KLAHOMA

CITY

AEROSPACE: IT’S OUR BUSINESS

The Oklahoma City AdvantageWhat makes Greater Oklahoma City a world-class force in aerospace and a base of operations for the biggest players in aviation? It’s simple: a climate and culture that have worked for decades to create a community where aerospace companies not only thrive, but also innovate.

Low Business Costs Quite simply, you won’t find a metro area with a lower cost of doing business. In addition to our stellar business cost structure, Greater Oklahoma City routinely boasts one of the lowest costs of living in the United States, coming in at 10 percent below the national average.

Incentives Oklahoma offers some of the most powerful aerospace incentives in the country. In 2009, Oklahoma’s Quality Jobs Program was expanded to the 21st Century Quality Jobs Program, allowing qualifying companies to double the benefit the original program provided. From PrimeWIN to the Aerospace Industry Engineer Workforce Tax Credit, Oklahoma has continued to invest its resources in fostering a healthy and robust aerospace industry.

Business Climate In addition to a low cost of living and premier tax incentives, Oklahoma offers reduced tax rates and a low overall tax structure that makes it one of America’s most business-friendly states.

Development Ready Sites Oklahoma City offers plenty of prime real estate that can give your company room to grow and expand. There are greenfield sites and available facilities near, and even next to, airstrips at Tinker Air Force Base and Will Rogers World Airport (see Lariat Landing sidebar).

Access to Markets Being located in the heart of the U.S. can give your company an advantage when it comes to accessing other markets. Oklahoma City is uniquely situated at the junction of three major interstate highways (I-35, I-44 and I-40) that ensure second-day delivery to 99 percent of the nation. The metro area also offers Class I freight access to major trade hubs, unparalleled airfreight reliability, a Foreign Trade Zone at Will Rogers Airport and the nation’s most inland, all-weather port just 90 minutes away.

For more information on Oklahoma City’s Aerospace cluster, contact:

Gary Pence Senior Business Development Manager, Aerospace

405-297-8953 | gpence@okcchamber.com www.greateroklahomacity.com/aerospace

Aerospace Competencies Greater Oklahoma City is home to a wide range of aerospace companies that offer a diverse range of products and services. Having a large aviation cluster gives Oklahoma City the highly-skilled and specialized workforce that is needed for the continued growth of the sector.

Military Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul The heart of aerospace in the region is Tinker Air Force Base and the men and women who complete the missions assigned to the base. Tinker is the largest single-site employer in the state and contributes more than $3 billion to the local economy annually. Since 1941 when the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber spearheaded the donation of the first 1,440 acres for the base, Tinker and Oklahoma City have supported each other.

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (ALC) at Tinker is the nation’s largest aircraft and jet engine repair center. All U.S. Air Force engines are repaired at the ALC. It is also the primary maintenance center for bombers, refuelers and reconnaissance aircraft including the E-3 AWACS, C/KC-135, KC-10, B-1, B-2 and B-52.

Commercial Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Greater Oklahoma City is also home to several companies who specialize in commercial maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, engines and commodities. Companies like AAR Aircraft, ARINC and others provide service and support to major national and international airlines and freight carriers. AAR employs more than 650 people in Oklahoma City alone.

Engineering Oklahoma City is home to some of the aerospace industry’s pre-eminent players. Aviation giants like Boeing Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman and General Electric have sizable operations in the metro area. These companies are on the forefront of creating cutting-edge technology and engineering that will shape the future of aerospace and aviation.

In Oklahoma City, aerospace is not an upstart industry or a hope for the future. Aviation is in our DNA. Since Wiley Post, a native Oklahoman, made history with the first solo trip around the world in 1933, Oklahoma has been on the cutting edge of aviation.

The numbers speak for themselves, with more than 300 public- and private-sector aviation and aerospace firms in OKC; the industry directly or indirectly supports more than 85,400 workers and the production of $7.3 billion in goods and services. On a state level, aviation is Oklahoma’s No. 1 foreign export and accounts for a staggering 10 percent of our state’s economy. Oklahoma is one of the top 10 states in traditional aerospace employment.

