Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance

Breanna Rader has joined the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance as a Strategic Sourcing Specialist, bringing experience in construction project management, supplier coordination and sourcing to OMA’s growing Strategic Sourcing team.

Rader worked in construction project management beginning in 2020, where she reviewed specifications, managed budgets and coordinated directly with subcontractors and suppliers. She has expertise in vendor negotiations, inventory management and sourcing. That background gives her a strong understanding of the construction process and the challenges that can arise when projects must meet domestic-content requirements.

At OMA, Rader will support clients working through 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘉𝘶𝘺 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 requirements for federally funded projects. She will help research domestic suppliers, address documentation and compliance needs, and support waiver requests when necessary. Her construction experience adds valuable perspective as OMA works to help clients resolve sourcing issues more efficiently and keep important projects moving.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

Greenheck Group is preparing a nearly $300 million expansion in north Tulsa County that is expected to create more than 700 jobs over the next five years.

The company plans to acquire the former Macy’s fulfillment center near Owasso, adding a 1.3 million-square-foot building on 72 acres less than 15 minutes from its existing Tulsa campus. Initial improvements are expected to be completed by spring 2027, with production beginning shortly afterward.

Greenheck first announced plans for a Tulsa location in 2017. That operation has since grown to eight buildings, 850,000 square feet of production space and more than 900 employees. The new facility will more than double the company’s Oklahoma footprint.

The Wisconsin-based company manufactures commercial air movement, control and conditioning equipment used in a variety of building and industrial applications.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: This is more than a major capital investment. It is another example of an established Oklahoma manufacturer choosing to grow here again. Greenheck’s expansion adds hundreds of skilled jobs, puts a large industrial property back into productive use and demonstrates the long-term impact that can follow when manufacturers find the workforce and business environment needed to keep building.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

𝐆𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫: https://lnkd.in/gvrsUixb

Wall Colmonoy’s Oklahoma City operation has secured a multiyear U.S. Air Force contract valued at about $4.75 million to remanufacture primary and secondary heat exchangers for the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤: The contract will draw on Wall Colmonoy’s specialized in-house capabilities, including high-temperature brazing, machining, fabrication, assembly and testing.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: This is advanced aerospace manufacturing happening in Oklahoma. Wall Colmonoy employs about 115 people at its 38,000-square-foot facility, which was established in 1965 to perform jet engine component overhaul and repair work for nearby Tinker Air Force Base.

The award reinforces Oklahoma’s longstanding role in the military aviation supply chain while putting highly specialized manufacturing expertise to work on aircraft that remain an important part of the U.S. Air Force fleet.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

O-I Glass is making a multimillion-dollar reinvestment in its longtime Muskogee operation, modernizing a facility that employs about 200 people and has been part of the community since 1988.

Owens-Brockway Glass Container, part of O-I Glass, is undertaking a multiphase capital project focused on aging infrastructure. The work will include upgrades to glass-melting furnaces, production equipment, control systems and safety technology.

The improvements are designed to increase operating efficiency, support environmental and regulatory compliance, and position the Muskogee plant for continued growth. The facility ranks among the area’s five largest industrial employers, with skilled positions paying more than 175% of the average wage in Muskogee County.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: This is exactly the kind of existing-industry reinvestment that can get overshadowed by new-plant announcements. It preserves a significant manufacturing employer, modernizes production capacity and represents another use of the state’s BEIP program to support established Oklahoma operations.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e-HbraRV and here: https://lnkd.in/g3NeziBs



h/t Port Muskogee, Oklahoma Department of Commerce

A new solar-cell operation is taking shape in central Oklahoma.

Nextnova Solar, a U.S.-based producer of high-efficiency solar cells, has announced plans for a 458,000-square-foot facility in Yukon with an initial annual capacity of 2 gigawatts and the ability to expand to 5 gigawatts. The company expects to create about 300 skilled jobs, with mass production scheduled to begin in March 2027.

The plant will incorporate automated inspection, advanced process controls and a fully integrated "Manufacturing Ex*****on System" that provides digital traceability from raw-material sourcing through finished cells. Nextnova says the technology will support quality assurance, regulatory compliance and greater transparency throughout the supply chain.

The project also puts Oklahoma into a growing segment of the U.S. solar industry. Domestic module assembly has expanded rapidly, while solar-cell output remains comparatively limited. As pv magazine USA reports, additional cell capacity is becoming an increasingly important part of building a more resilient American energy sector.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

Congratulations to the latest graduating cohort of Oklahoma City’s MSA - Manufacturing Skills Academy and to the employers, instructors and partners helping prepare these young people for industry careers.

Programs like the Manufacturing Skills Academy address one of the toughest challenges by connecting young Oklahomans with hands-on, employer-led training and clear career pathways. OMA supports practical models like MSA that build a stronger talent pipeline while opening doors to long-term opportunity.

