Published: May 04, 2008 10:20 pm         

Autry Tech's business development center scheduled to open Friday

Jim Strate doesn’t mind talking about the new business development center opening at Autry Technology Center Friday.

The James W. Strate Center for Business Development is a project that has taken four years to develop, from planning through financing, and Strate gives the entire community of Enid credit for helping make it a reality.

On Friday the day will begin at 11 a.m. with tours and an open house, with ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m. Area legislators are expected to be there.

“The concept is to provide an environment for startup companies to be successful,” Strate said.

Ron Duggin is the center director and will assist where needed. Dale Shaffer also will be housed there and he can write business plans and establish realistic goals. Terry Henneke, Autry Tech bid assistance coordinator, also will be housed there and can assist startup businesses in getting government contracts.

The center also provides Internet access, fax, copy machines and all the other things businesses need at a low cost, Strate said. The concept provides a three-year window for businesses to develop on the theory they will be a stand-alone business in the community after the third year.

The business center is designed for service or light manufacturing businesses and also is designed with a commercial kitchen capability. There are 18,000 total square feet, and the building can be divided into numerous subdivision configurations to meet whatever needs arise. There are large shops with overhead doors or office suites, depending on the needs of the new business.

The business development center concept started four years ago and finally materialized last year.

“It was an effort of the whole community. We had advisers, a committee of accountants, bankers, business people who physically went to Pioneer Tech in Ponca City, Indian Meridian Tech in Stillwater, Tri-County Tech in Bartlesville and Moore-Norman in Moore, and visited them. Those incubators are all successful in their communities,” Strate said.

Each business incubator takes on the personality of the community. In Ponca City there are several oil field-related businesses that started at the tech school. In Stillwater there are a number of “techie” type businesses. Strate expects the Enid center to develop service, light manufacturing and some technical businesses.

“It’s a credit to our legislative delegation, they were persistent,” he said.

It is not easy to get earmarked funding, and the Enid-area legislators obtained $1.5 million the first year and another $500,000 the second year. Autry Tech put in an additional $500,000 to build the center. Plus the community wrote letters and went to the state Capitol to see state leaders.

“We met with the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, speaker of the House, and that persistence paid off,” he said.

The building is designed to double the square footage, if needed. It was designed by Enid architect Roy Easley.

The center currently is working with one client. Another potential client may work with the center, and several more prospects have indicated an interest. Strate said it is easier to sell people on the business development center now that it’s built.

The Autry Tech facility at Enid Woodring Regional Airport also is certified as a business incubator.