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By: Journal Record Staff August 15, 2022 0

From left, Jared Cooper and Jon Chiappe, from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Jody Harris from Oklahoma Finance Authorities; Mike Payne, from Hill Manufacturing; Brent Kisling from the Commerce Department; and Jennifer Conway and Amber Smith, from the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce, stand together at Hill Manufacturing. (Courtesy photo)

TULSA – State officials toured three manufacturing plants in northeastern Oklahoma recently – Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication, Shen Te Enterprises and VMI Inc. – awarded funds through the Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program.

“Commerce is committed to supporting Oklahoma businesses and we are proud of the way the OIEP is impacting so many across our state,” Commerce Executive Director Brent Kisling said in a release. “It’s exciting to see how these companies are diversifying their operations and growing, creating more jobs and investment in our state and offering an incredible ROI on the state’s investment.”

At Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication in Broken Arrow, leaders heard about plans to utilize $75,000 in OIEP funds to support expansion and efforts to shorten lead times by approximately 25%. The company, founded in 1976, is involved in precision machining and fabrication and includes 30 CNC machines in its 37,000-square-foot facility. It employs machinists, welders, and other manufacturing professionals.

“The OIEP funding is truly unique and will allow Hill to increase our capacity, creating jobs and growth for our team,” company President Mike Payne said. “When I talk to my peers around the country, it is clear to me that what the state is doing to help existing small businesses is nearly unprecedented.”

At Shen Te Enterprises in Tulsa, Commerce officials heard about plans to leverage $50,000 in OIEP funding to produce component parts to eliminate a supply chain issue. The money also will open the door on new operational capacity. Shen Te Enterprises was founded in 1996 and is a certified woman-owned small business supporting the aerospace and defense sector. It specializes in logistics support, engineer support, and building low-fidelity maintenance, cockpit, and cabin training equipment. Shen Te supports all branches of the U.S. military.

“The OIEP program came along just as Shen Te was working on a financial plan to expand and add more employees to our manufacturing and engineering departments,” Marketing and Human Resource Manager Kim Goza said.

VMI Inc., located in Cushing, put $25,000 in OIEP funds toward acquiring new property near its facility. It plans to relocate some of its operations, freeing up space to allow for replacement of manual machining centers with new CNC machines and, eventually, 3D printing machines. VMI designs, manufactures and rents dredges and sludge handling equipment for customers worldwide. It supplies machines for all types of operations including environmental, agricultural and mining to dig and clean out bodies of water.

“The OIEP funding is a huge boost to VMI to help kickstart our expansion and growth into the future,” company President Cash Maitlen said. “Manufacturing requires constant innovation to stay ahead of global competition, and with the assistance of the OIEP funding we will be one step ahead in improving our operations.”

Michael Davis, president and CEO of Oklahoma Finance Authorities, said it was rewarding to visit companies benefiting from the state program.

“And even more rewarding to have the opportunity to visit with them and see firsthand how they are utilizing the awarded funds to increase capabilities, address supply chain bottlenecks, diversify revenue streams and grow their workforce.”

Tagged with: Brent Kisling Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication Oklahoma Department of Commerce Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program Shen Te Enterprises VMI Inc.

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