is code named "Project Sandstorm".

The various public agencies often use code names because they have to report on progress but don't want to reveal confidential details. And obviously, some companies don't want their names mentioned until they are ready.

Sounds like when 'Armageddon' and 'Deep Impact' were being filmed under fake movie names to throw anyone off...


Being near an airport is a plus for this type of facility.

I think Owasso would be better set up with regard to Tulsa International but you never know because the proximity of where they're looking at here in OKC to our airport is much closer than Owasso.

I just meant *any* distribution center benefits from being close to an airport as there is always the need to receive things via air cargo.

I just meant *any* distribution center benefits from being close to an airport as there is always the need to receive things via air cargo.

Pete, ...if we played the %'s... Is OKC ahead ? ... are they a lean our way?

Pete, ...if we played the %'s... Is OKC ahead ? ... are they a lean our way?

What is this? The blitz on KWTV with a has been ex-QB and some other sports dude? :-P

I think we need to respect Pete and not jeopardize his contacts.

I honestly don't know if OKC or Owasso is in the lead for this.

I do know OKC made a very strong bid and obviously has a lot to offer.

We should know for sure within a month.



BTW, I wonder at what point our incredibly low unemployment rate starts to hurt in these pursuits??

It's hard to see where all the people are coming from to man all the jobs that have been flooding in... Nice problem to have, that's for sure!

My money is on Amazon.

+ 1 ...it's a fit for them.

Wasn't there a blurb earlier this week regarding Google getting into next day or same day delivery?

Yes they are. They haven't expanded outside of CA though yet.

Middle of the country would be a great spot!

people will just move to OKC from somewhere else to man the jobs. it is a very nice problem to have and certainly will impact OKC's population numbers even moreso than the steady increases we've been seeing. Could this and other relocations truly turn OKC into the next major city boomtown?

OKC vs. Tulsa/Owasso is it? My money is on OKC hands down (Tulsa/Owasso would still benefit).

Nothing against Tulsa but I will be upset if they end up winning this over OKC.

OKC needs more large relocations that will bring people in if it is to ever become a boomtown.

people will just move to OKC from somewhere else to man the jobs. it is a very nice problem to have and certainly will impact OKC's population numbers even moreso than the steady increases we've been seeing. Could this and other relocations truly turn OKC into the next major city boomtown?

OKC vs. Tulsa/Owasso is it? My money is on OKC hands down (Tulsa/Owasso would still benefit).

The problem is, in order to attract people from a distance to entry level jobs or low skilled jobs (such as warehouse), you have to significantly increase the pay. When you significantly increase the pay, you hurt the profitability metric (whatever index the company uses) and a city with higher employment could be more attractive due to lower pay.

It's all a ratio..

Cost of increased transportation to access the highway system + lower pay = X
Cost of lower transportation costs to access highway + higher pay = Y

Many more factors to consider of course, but yes there is a point where a very low unemployment rate can negatively affect a relocation or expansion.

If they are looking for a city with a higher unemployment rate, Tulsa isn't really the place to look. Tulsa as well as OKC have very low unemployment rates. The only difference is job growth in Tulsa has been slower up to this point.

Maybe all those poor people employed by Wal Mart, so underpaid and on food stamps will move over to work at the distribution center.

who said anything about lower pay?

but even if it does end up being lower pay, it sure beats 'no pay'. And the dollar stretches significantly in OKC than just about any other major city in the country. And with OKC adding QoL like its current pace, I'm not sure the value proposition for someone considering relocating to OKC is as doom and gloom as it once was (I can confirm this from a few Boeing folks I know who relocated). This is especially true if folks do their research and discover that OKC isn't the wasteland that had been common folklore of the 1980's.

Really amazing how different OKC is today from back then.

Maybe all those poor people employed by Wal Mart, so underpaid and on food stamps will move over to work at the distribution center.

... I hope we can continue this economic growth so all can "up-grade" and have that Quality of Life they desire.

who said anything about lower pay?

but even if it does end up being lower pay, it sure beats 'no pay'. And the dollar stretches significantly in OKC than just about any other major city in the country. And with OKC adding QoL like its current pace, I'm not sure the value proposition for someone considering relocating to OKC is as doom and gloom as it once was (I can confirm this from a few Boeing folks I know who relocated). This is especially true if folks do their research and discover that OKC isn't the wasteland that had been common folklore of the 1980's.