The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance has named Larry Huling director of operations. He will oversee OMA’s statewide field team and help coordinate the organization’s direct assistance to manufacturers.

For the past three years, Huling has served as a manufacturing extension agent for central Oklahoma, working with companies to identify challenges, connect with OMA expertise and programs, and move projects from need to solution.

As director of operations, Huling will guide OMA’s extension agents, who serve as the primary point of contact for manufacturers in their regions. They assist firms with workforce development, process improvement, technology adoption, supply chain needs, cybersecurity, strategic planning and other issues affecting competitiveness. As part of OMA’s executive team, Huling will help guide organizational strategy, identify emerging areas of need and develop new ways for OMA to support manufacturers.

Before joining OMA, Huling held sales, management and business development positions in industrial and technical markets, with experience spanning electronics, medical devices, military and aerospace.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

🎓 You’re Invited! Come Celebrate Our MSA Graduates! 🎓

Manufacturing Skills Academy - MSA is proud to celebrate an incredible group of graduates as they take the next step toward their careers in manufacturing! 👏

We invite family, friends, community members, employers, and supporters to join us as we recognize their hard work, growth, and accomplishments.

These young adults have worked hard to build technical skills, gain industry credentials, develop employment readiness skills, and prepare for their future.

Come celebrate their success and cheer them on as they launch their careers! 🚀

📅 Graduation: Thursday , August 27th
⏰ Time: 9:30 AM
📍 Location: Manufacturing Skills Academy

REGISTER HERE https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/twyyytg/lp/c08825a9-c056-48dd-9510-c6a8b6ca8080

Your support means so much to our graduates. We hope to see you there!

Oklahoma’s aerospace sector is adding a new dimension: Space.

Across Tulsa, Lawton, Oklahoma City and even Burns Flat, new projects are building an industrial base that includes propulsion testing, satellite components, hypersonics, spacecraft production and advanced rocket systems.

The Oklahoma Advanced Space Innovation Sector, or OASIS, is designed to connect those assets and position the state for a larger role in a global space economy projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035.

Sam Royka of The Journal Record recently examined that developing landscape and several of the investments behind it. Agile Space Industries has broken ground on a $20 million test center in Tulsa. Quantum Space plans a spacecraft manufacturing facility near Tulsa International Airport. Firehawk Aerospace is developing rocket propellant and motor production in Lawton, while Dawn Aerospace is preparing to base its Mk-II Aurora spaceplane at Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport in Burns Flat.

Other Oklahoma manufacturers are already finding their place in that market. Tulsa-based Infinite Composites recently secured a $2.9 million subcontract to produce cryogenic propellant tanks for a lunar lander, bringing its NASA-related lunar program work to more than $5.5 million. Aerospace manufacturers elsewhere in the state, including Orizon Aerostructures in Grove, further illustrate the specialized production capabilities already taking shape across Oklahoma.

The opportunity extends well beyond the companies leading major space projects. This emerging sector will require precision machining, advanced materials, electronics, automation, cybersecurity, specialized components and a deep network of qualified suppliers.

Royka also points to workforce as one of the biggest factors in Oklahoma’s ambitions. Career and technology education programs, colleges and universities will play an important role in preparing the engineers, technicians and skilled production employees needed by an industry facing a nationwide shortage of technical talent.

Read more from Royka here: https://lnkd.in/gjeMWa-4 and here: https://lnkd.in/gpS27Eqn

The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance works with companies in these same areas, from technology adoption and workforce development to strategic sourcing and supply-chain readiness. As aerospace and space-related investment grows, strengthening Oklahoma’s broader industrial network will be essential to capturing more of that opportunity here at home.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.

Hapco Pole Products broke ground on a new 270,000-square-foot manufacturing facility last week, adding another significant industrial investment to the Oklahoma City area. The project is expected to create more than 80 jobs and strengthen the company’s ability to serve customers across the central and western United States. Earlier project plans placed the investment at about $50 million.

Founded in 1951 and based in Virginia, Hapco produces aluminum and steel light poles, solar systems, smart pole solutions and related products for transportation, utility, municipal, commercial and industrial markets. The Oklahoma City operation will focus on aluminum poles and complement the company’s longtime Virginia campus as Hapco marks its 75th year in business.

Company leaders cited Oklahoma City’s workforce, central location, transportation network and access to important supply-chain partners as factors in the site selection. Hapco President and CEO Tom Hardy said the city “quickly emerged as the right choice because of its people, transportation infrastructure, and strategic location.” The facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance was among the economic development partners recognized during the groundbreaking, along with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City. The project demonstrates how coordinated economic development efforts, workforce resources and industrial infrastructure can help Oklahoma compete for major business investment.

Hapco’s expansion also strengthens Oklahoma’s broader manufacturing base through new jobs, capital investment and additional demand across the supply chain. OMA works statewide with manufacturers on workforce development, technology, engineering, sourcing and other practical services that help companies improve operations and prepare for long-term growth.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚.