Why I Shop Local The holiday season is upon us and that means it is time to do a lot of SHOPPING! We have gifts, decorations, and lots of other stuff to buy to be ready for all the festivities associated with the end of the year. Most of us think about how much money we are spending this time of year, but do we ever consider where we spend our money and how that decision affects us the rest of the year?

In 1998 the Citizens of Ada took a proactive step and passed both Proposition 1 and Proposition 2, so that the City of Ada could undertake steps to improve the infrastructure, economy, and quality of life for its citizens. Both propositions run for a period of five years, and can be renewed by a vote of the people. Since initially approved in 1998, Prop 1 & Prop 2 were renewed by overwhelming majorities in 2002 and 2007, both propositions are currently on theAugust 28, 2012 ballot for r...

A Letter from the President & CEO Now that July has come and gone, staff can reflect back on what has been a series of sprints over the summer. The Ada Jobs Foundation staff have been extremely busy over the summer months with call trips, events, et. al.

Ann Marie Miller, Director of Marketing and Research for the Ada Jobs Foundation, recently earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). This national recognition denotes a mastery of principal skills in economic development, professional attainment and a commitment to personal and professional growth. IEDC Certification is one of the highest benchmarks of professional competence a practicing economic developer can atta...

Ada Jobs Foundation Spearheading Task Force to Address County Needs As a follow-up to the firefighter tax proposition, the Ada Jobs Foundation Board of Directors voted unanimously to lead the development of a countywide taskforce that would review the capital needs and develop a multi-faceted plan to address these needs. The Ada Jobs Foundation Board was optimistic that this taskforce will bring city and county entities together to achieve the common goal of improving the quality of life and ...

ADA, OK - Today hundreds of Pontotoc County middle schoolers learned more than just the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, the students attended the county's first ever Career Discovery Day. Educators said eighth grade is the perfect time to get students thinking about their future and today the Ada Jobs Foundation invited over 400 Pontotoc County eight graders to explore their options. The county's very first Career Discovery Day was held at East Central University in Ada.

ADA, OK -- Students in Pontotoc County were able to get a better idea of what certain jobs "are all about" and whether they'd want to pursue that career path. On Wednesday a career fair was held at East Central University in Ada.  It was for all 8th graders across Pontotoc County.

The Ada Jobs Foundation is excited to host Career Discovery Day –My Future, My Career, My Responsibilityfor all eighth grade students in Pontotoc County. This will be the first year for this program, which will expose students to jobs in the area and to the skills required. The idea for the program was sparked by a visit to the state capitol.

PEI Worldwide to Locate Manufacturing Facility in Ada, Oklahoma The Ada Jobs Foundation is excited to announce that PEI Worldwide is expanding their operations into the Ada area. PEI Worldwide plans to manufacture Thura-Block and the components necessary to produce Thura-Block at their Ada Facility.  Thura-Block is a composite insulating building block, that is used in home and building construction. Thura-Block is a LEED qualifying “green” product that is lightweight and highly insulating....

During the opening weekend of deer season, CEO's and business leaders from across the country will join Governor Mary Fallin on a hunt for some of Oklahoma's prize bucks. Oklahoma Southeast, a regional economic development group, has been assisting with the hunt preparations and will help host the event at Wildcat Springs Ranch outside Ada. Guests at the event will have the opportunity to take part in a guided deer hunt with Governor Fallin.

The first half of 2011 have been a time of recovery and rebuilding nationwide. The City of Ada and the State of Oklahoma were fortunate to never have experienced unemployment in the double-digits during the height of the recession. The August 2011 unemployment rate for the Ada MSA decreased to 4.3%.

The Southern Economic Development Council recognizes communications achievements at their Annual Conference each year with their Communications Awards Competition. During the 2011 Conference, the Ada Jobs Foundation's website was given an Award of Excellence in the medium division for local, state or regional economic development organizations.

The company that brings you the iconic red party cup is celebrating 75 years of innovative product developments and foodservice solutions this year. Widely recognized as an industry leader in single-use foodservice products, Solo Cup Company has brought creative solutions to market, from its humble beginnings to its current status as a $1.6 billion international company, headquartered and making products in America. "Reaching 75 years of success is a major milestone for any compan...

The Annual Ada Area Job Fair will be Thursday August 11, 2011 at the Pontotoc County Agriplex. Last year the job fair connected over 500 people seeking employment with a variety of employers. The job fair committee is currently accepting business registration forms for businesses in the Ada area that are seeking additional employees.

On Thursday July 14, the Ada Jobs Foundation held its 3rd Annual Business & Industry Night Out awards ceremony and banquet. The event honored local businesses and community leaders in a variety of categories. Ziegelmeier & Company was awarded the New Business Award.

Ada Jobs Foundation Staff with the assistance of the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce and area retailers recently completed and compiled the first cost of living index for the Ada area. This cost of living index utilized a small cities program available from the Council for Community and Economic Research, which currently conducts a national cost of living index for cities and metropolitan areas across the United States. A cost of living index measures relative price levels for consumer goods and s...

The unemployment rate for the Ada area dropped below 4% for the first time since December 2008. The unemployment rate began to rise in late 2008 and early 2009 due to the national recession. In 2009, the unemployment rate peaked reaching a high of 6.3%, and began declining slowly during the next several months.

The Ada Jobs Foundation's Annual Report for 2010 is now available online and hard copy versions. The online version is available to view here and hard copies are available at our offices, 209 West Main. To request a digital version be sent to your email address, please contact the us at 580 235-0070.

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (NYSE: PPD) will host its "Business for Today" special event on Monday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the headquarters of the U.S.

Due to the snow storm of January 31, 2011, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce are reaching out to businesses to do preliminary financial assessments of any economic impacts to small businesses and to make recommendations for the Governor to request an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This type of declaration results in SBA disaster loans being available to affected small business o...