Really amazing how different OKC is today from back then.

I'm liking the fact that ALL sectors of our economy are growing. Energy / Tech / Health Care / Aero ( Boeing ) / ...and yes Distribution too. Love it.

Learned this morning the specific site this company is looking at is the old Corning plant on the NE corner of Reno and Sara Road.

They would tear down the existing steel skeleton and start new.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/socrates1.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/socrates2.jpg

That would be a perfect spot for their next DC.

That would be a perfect spot for their next DC.Are you implying you know who it is? If so, please tell.

Learned this morning the specific site this company is looking at is the old Corning plant on the NE corner of Reno and Sara Road.

They would tear down the existing steel skeleton and start new.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/socrates1.jpg




The dirt patch just to the west/northwest of this structure, is in the process of having a very substantial building built on it right now. Lots of oil field related companies have built on Sarah Rd in this stretch in the last year.

I think this industrial land is controlled by Richard Tannenbaum (sp?).

Could it be Grainger?

There are a lot of new buildings popping up out that way recently. I think there's some sort of IT/networking building and several oilfield businesses.

This site makes sense. As I understand it, the City does not have control of large contiguous and appealing partials of land which they can use as a carrot and negotiation tool. Because of that, I know when other companies have explored OKC in the past, the City has gone to Tannebaum for help on this very site. They have collaborated in the past on trying to put together big picture deals that did not materialize for one reason or another. Hopefully this one does since the company in question would be a HUGE catalyst and momentum booster for our already bustling economy. Let's hope Santa visits OKC soon while Owasso, and maybe others, get a lump of coal.

This site makes sense. As I understand it, the City does not have control of large contiguous and appealing partials of land which they can use as a carrot and negotiation tool. Because of that, I know when other companies have explored OKC in the past, the City has gone to Tannebaum for help on this very site. They have collaborated in the past on trying to put together big picture deals that did not materialize for one reason or another. Hopefully this one does since the company in question would be a HUGE catalyst and momentum booster for our already bustling economy. Let's hope Santa visits OKC soon while Owasso, and maybe others, get a lump of coal.

Correct, the City doesn't have control, but they did have the foresight a few years ago to have an "employment lands" study done.

The study is located here: City of Oklahoma City | Planning Department Plans + Studies (http://www.okc.gov/planning/plans+studies/index.html)

http://www.okc.gov/planning/plans+studies/Resources/Employment%20Land%20Study.pdf

http://www.okc.gov/planning/plans+studies/Resources/Employment%20Land%20Study%20Appendices.pdf

Thanks for posting the links. I've seen the study, great move by City Planning, Cathy O'Conner, and the Chamber. The bigger move will be how they proceed.........

Thought this might be appropriate for this thread:


Amazon testing 'octocopter' package-delivery drones
Internet retail giant expects to be use small drones to deliver packages to customer doorsteps within 30 minutes of their order in the next five years.

An Amazon center does seem like OKC would be a good choice for them.

Sad to report that OKC has been eliminated.

I believe this means Owasso will get the distribution center.

Should hear something official very soon.

Sad to report that OKC has been eliminated.

I believe this means Owasso will get the distribution center.

Should hear something official very soon.

Wow...well you win some and you lose some, not a good way to start off December though...since this was supposed to be a month of good news.

This is going to have a HUGE impact on Owasso/Tulsa Metro area...

Welp, I guess we'll see who it is and then sulk

Pretty sure it is/was Amazon.

Dang :(

What's weird is that Amazon already has a distribution center in Coffeyville, KS, only about an hour from Owasso.

So are we certain that it's them?

Is this a product of OKC not having the right mix of something they're looking for (duh)? Maybe the wrong available workforce?

Any idea if this was supposed to be one of the big announcements before the end of the year that Pete and Steve hinted at? Or was everyone just assuming it would be because of the timing?

I don't think we'll ever know.

Even the people involved with economic development were only given a code name and dealt with a consultant, not the company directly.

I suspect they got better incentives elsewhere, but that would never be divulged.

Weird.

Good for Owasso and the Tulsa area, though.

Guess OKC will just have to settle for all of its other amazing developments and announcements.

Good for them, at least those will be new Oklahoma jobs and not Texas ones. This is still a win in my book, OKC can't get everything.

This is a big deal, we are talking about employing 1,000 people, who will pump that money back into the local economy. It will also spur other development in the area, road infrastructure improvements, hotels, restaurants, etc.

