LAWTON — Lawton’s new FISTA Innovation Park is proof of Oklahoma’s support for the aerospace and defense industries, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday.
“If you’re a defense contractor, if you’re doing research, you need to be located in Oklahoma,” he said. “That’s why we set this FISTA up and are so excited about it.”
The governor joined several other local and state leaders to celebrate the official opening of the FISTA Innovation Park, located in the former Sears building at Central Plaza. The business park is a hub for defense contractors who can support the Fires Center of Excellence, a Fort Sill-based program aimed at modernizing the U.S. Army.
The FISTA Development Trust Authority, which oversees the Innovation Park, has estimated that it will create150 to 225 high-paying jobs in the first two years, as well as 275 ancillary jobs. The business park is also expected to boost investments in science, technology, engineering and math education and workforce development.
Lawton officials began thinking about ways to recruit defense contractors to the area about 12 years ago, when city leaders visited Huntsville, Alabama, said Lawton Mayor Stan Booker. The city in northernmost Alabama is home to several aerospace- and defense-related facilities, including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command at the Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park.
“There was a lot of talk, but do you realize it’s only been two years since we bought the mall to start this effort?” Booker asked. “In industrial development and especially – I don’t know about the federal government – but in municipal government, that’s fast. So it’s really been lightning speed.”
The mayor said FISTA is about creating opportunities for Lawton’s children and supporting Fort Sill’s vision of being the nation’s most-sought-after military base.
“It’s about building a more firm foundation of the local economy with a science and technology, a research and development mission and the jobs that go with that,” he said.
‘A premier landing spot’
Gov. Stitt said FISTA offers defense-related businesses a chance to grow their operations in Oklahoma.
“This will put Oklahoma in a position to be a premier landing spot for defense companies looking to expand their presence in the state of Oklahoma,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, who represents Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District, praised local officials for supporting FISTA.
“You’re making the state and the country a better place for us,” he said.
U.S. Sen. James Lankford said the world relies on the U.S. to take the lead in maintaining a level of freedom that other countries have known for decades.
“What is happening here in Lawton, and the innovation that’s going on right here, will not only affect international peace and stability,” he said. “It will affect the United States’ national security for a very long time.”
Lankford said local leaders, the defense industry, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole and former U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe all played roles in making FISTA a reality.
“If they weren’t all pulling together and pulling this rope at the same time, this wouldn’t have happened,” he said.