Economic development presenting challenges, but payoff is more jobs

Economic development efforts in Lawton-Fort Sill are creating problems city leaders have never faced before.

“Growing pains,” said Brad Cooksey, president of the Lawton Economic Development Corporation, as he described the issues Lawton is facing as it adjusts to those expansion efforts. “We’ve never been in this position.”

Cooksey, addressing members of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce last week, said Lawton has never had an economic development project like the FISTA Innovation Park, a complex being built in the empty retail space of Central Plaza to provide work areas for military defense contractors. At least, that was the initial goal. The complex — adding tenants faster than space can be converted — is making room for other functions, such as lab/classroom space for STEM courses designed for the city’s younger students.

That means finding space and making other infrastructure adjustments for FISTA and other development projects.

“These are good problems, very good problems,” Cooksey said.

And they illustrate the key role economic development entities have — in attracting new industry and in working with industry and businesses already here.

Cooksey said Ardmore and its Michelin plant illustrate that point. Michelin announced late last year it would close its Ardmore plant by the end of 2025. Cooksey said the decision had nothing to do with Ardmore. Rather, the closure comes because the plant didn’t invest in new technology that would have allowed it to make tires needed for new types of vehicles. In contrast, Lawton’s Goodyear plant has invested heavily in new technologies. As a result, while the Ardmore plant can only make car tires, the Goodyear plant “can make any tire.”

“The simple fact: they didn’t invest,” Cooksey said of the Michelin plant, adding Goodyear, by contrast, has been in Lawton thriving and growing for almost 45 years.

Local economic development entities say they’ve been part of those Goodyear expansions, designating funding for it and taking action such as rebuilding Goodyear Boulevard — the west industrial park’s major arterial and one that handles more than 300,000 heavy trucks annually. Or planning an industrial by pass to give those trucks a more direct route while taking that heavy traffic off city arterials. Rebuilding Goodyear Boulevard “is a huge deal,” Cooksey said.

He said that is part of the reason the City of Lawton will ask residents Aug. 27 to approve a new extension of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Money is difficult to come by, he said, explaining the existing program and the new extension designate funding to economic development, allowing entities such LEDC to continue its mission to attract new jobs. It’s why the LEDC board has agreed to fund a voter education campaign on the CIP extension. And it’s why LEDC supports the Comanche County Industrial Development Authority (CCIDA) in its quest to find new funding so it can continue to support business retention and expansion.

Cooksey said CCIDA had its funding cut when Comanche County officials set a new funding formula for revenues generated by the county sales tax, giving CCIDA less so the county jail could have more.

“We’re exploring ways to get them (CCIDA) funded,” he said.