Didn't Terex announce 1700 jobs for OKC recently? I wonder what the avg. Pay is for an Amazon worker?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com#Closed_fulfillment.2C_warehousing_and_c ustomer_service_locations

Fulfillment and warehousing

Fulfillment centers are located in the following cities, often near airports. These centers also provide warehousing and order-fulfillment for third-party sellers:[83]

Warehouses are large and each has hundreds of employees. Employees are responsible for four basic tasks: unpacking and inspecting incoming goods; placing goods in storage and recording their location; picking goods from their computer recorded locations to make up an individual shipment; and shipping. A central computer which records the location of goods and maps out routes for pickers plays a central role; employees carry hand-held computers which communicate with the central computer and monitor their rate of progress. A picker with their cart may walk 10 or more miles a day. In the United Kingdom initial staffing was provided by Randstad Holding and other temporary employment agencies. Some workers are accepted as Amazon employees and granted pension and shares of stock; others are dismissed. "When we have permanent positions available, we look to the top performing temporary associates to fill them."[84] Development of a high level of automation is anticipated in the future following Amazon's 2012 acquisition of Kiva Systems, a warehouse automation company.

North America
USA
Goodyear, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Patterson, CA
San Bernardino, CA
Tracy, CA (opening 2014)
Windsor Locks, CT
Middletown, DE[85]
New Castle, DE
Jeffersonville, IN
Plainfield, IN
Whitestown, IN
Coffeyville, KS
Campbellsville, KY
Hebron, KY (near Cincinnati, OH)
Lexington, KY
Louisville, KY
Baltimore, MD (opening Fall 2014)
Robbinsville, NJ (opening early 2014)[86]
Fernley, NV
North Las Vegas, NV
Nashua, NH
Breinigsville, PA
Carlisle, PA
Hazleton, PA
Lewisberry, PA
Lexington, SC[87][88]
Spartanburg, SC;
Chattanooga, TN
Lebanon, TN
Murfreesboro, TN
Irving, TX[89] (between Dallas and Fort Worth)
Schertz,TX (near San Antonio)
Chester, VA
Dinwiddie, VA (near Richmond, VA)
Sterling, VA
Bellevue, WA
DuPont, WA (opening Fall 2013)
Sumner, WA.[90][91]

This is a very surprising turn.

So these jobs are under temp agencies? Low paying 8-12$/hr jobs? Still good for their economy, and the state.

Amazon pays pretty decently for warehousing jobs, usually $12-15/hr with a good bennies package.

With that in mind, Hobby Lobby pays more at their warehouse (and they are expanding rapidly, which for whatever reason makes little news in the mainstream here). And Terex stated their average starting salary will be a hair over $40K.

Wow, didn't realize Amazon paid that decent of a wage! Terex w/1700 employees @40k per year will have a huge impact on our area.

Hold the phone...

Might not be dead after all. :)

Hold the phone...

Might not be dead after all. :)

Lmao what a tease.

Hopefully OKC isn't in some bidding war, throwing out millions of dollars, against another Oklahoma city for some average paying jobs.

I'm getting conflicting information but expect the final decision will be announced this month.

Either way it will be good for Oklahoma and OKC is on a roll.

I'm getting conflicting information but expect the final decision will be announced this month.

You're probably right.

Anyone see 60 Minutes Sunday? Great piece on Amazon.

Anyone see 60 Minutes Sunday? Great piece on Amazon.

I am not sure delivery drones would be a good idea in Oklahoma - some idiot will try to shoot them down. ;)

Didn't Terex announce 1700 jobs for OKC recently? I wonder what the avg. Pay is for an Amazon worker?Over a ten year period. What could go wrong lol. . .

I am not sure delivery drones would be a good idea in Oklahoma - some idiot will try to shoot them down. ;)

try? Redneck Yoda comes to mind.

It would like be a ghetto thug that would shoot one down. Your average redneck understands how ammunition works. What goes up must come down. If you don't hit what your aiming at, it can come back and hit you. Not mention, these drones are likely equipped with cameras and GPS (Yes rednecks use GPS and they used it long before most city slickers had it in their cars and on smartphones)so that it can be verified that the delivery arrived at the correct address and to the correct person. I could see people saying they never received there items or somebody else stealing the item by intercepting it before the owner could receive it. If nothing else, I could see Domino's, Pizza Hut or Papa Johns wanting to use these things.