Letter from Dave Stewart
06/15/2023
Recently, I had the privilege of presenting the “State of the Park” address to our local chamber. We have come a long way in 60-plus years. As I shared insight into where we are headed, I felt it important to talk about where we have been.
As you may or may not know, MidAmerica was originally a munitions plant during WWII and has a rich history of reinvention and transformation.
In 1960, our Federal Delegation, along with our state leaders, decided to form a public trust authority through an agreement between the State, the Federal Government, and the City of Pryor with a mission to directly benefit our state through increased employment and through an increased tax base.
Our leaders had the foresight to ensure a continuity of leadership through the trustees and management, and that we will always remain independent and free from bureaucratic influence; and sustainable with an ongoing source of revenue.
Their vision paid off, as today MidAmerica is the eighth largest industrial park in the world, the third largest in the United States and the largest mega site in Oklahoma.
Our evolution into a multi-faceted employment center and our continuous investments in new initiatives have positioned MidAmerica as a mega site for a mega employer. Now we are at a tipping point where a major project will complete the transformation of not only MidAmerica but will also positively impact the region and all of Oklahoma.
There have been challenges as a small but vocal group who want to keep the status quo and therefore have caused some negative impacts. Despite these challenges, our mega site capability has attracted a lot of attention from the emerging EV industry. In fact, just last month we were chosen over 90 other sites as the number one site to represent the United States versus a site in Canada. We checked every box and passed their test with flying colors.
With that being said, we cannot control the outcome of decisions. There is no one magic formula. It’s our entire package that makes us so attractive.
Our work continues, now at the center stage of the global economic marketplace and we are not finished being in the limelight. Our team, and our regional partners, are still hard at work preparing for the next opportunity.
In closing, I am making this prediction– we will win a mega project. It’s just a matter of time before the stars will align.
Stay tuned!
