SELECT 2024 ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CHAMBER-ASSISTED COMPANIES 2025 was the final year of a five-year economic development cycle our Chamber called Forward Oklahoma City VI. It was the sixth iteration campaign, established initially as Forward Oklahoma City in 1995, to provide longer term strategic planning for - and execution of - our region’s economic development initiatives over the past 30 years. It has proven successful. Our newest cycle, Forward Oklahoma City VII began January 1, 2026, and will continue through December 2030. In 2025, 113 Chamber-assisted companies announced plans to create 3,406 jobs, with an average annual salary of $60,752. In addition, those same companies announced more than $4.45 billion in capital investment and $206 million in payroll. Over the past five years, 23,464 jobs have been created with $1.3 billion in payroll and $7.4 billion in capital investment. This continues to build upon the success of the prior Forward Oklahoma City campaign (FOKC V 2016-2020), which resulted in 23,914 jobs with payroll in excess of $1.2 billion and $2.2 billion in capital investment.
A few examples of companies that have announced an increase in their investment in the Greater Oklahoma City region in 2025 include:
• ARL, a locally based biotech testing and services company, announced a major expansion to support growing client demand. The project includes $46 million dollars in capital investment and the addition of 433 new jobs. • Google continues its expansion in Oklahoma with a $3 billion data center project in Stillwater. • Hapco, a leading aluminum and steel manufacturer, announced a $50 million investment to construct a 250,000-square-foot facility in Oklahoma City. • Bethany Children’s Health Center added 130 new jobs to bring its total headcount to 1,000 employees. • Kingspan, an Ireland-based building materials manufacturer, announced the opening of its new North American headquarters in Stillwater with an investment of $1 billion dollars and 100 jobs. • Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages began a $36 million dollar expansion of their distribution center and fleet building. • Hobby Lobby continued to expand its campus with its distribution center footprint now totaling over 2 million square feet, along with a new 42-acre intermodal facility with BNSF Railway. WHAT TYPES OF COMPANIES ARE LOOKING AT THE GREATER OKLAHOMA CITY REGION? In December 2025, the Greater Oklahoma City Partnership reported 121 companies currently considering relocating or expanding in the region. Of those companies, 70% are in manufacturing. This reinforces what we are seeing nationally where companies are reshoring operations to improve supply chain logistics and move to lower-cost markets. Aerospace and Distribution projects continue to have strong interest in Oklahoma City. The number of office projects has improved over the prior year as companies
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2026 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
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