Niagara Bottling to bring large facility to far west OKC (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=401-Niagara-Bottling-to-bring-large-facility-to-far-west-OKC)

Work has started on a large plant for Niagara Bottling in far west Oklahoma City.


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Headquarted in Southern California and family owned, the company manufactures Niagara Purified Drinking Water and has similar facilities in about 20 locations around North America.

Documents show that the warehouse would be 340,000 square feet plus 67,000 square feet of office space at 500 N. Sara Road, just north of I-40 and east of the Kilpartrick Turnpike.


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The land is currently owned by local developers Gardner Tanenbaum, who acquired this property several years ago as part of the unfinished Corning building which they have subsequently completed and have been leasing to office tenants. The five story building is now known as Westgate One.

Dick Tanenbaum had purchased the 190-acre tract along with the abandoned building for $3 million from Corning, who had reportedly invested around $40 million before the sale.


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Since the purchase by Tanenbaum, several parcels have been sold off to manufacturing and warehouse businesses.

In recently built, similar-sized bottling plants in the U.S., Niagara has created multiple manufacturing lines and employed up to 100 people.

Cathy O'Connor with the Alliance for Economic Development said no agreement on public incentives has been reached with Niagara but indicated they are still a possibility. In several new markets, Niagara has negotiated financial incentives in exchange for construction and job creation.

The plant represents yet another large manufacture in far western Oklahoma City, joining recent companies such as Hobby Lobby (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=26739), Schlumberger (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=38507), American Tire Distributors (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=38886), and the under-construction Amazon facility (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=368-Amazon-bringing-first-Oklahoma-facility-to-OKC).

Calls to Niagara's headquarters were not returned.

That's always good news

West OKC is an economic powerhouse.

It's hard to get a grasp about how many warehouses and light industrial facilities are out there unless you look at an aerial.

Hobby Lobby alone is now OKC's largest private employer and there are just thousand and thousands of other jobs out there as well, most not related to oil & gas.

West OKC is an economic powerhouse.

It's hard to get a grasp about how many warehouses and light industrial facilities are out there unless you look at an aerial.

Hobby Lobby alone is now OKC's largest private employer and there are just thousand and thousands of other jobs out there as well, most not related to oil & gas.
Like I've been saying, OKC's economy is far more diverse than people realize. The city's GDP didn't shrink despite the worst oil crash since the 80s. That's unbelievable. That doesn't happen in NY during a market crash, and San Francisco would be crushed in another tech bubble. To have the city grow by leaps and bounds the oil has to be high but the city can hold it's own during a crash.

I'm always happy to hear about a new manufacturer coming to the city. And I second what gopokes said about OKC being more diverse than many believe. If only the state would get its fiscal house in order, we would grow leaps and bounds.

Does this mean we can expect to see a new brand of bottled water in the stores?

Then again maybe this brand is already in stores and I haven't noticed.

I still haven't found the Ozarka water that is supposed to be bottled here or something. All I ever find at the store is Nestle stuff.

West OKC is an economic powerhouse.

It's hard to get a grasp about how many warehouses and light industrial facilities are out there unless you look at an aerial.

Hobby Lobby alone is now OKC's largest private employer and there are just thousand and thousands of other jobs out there as well, most not related to oil & gas.

Salaries ?? No jobs created by this Water bottler?

Salaries ?? No jobs created by this Water bottler?

The article states that similar facilitates generate about 100 jobs.

I'm sure salaries will be determined by the local market conditions.

Salaries ?? No jobs created by this Water bottler?

All Pete listed was this little blurb in the top section -


'In recently built, similar-sized bottling plants in the U.S., Niagara has created multiple manufacturing lines and employed up to 100 people.'

Hobby Lobby purchases all of their bottled water for our breaks to drink thoroughly and stay hydrated.

I seem to remember Niagara branded water sold here in the past. I thought it was part of Ozarka.

The article states that similar facilitates generate about 100 jobs.

I'm sure salaries will be determined by the local market conditions.

These jobs typically pay $12-15 an hour, with some specialty and lead positions paying a little more than that. Add in a few supervisors and managers making $40-60k a year.

These aren't the types of jobs that will win over new Whole Foods locations or new downtown condos, but these are steady, full time jobs that pay decent for the cost of living. These are the jobs that provide economic stability. Which is good.

