State Program Allows Tulsa Company To Create More Jobs

Lacie Lowry, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- A drilling rig manufacturer in Tulsa is the latest company to be rewarded for bringing dozens of new jobs to the area. State leaders hope more businesses will do the same.

Taylor Industries is called one of Oklahoma's important new businesses. They're now looking to hire even more people from the local workforce because of this rewards program.

The company makes various drilling rigs and equipment. Business is so good, they're having to work extra hours to fill all the orders.

"We're growing at such a great pace and it's great to have the state involved, helping us do that," Cheryl Bergrin said.

The state's involvement with Taylor Industries is through the Quality Jobs Program. The company receives a small payment the more they expand. In a recovering economy, those incentives are building livelihoods.

"We were down to about 35 or 40 employees, we're back up to 70 now and looking to get somewhere around 100," Bergrin said.

Right now, the company is hiring mechanics and will begin hiring more welders in the coming months.

They don't have to look far. Many skilled employees are graduating from workforce programs offered at schools like Tulsa Community College.  Administrators say that's their priority.

"We truly are a community college. We have these advisory committees specifically set up to work with our workforce development," Ernest Evans, with Tulsa Community College, said.

The future workers benefit from those advisory committees and the industry leaders that come to TCC requesting a specific need.

"We work with them to tailor our programs so that the student they get as an end result is ready to go to work for them," Evans said.

For potential employers like Taylor, that's great news.

"We think Tulsa is a great place to be located and we'd love to see people continue to come out to apply for positions here," Bergrin said.

The state benefits from employee income taxes, so the job-creation incentives don't actually cost Oklahoma anything.  Since it started in 1993, the state has paid out more than $600 million under the Quality Jobs Program.