Panasonic Battery Plant

[Jake]

They picked Canada. What a surprise!

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...da-2023-03-13/

“Imagine that”

[chssooner]

Again, not a fair fight, pitting Pryor against Canada. This stupid governor of ours keeps hindering the state by promoting Tulsa areas versus places like Austin and Canada. Places they can't win against from the start.

OKC needs an industrial park to truly allow the state to compete.

[Jake]

Again, not a fair fight, pitting Pryor against Canada. This stupid governor of ours keeps hindering the state by promoting Tulsa areas versus places like Austin and Canada. Places they can't win against from the start.

OKC needs an industrial park to truly allow the state to compete.

Volkswagen is building a new plant in South Carolina. Is that a fair fight?

[HangryHippo]

“imagine that”

lmao

[chssooner]

Volkswagen is building a new plant in South Carolina. Is that a fair fight?

Then what should OK have done to get this? They offered every bit as much as Canada did, and are cheaper. No one wants to go to Pryor, OK. That hurts OK a ton in these things.

I am not forgiving the state, at all. But these jobs aren't ones you need an PhD for. Or barely even a bachelors, even though they will say they do.

I know you are too biased against the state to have an honest conversation with, so I am done talking about this. Oklahoma lost, on to the next. I don't think Oklahoma could best Canada in something like this, it isn't a fair fight. South Carolina has a BMW car plant there. So the Germany-SC connection is well established. But I bet you forgot that...

[shavethewhales]

It helps that the government of Canada was involved in the negotiations in conjunction with it's major industries and ability to adjust it's regulatory and commercial trade environment. Oklahoma can only do so much as a small US state. We can try to fork over cash, but can't make the deals that a massive federal government can. It's not so much that it is Pryor - the site is well positioned and has attracted a ton of interest, it's simply that there are bigger deals out there. Some deals, such as the Kansas deal, are so big that it would be silly to even try competing with them because the cost/benefit is far from worthwhile at a certain point.

I don't think putting another major industrial park in OKC would make a difference in these types of deals - at least not as far as incentive battles are concerned. What attracts companies to Pryor is the hydro power as I understand it. OKC metro at large could probably drum up some interest due to the university presence, shipping crossroads, and maybe wind power credits?

[BG918]

What attracts companies to Pryor is the hydro power as I understand it.

The utility-rate power and water through GRDA at MAIP is a very good deal for companies. It's perfect for data center operations like Google. What MAIP/Pryor doesn't have is a lot of available housing for thousands of new workers. The Fair Oaks industrial park and Port of Inola are better sites because they are closer to existing and planned housing in Tulsa/Broken Arrow, but don't have the power/water advantages like MAIP. Both Fair Oaks and the Port of Inola were recently awarded ARPA funds to expand the wastewater infrastructure at each site and make them more attractive to large manufacturing plants.

[GaryOKC6]

Again, not a fair fight, pitting Pryor against Canada. This stupid governor of ours keeps hindering the state by promoting Tulsa areas versus places like Austin and Canada. Places they can't win against from the start.

OKC needs an industrial park to truly allow the state to compete.

There is one in the works. 577

[Jake]

Then what should OK have done to get this? They offered every bit as much as Canada did, and are cheaper. No one wants to go to Pryor, OK. That hurts OK a ton in these things.

I am not forgiving the state, at all. But these jobs aren't ones you need an PhD for. Or barely even a bachelors, even though they will say they do.

I know you are too biased against the state to have an honest conversation with, so I am done talking about this. Oklahoma lost, on to the next. I don't think Oklahoma could best Canada in something like this, it isn't a fair fight. South Carolina has a BMW car plant there. So the Germany-SC connection is well established. But I bet you forgot that...

Im not biased against the state at all. Oklahoma is getting exactly what it deserves and what it votes for.

[chssooner]

Im not biased against the state at all. Oklahoma is getting exactly what it deserves and what it votes for.

But God himself, and Barack Obama as governor wouldn't have gotten Oklahoma the W against the entire nation of Canada's money and incentives...

Like I said, this isn't a battle to blame Stitt on. Panasonic, sure (but that is seeming too good to be true for Kansas, with them already asking for more with no additional jobs). But this is Canada vs. Oklahoma.

[Dob Hooligan]

Wall Street Journal has a 12 paragraph story on this with no mention of Oklahoma, or any US location

[Bunty]

There is one in the works. 577

It's a small one compared to Mid-America, Pryor.

[Rover]

But God himself, and Barack Obama as governor wouldn't have gotten Oklahoma the W against the entire nation of Canada's money and incentives...

Like I said, this isn't a battle to blame Stitt on. Panasonic, sure (but that is seeming too good to be true for Kansas, with them already asking for more with no additional jobs). But this is Canada vs. Oklahoma.

You guys are so hung up on political and social things you ignore all the other factors that went into the decision. We have to stop trying for things we are at a real disadvantage at and we would only have a chance for if we buy it. We need to pursue things we have a real chance for.

We have a poorly educated working class and very little capital for supplying complementary companies with which these installations can be supported. Our lack of support for education keeps hurting us and 23rd street is more concerned with culture wars than with putting the state in a position to prosper.