There is a decent amount of office space included in this project.

I bet they add sales positions as well.

I can only cross my fingers and hope they need an infrastructure guy (IT).

I can only cross my fingers and hope they need an infrastructure guy (IT).

All the cool stuff is probably at corporate. They might have one onsite dude to fix computers and patch drops, but I can't see much else.

Just one week ago Cathy O'Connor told me directly they had not made a deal with Niagara for economic incentives,

Yesterday, when the agenda for the Economic Development Trust was posted (O'Connor is the Surrogate General Manager) it had a fully formed agreement with Niagara for approval:


The Company plans to add approximately 45 new jobs in Oklahoma City over the next five (5) years. These jobs reflect the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City. The average first year wage for these new jobs is estimated to be $44,200. After evaluating options for the location of this business unit in several locations in the Midwestern United States Niagara Bottling, LLC has chosen to locate a facility in Oklahoma City after analyzing available sites, overall operating expenses,
total planned capital expenses, and evaluating community fit and receptiveness to the company and project.

Company Background
Niagara Bottling, LLC is a leading manufacturer of private brand bottled water and other private label beverages. Established in 1963, the company is headquartered in Ontario, CA and currently has over 3,500 employees in 28 locations throughout North America. Niagara Bottling, LLC has a strong domestic and international market, and its product can be found in more than 15 countries. The company’s new Oklahoma City location will provide an optimal solution that is close to both its existing and growing customer market in Oklahoma and surrounding areas in the Midwest.

Project Background
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and the City have worked with the Company since January 2017. In evaluating its location options for their new water bottling facility, Company management met with City and Chamber staff to discuss the needs of their planned operation. Based in part upon local and state incentives, the company has decided to locate this operation in Oklahoma City.

Economic Impact
The total estimated economic impact of this project is $138.6 million over the first six years of operation (based on total project impact, including capital investment, wages, state and local taxes). The estimated local sales tax and property tax revenue is expected to be $292,903 over the first six years of operation and more than $26,000 annually from the seventh year forward.

Recommended SIP offer: $225,000
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Economic Development Division recommends a local incentive package of $225,000 based on the following information provided by the Company:
• Incentive based on the creation of 45 new jobs over five (5) years.
• Estimated average annual wage of $44,200 (first year wage).
• Estimated first year additional payroll of $1,989,000 which they will maintain through the first 5 years of operation.
• The Oklahoma City operation will serve clients throughout the Midwestern United States.
• The company plans to invest approximately $57,000,000 in new facility and equipment.
• This is the latest expansion in an established pattern or continual growth by Niagara throughout North America.
• There is the potential for additional future growth at this facility.
• The Company considered a number of alternative locations for these jobs. The state and local incentives were important in positioning Oklahoma City as a competitive location for this operation.

I drove by there a little while ago and just about all the walls to the plant are already up. Doesn't look like they're wasting any time in building the building. I also saw a number of other smaller buildings under construction in the area over on Morgan

Are they using city water or well water?

It would almost certainly be city.

I am curious to know much Niagara will pay for water. Has there been any consideration on how much water they will use. According to Bloomberg Nestle gets it cheap in low cost areas.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-21/nestl-makes-billions-bottling-water-it-pays-nearly-nothing-for

This facility is HUGE. Over 100,000 square feet larger than Amazon.

Impressive in person.

Are they using city water or well water?

Good question! I can't see them sucking water out of either Overholser or Hefner. No bigger than Overholser is, not to mention how shallow it is, it would get sucked dry in no time. Regarding Hefner, what would happen when we get into one of those droughts that drops the lake level several feet before we get enough rainfall in NW OK to allow water to be released from Canton. And there's already quite the demand on Hefner as it is now. I can't comment about drilling for water, I just don't know about that.

For anyone interested, you should watch "Bottled Life" and "Tapped". I am lucky to be on well water currently so I don't buy very much bottled water. I even have a 1.5 l water bottle I use and take water from home with me. I vary rarely buy bottled water and when I do if I have the option I try to avoid Nestle and the big bottlers. I worry about where they are getting the water from and hope that the city supply can give in to their demand if it is city water.

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