Panasonic Battery Plant

[DowntownMan]

https://twitter.com/_amyblackburn/st...7__XKdYUMneLCA

According to this post - sounds like it really is a workforce issue. Not an issue with site infrastructure or incentives. I wonder if there if this location is just too far from populated area to get needed labor force and that is why is keeps falling short.

[jedicurt]

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.

except that we lost one of these companies to Kansas, who is basically us if we actually ran our state government to help people and not just scream MAGA and say everything is "Woke"

[Jeepnokc]

I was thinking about this last night watching the news and they were showing one of our state politicians arguing on the floor against a bill that would prevent the use of corporal punishment on kids with disabilities. He was arguing that it is God's will to beat kids as the bible says not to spare the rod. I told my wife....this is why businesses don't want to come here. Of course...it made national news

https://www.newsweek.com/oklahoma-re...lities-1787784
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...bled-students/

[April in the Plaza]

Did the Politics board re-open?

[Bellaboo]

I was thinking about this last night watching the news and they were showing one of our state politicians arguing on the floor against a bill that would prevent the use of corporal punishment on kids with disabilities. He was arguing that it is God's will to beat kids as the bible says not to spare the rod. I told my wife....this is why businesses don't want to come here. Of course...it made national news

https://www.newsweek.com/oklahoma-re...lities-1787784
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...bled-students/

We've got some real nut jobs on 23rd street. SMDH

[BoulderSooner]

We've got some real nut jobs on 23rd street. SMDH

The states that allow corporal punishment include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

and that is public schools ..

every state but 2 allows it in private schools ..

[HangryHippo]

The states that allow corporal punishment include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

and that is public schools ..

every state but 2 allows it in private schools ..

And how many were quoting the bible to smack a disabled kid? But right on brand for you to defend it.

[Bellaboo]

Not to open a can of worms, but I have had friends high in State agencies. I asked why 23rd street can't get anything done. The common answer was since term limits, there has been no real leadership. No compromise. Like I say, they are Jacked. .

[mugofbeer]

And how many were quoting the bible to smack a disabled kid? But right on brand for you to defend it.

OK. Enough of the Christianophobic speech.

[BoulderSooner]

And how many were quoting the bible to smack a disabled kid? But right on brand for you to defend it.

where did I "defend" it ... please show me ..

[BoulderSooner]

people act like Oklahoma has all of these "outlier" laws the reality is that we don't

[HangryHippo]

OK. Enough of the Christianophobic speech.

Christianophobic? He was quoting the bible. Watch the video.

[Martin]

ok... this thread is drifting too much into politics. let's get back to topic.

[Laramie]

We have all this money ($700 million) set aside for bringing new industry and corporations to Oklahoma--recent lost, the VW Assembly plant. Why not try to attract some smaller corporations with growth potential.

[Bunty]

Did the Politics board re-open?

If politics itself could only ban including people.

[Bunty]

We have all this money ($700 million) set aside for bringing new industry and corporations to Oklahoma--recent lost, the VW Assembly plant. Why not try to attract some smaller corporations with growth potential.

Probably a lot of businesses don't want to come to Oklahoma for other reasons, such as the weather able to get so bad from killer tornadoes. As I've mentioned before, surely more needs to be done to develop and grow innovative businesses and industry in the state. Do more Career Techs need business incubators? If so, build them. Innovative ideas for these modern times require advanced education. So, improve support for it.

[Bunty]

https://twitter.com/_amyblackburn/st...7__XKdYUMneLCA

According to this post - sounds like it really is a workforce issue. Not an issue with site infrastructure or incentives. I wonder if there if this location is just too far from populated area to get needed labor force and that is why is keeps falling short.

Thanks. A bunch of interesting tweets there. Going after smaller companies that will only hire as few as a hundred, rather, than a few thousand could work out better.

[BG918]

Probably a lot of businesses don't want to come to Oklahoma for other reasons, such as the weather able to get so bad from killer tornadoes. As I've mentioned before, surely more needs to be done to develop and grow innovative businesses and industry in the state. Do more Career Techs need business incubators? If so, build them. Innovative ideas for these modern times require advanced education. So, improve support for it.

I know in Tulsa there has been a lot of new jobs created in tech start-ups downtown through incubators like 36 Degrees N, most of which has been privately funded. It's not thousands of manufacturing jobs but its the start of a tech ecosystem that continues to build. An expansion of the State Quality Jobs fund to provide additional incentives for small-medium size companies to tap into that ecosystem and expand it would be a huge benefit.

[Jeremy Martin]

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.

Why can't the reason be both our ****ty education, regressive ideologies and we also don't/can't spend the same incentive money that other states can?

[Rover]

If Oklahomans think the way to compete is by buying then we will keep on losing. Oklahoma is a poor state so money against money, we lose. We don’t play smart.