The story of aerospace in Oklahoma City is more than raw numbers and size. The story of aerospace in Oklahoma City is also about diversity.

The biggest names in aerospace have operations in Oklahoma City including Boeing Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin Aircraft, Northrop Grumman, General Electric Aviation and AAR Aircraft Services. Oklahoma City is also home to Will Rogers World Airport and the Mike Monroney FAA Center, the principal source of all FAA training and a nerve center for the nation’s air transportation system.

Whether it is Tinker Air Force Base, the state’s largest single-site employer, or Pro-Fab, an emerging company that specializes in producing complex and difficult-to-machine aerospace parts, Oklahoma City’s aerospace sector is as large as it is diverse. In Oklahoma City, aviation is our business.

EducationYour workforce is what ultimately drives company prosperity, innovation and profitability. To thrive in the ever-evolving aerospace industry, access to highly-skilled and trained employees is crucial. With a variety of educational institutions and training programs, workers in Oklahoma City have the skills necessary to make your aerospace operation a success.

CareerTech Oklahoma City offers some of the best aviation training you will find on the CareerTech level in the country. At Metro Technology Centers’ acclaimed Aviation Career Campus, students are groomed to become the next generation of top-notch aircraft maintenance technicians. The FAA-certified program offers classrooms, practical labs and separate airframe and powerplant hangers for a hands-on learning experience. Metro Technology also offers the Adult and Continuing Education Division that provides specialized training to keep your current workforce trained in the latest technological advances.

On the state level, Oklahoma has also invested heavily in aerospace training through the nationally recognized Training for Industry Program (TIP). TIP helps aerospace companies by providing customized training for employees to create a workforce that is ready for operations from the opening day. TIP is free and offers 54 state-of-the-art technology centers throughout the state. The facilities are also available for existing employees at a significant cost savings.

Oklahoma Universities Oklahoma’s commitment to aerospace also reaches the university level. In the Greater Oklahoma City area alone there are 18 colleges and universities, including aerospace programs at two comprehensive universities, Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State University’s Aviation Education programs range from bachelor’s degrees, with options for professional pilot, aviation management and technical services management, to a doctorate in applied educational studies with an Aviation and Space Science Specialization. OSU prepares students for all levels of degrees in a wide variety of aviation related fields.

Since 1981, the University of Oklahoma has assisted the FAA Air Traffic Academy in its efforts to train air traffic controllers at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. OU also offers B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.s in aviation/aerospace management and engineering.

Engineering Incentives Oklahoma also increased its commitment to growing the aerospace industry last year with the Aerospace Industry Engineer Workforce Tax Credit. This allows aerospace companies that hire engineers to receive a tax credit up to 10 percent of the compensation paid to an engineer during his first five years of employment.

PrimeWINThe only incentive of its kind in the nation, PrimeWIN provides a cash benefit and a certified subcontractor base for federal prime contractors. PrimeWIN is a performanced-based program that requires subcontracting with an Oklahoma workforce.

PrimeWIN offers federal prime contractors a cash rebate of up to two percent of the Oklahoma workforce loaded labor cost. The incentive provides contractors with an easy-to-access conduit to hundreds of pre-certified subcontractors assuring productivity and quality while meeting schedule demands. Combined with Oklahoma’s renowned Quality Jobs incentive and others, PrimeWIN makes winning in aerospace easy in OKC.

Lariat LandingThe famous Oklahoman Will Rogers once said, “Buy land, they ain’t making any more of the stuff.” Lariat Landing offers 1,000 acres of clear, prime development land next to the Airport that bears his name, Will Rogers World Airport.

Located just east of the airport, Lariat Landing offers:

•Multi-useandmulti-development

•Easyaccesstothreemajor interstates (I-44, I-40 and I-35)

•ForeignTradeZone opportunities

•Land-readysitesthat can provide direct access to runways & taxiways

Indirect Aviation, Industrial, Warehousing, Logistics

Commercial, Retail, Office

Direct Aviation (Runway access), Industrial, Warehousing, Logistics

(Note: Zone labels for illustrative purposes only)