[chssooner]

You guys are so hung up on political and social things you ignore all the other factors that went into the decision. We have to stop trying for things we are at a real disadvantage at and we would only have a chance for if we buy it. We need to pursue things we have a real chance for.

South Carolina got massive, massive BMW plant that they bought and paid for. Now look at them. They kill it in these projects. It just takes one.

[ManAboutTown]

We have a poorly educated working class and very little capital for supplying complementary companies with which these installations can be supported. Our lack of support for education keeps hurting us and 23rd street is more concerned with culture wars than with putting the state in a position to prosper.

THIS, 110%.

On a national level, Oklahoma comes across many times as a land of meth-users, country bumpkins, the Christian right, Trump lovers, and Hee-Haw. Yeah, that's not "politically correct," but anyone thinking an international company like Panasonic or Volkswagen thinks highly of our "culture," or lack thereof, is fooling themselves.

And South Carolina has the Port of Charleston, one of the largest shipping ports in the United States. Oklahoma has...the Port of Catoosa. Not quite as impressive in comparison, eh?

[BG918]

THIS, 110%.

On a national level, Oklahoma comes across many times as a land of meth-users, country bumpkins, the Christian right, Trump lovers, and Hee-Haw. Yeah, that's not "politically correct," but anyone thinking an international company like Panasonic or Volkswagen thinks highly of our "culture," or lack thereof, is fooling themselves.

And South Carolina has the Port of Charleston, one of the largest shipping ports in the United States. Oklahoma has...the Port of Catoosa. Not quite as impressive in comparison, eh?

The VW plant in South Carolina will be outside Columbia and within 1.5 hours of Charlotte, a region of more than 2.5 million people. As mentioned there is a seaport 2 hours away and rail connections across the Eastern Seaboard. And also nonstop flights to Germany at the nearby CLT airport. Oh and South Carolina just offered up $1.3 BILLION to lure this factory, more than double what Oklahoma was willing to spend.

[dcsooner]

Excuses abound for consistent failure

[chssooner]

Excuses abound for consistent failure

Canada vs Oklahoma. How is that a fair fight for you to bash? Pick a different battle.

[Plutonic Panda]

Canada vs Oklahoma. How is that a fair fight for you to bash? Pick a different battle.

Tesla. Panasonic. Oh and VW just picked South Carolina for a massive new Scout vehicle plant. So the whole “Canada vs Oklahoma” trope is a bit disingenuous.

[chssooner]

Tesla. Panasonic. Oh and VW just picked South Carolina for a massive new Scout vehicle plant. So the whole “Canada vs Oklahoma” trope is a bit disingenuous.

Disagree. SC already had a BMW plant, so the Germany connection has been there a long time. Sure, they had to win that one, but Scout wasn't considering anywhere else by SC for that plant.

I m not defending the state, just saying this was a battle they weren't going to win if we were the most liberal, inclusive, diverse state on earth.

[Plutonic Panda]

I m not defending the state, just saying this was a battle they weren't going to win if we were the most liberal, inclusive, diverse state on earth.

There’s really no way for me to disprove this, but I disagree. I believe that if our current government in Oklahoma wasn’t so focused on being anti-woke and pushing several other regressive ideologies, we would’ve landed at least one of these last three companies that have all passed us over.

[Rover]

South Carolina got massive, massive BMW plant that they bought and paid for. Now look at them. They kill it in these projects. It just takes one.

Unfortunately, Ok doesn’t even compete well with S C. We compete with Alabama and Mississippi. Our educational system and training level of our workers is abysmal and our politicians don’t care, even if they actually knew what to do.

[Bunty]

They picked Canada. What a surprise!

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...da-2023-03-13/

It's actually a bad reflection upon the U. S. not just Oklahoma. At least half the states have Right to Work, yet Canada was selected even though it doesn't have Right to Work. Right to Work doesn't work. Right to Work hucksters insisted over 20 years ago when Right to Work passed that it would attract more manufacturing jobs to Oklahoma. It didn't. Lots of manufacturing jobs were already moving to China back then, so it was easy for me to be skeptical about that. Right to Work's true intention was to weaken well established labor unions in Oklahoma.

[Plutonic Panda]

News articles on it:

News 9: https://www.news9.com/story/6410ebd5...ers-wonder-why

TW: https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-an...d0bacfa30.html

JR: https://journalrecord.com/2023/03/14...elopment-loss/

KFOR: https://kfor.com/news/local/volkswag...t-of-oklahoma/

TLO: https://thelostogle.com/2023/03/14/c...ve-to-oklahoma

[ManAboutTown]

Unfortunately, Ok doesn’t even compete well with S C. We compete with Alabama and Mississippi. Our educational system and training level of our workers is abysmal and our politicians don’t care, even if they actually knew what to do.

This is sad but true.

I awoke this morning to a news story about our legislature debating corporal punishment in schools yesterday. One legislator, who is obviously a preacher, was quoting the Bible in defense of spanking, even if the child is mentally or developmentally challenged.

Our legislature is debating spanking in schools and quoting the Bible while our state remains in the bottom 20% of the United States in almost every education statistic. This sure doesn't help attract international industry to Oklahoma.