Oklahoma does well relative to the other southwestern states profiled here by two key site-selection criteria -- quality of the labor force and energy costs. A recent survey of 900 business executives conducted by relocation consulting firm Moran, Stahl & Boyer names two Sooner State cities -- Oklahoma City and Tulsa, numbers six and seven, respectively -- in the top 12 cities for high-quality labor forces, the only state to make that claim. And the same two cities score very well in terms of industrial electric rates. An Edison Electric Institute study of electricity costs for industry puts the national average at nearly six cents per kilowatt hour. Both Oklahoma cities weigh in at below five cents per kWh, beating Dallas, Fort Worth and Phoenix, the only other southwestern metros in the comparison.
      Corning, a leading producer of optical fiber, began construction this year on a $400 million manufacturing operation on a 200-acre (81-ha.) site in Oklahoma City. Production will commence in 2004. Quad/Graphics, a major printer, is locating a 193,000-sq.-ft. (18,000-sq.-m.) plant in the same area, which may ultimately employ up to 1,000 people.
      More recent business expansion announcements include a customer service center in Ardmore for 1-800-Flowers.com that has grown rapidly to 335 workers from initial plans to hire 150. And Dal-Tile International, Dallas, a supplier of floor tile, plans to invest $45 million in a new manufacturing facility in Muskogee, Okla., which will initially employ 270 workers. Employment at the plant is expected to grow to 430 workers in due course.