[Plutonic Panda]

Why can't the reason be both our ****ty education, regressive ideologies and we also don't/can't spend the same incentive money that other states can?

We came pretty close to matching the funds Kansas offered and had the advantage of being closer to where Panasonic wanted to be. I agree with your reasons above.

However, I’ll add maybe the Tulsa metro isn’t the right place for these projects. Tesla, Panasonic, and now Volkswagen have all said no and some blame lack of workforce. OKC Metro has a larger workforce and a major university and is closer to Texas. It’s also located along two major, non tolled interstates. It’s the state Capitol and seems to have much more going for than Tulsa. The DFW MSA is making its way into Oklahoma. Panasonic wanted to be as close to Texas as possible, why did the state not advocate somewhere along I-35 between Texas and OKC?

Maybe it’s a bit too early but Winstar supports a large employment base so perhaps Panasonic could have been supported too. If a more educated/skilled workforce is needed then what about the area immediately south of Norman? Tons of open space that could’ve been used. The OKC metro’s manufacturing buildings are too spread out anyways it needs a real warehouse district.

The only advantage Tulsa has is the inland water port which is nice but it’s only a couple hour drive which seems worth the trade off. I’d imagine OKCs airport will also soon have many more connections than Tulsa. This isn’t a knock on Tulsa either I’d have loved to have seen them land this but maybe the state needs to try and promote OKC for these mega projects and not Tulsa.

[Bunty]

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.

Getting rich in producing oil has been more important than supporting education in Oklahoma. During the 20 teens, Oklahoma taxed new oil and gas production from prolific horizontal wells -- the big money-makers of the fracking industry -- at rates as low as 1 percent throughout the shale boom. In North Dakota’s giant Bakken oilfield, the going rate was 11.5 percent. Consequently, since the 2008 Great Recession, Oklahoma's funding for education fell more than any other state.

To explain why Oklahoma is the way it is today dates back to the very beginning in 1907 when it became a state. To become a state, it had to agree to be a dry state for its first 20 years. So, that surely attracted a large number of conservative Christian newcomers from out of state. When the Great Depression came that cleared out a lot of farmers and remaining oil boomers. They fled largely for California. The more stable conservative residents elected to stay in Oklahoma. Many of them, rather than try to make it by staying on the farm moved to the three biggest cities and many of the larger small towns. So that is where much of today's far right conservatism comes from in Oklahoma. It's been passed on from generation to generation. I'll admit, though, a weakness in my theory is if Oklahoma was so appealing to move to and live in as a dry state, legaliziing alcohol in 1959 should not have happened. Still, Oklahoma was one of the last states to legalize alcohol after repeal of Prohibition.

[ComeOnBenjals!]

We came pretty close to matching the funds Kansas offered and had the advantage of being closer to where Panasonic wanted to be. I agree with your reasons above.

However, I’ll add maybe the Tulsa metro isn’t the right place for these projects. Tesla, Panasonic, and now Volkswagen have all said no and some blame lack of workforce. OKC Metro has a larger workforce and a major university and is closer to Texas. It’s also located along two major, non tolled interstates. It’s the state Capitol and seems to have much more going for than Tulsa. The DFW MSA is making its way into Oklahoma. Panasonic wanted to be as close to Texas as possible, why did the state not advocate somewhere along I-35 between Texas and OKC?

I believe a major consideration is the utility rate power that is available in this area. Clearly not enough to get over the hump, but I think it's a pretty big reason companies are considering the area.

[BG918]

The only advantage Tulsa has is the inland water port which is nice but it’s only a couple hour drive which seems worth the trade off. I’d imagine OKCs airport will also soon have many more connections than Tulsa. This isn’t a knock on Tulsa either I’d have loved to have seen them land this but maybe the state needs to try and promote OKC for these mega projects and not Tulsa.

OKC doesn't have a large industrial park with pad-ready sites next to existing rail/highway infrastructure and access to utility-rate power and water like what exists in NE OK. 577 could work for some companies but is more warehouse/logistics-oriented not designed for a major manufacturing plant.

[shavethewhales]

Yesterday I went to an ASCE luncheon where one of the officials from MidAmerican was speaking. I was surprised that much of his presentation was about all the neighborhoods they are building around the park (outside of it, well away from potential major industrial sites). They have apparently built a little commercial district and already have some local restaurants and such that have moved in. They are building northwards into Pryor with a bunch of mixed use areas and have a focus on creating solid quality of life with trail systems, green spaces, and commercial amenities so that people will actually want to live out there. There are plans for hundreds of homes, and many are already under construction.

He also said a major factor in the VW decision was the lack of an intermodal facility to take material off of trains efficiently. Without it, you have to send trains to KC or Dallas and truck them to Pryor, which obviously greatly adds to shipping costs. That's what they meant when they talked about VW needing to be closer to the raw materials. There are plans for an intermodal facility at the park, but it will cost ~$100 million, so it isn't happening soon.