Neighbors helping neighbors. A rising tide lifts all boats. Etc.
That is the concept behind a memorandum of understanding between the Chickasha Economic Development Council and the City of Hobart.
“Demand for what we’re doing continues to grow,” said Jim Cowan, director of the CEDC.
A Hobart city councilman “asked whether we could help them” with economic development, so Cowan drove to Hobart and met with the councilman and the Kiowa County town’s city manager. “They don’t have a voice at the state level and they don’t have anyone assigned exclusively to economic development,” Cowan said.
Consequently, Hobart officials approved a six-month MOU with the CEDC, and on Sept. 9 the CEDC approved the document, too.
• A “work plan” will include Hobart trade area demographics and monthly “Hobart by the Numbers” economic statistics. Hobart is the county seat of Kiowa County and has a population of approximately 3,300, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• A “marketing plan” will include “Why Hobart?” branding for the city’s website homepage, and economic development page for the city, and a “Visit Hobart” page.
• Hobart officials will utilize Cowan’s contacts, leads from conferences, state meetings, etc., “to provide communication to Hobart about programs, grants, and potential partners to help grow the town’s economy.”
• Cowan will provide quarterly reports to the Hobart City Council, and CEDC Research Analyst Matt Brooks will provide Zoom meetings twice a month.
• The state Commerce Department portal will be monitored for potential leads for empty buildings or available land in Hobart.
Hobart has 1,000 acres of undeveloped land near their airport, Cowan said. The town also has a large warehouse, said Chickasha City Councilman Clark Southard, an economic development specialist.
That building is owned by VS Power OK LLC of New Jersey and encompasses 77,000 square feet of space, Kiowa County Assessor’s records reflect. VS Power OK LLC was registered with the Oklahoma Secretary of State on Nov. 17, 2023; its status on Sept. 9 was listed as legal but inactive. Its registered agent is identified as Samuel Grigorian.
The Hobart warehouse previously was occupied by SKF Sealing Solutions, which manufactured wheel-end seals for heavy-duty trucks. The company began operation in Hobart in 1978 but announced in 2015 it was transferring production to facilities in Seneca, Kansas, and around Guadalajara, Mexico. The shutdown was completed in mid-2017 and affected 225 employees. SKF was the largest employer in Kiowa County and the sole source of manufacturing jobs in the area.
Hobart’s loss of SKF was similar to Chickasha’s loss of Delta Faucet after 30 years, Southard noted. Delta announced in January 2006 that by the end of the year it would close its plant that employed 590 people. The factory had made residential and commercial faucets in Chickasha since 1976.
The MOU with Hobart is “a potential new revenue stream,” Cowan said.
If the proposal is successful, “We won’t be solely dependent on the City of Chickasha,” CEDC Chairman Ryan Posey said.
Hobart will pay the CEDC $2,500 per month for economic development consulting assistance from Cowan and Brooks. The agreement will be revisited in four months, at which time the two parties will “mutually decide if the agreement is to continue.” It could be extended or expire after the sixmonth period.
The CEDC is “a service provider to the Chickasha Industrial Authority,” Cowan explained last month. The CIA receives 90% of Chickasha’s hotel/motel tax receipts; City Hall keeps 10% for administrative purposes. By ballot language, the funds are earmarked for tourism and economic development. The CIA contracts with the EDC to undertake economic development.