Tulsa counting on Oklahoma's Quality Jobs program to attract Boeing

Friday is the deadline for cities to turn in their proposals to Boeing for the new 7E7 assembly plant. <br><br>While officials in Tulsa are very tight-lipped, our sources tell us one of the incentives

Monday, June 16th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Friday is the deadline for cities to turn in their proposals to Boeing for the new 7E7 assembly plant.

While officials in Tulsa are very tight-lipped, our sources tell us one of the incentives could be to build a new facility for Boeing. That plan worked wonders with Whirlpool.

Back in the early 90's, Whirlpool was well on its way to putting this factory in Tennessee when Tulsa voters approved a half-cent sales tax to pay for $27-million of the construction costs. The strategy worked and now Whirlpool employs 1,400 people in Tulsa and counting.

Officials are also hoping the Oklahoma Quality Jobs program will be attractive to Boeing, as it was with Whirlpool. Whirlpool spokesperson Claudia Butler, "The quality jobs act was a significant factor in building this plant, along with other incentives provided by the local community like tax incentives."

Quality Jobs pay a company up to 5% of their payroll, if the payroll reaches $2.5-million.