Locations throughout the state work well for distributors to regional and national markets. Edmond, for example, north of Oklahoma City, is the headquarters of Petra Industries, a wholesale distributor and importer of consumer electronic accessories and appliance-connection supplies. The company, with 170 employees, just expanded to 100,000 sq. ft. (9,300 sq. m.) on 10 acres (4 hectares).
      "Logistically, Oklahoma is a good place to be, because it's almost the center of the United States, and we distribute our products nationally," says Bill Stewart, Petra's president and CEO. "Within Oklahoma, I believe Edmond's the best spot, without a doubt," he adds. "I don't just look at the sheer industrial aspects of the business operating here, though the land and building costs and the cost of living are very appealing. I blend that with the quality of life. Edmond is growing rapidly, and with that come the benefits of being in a larger city as well as the convenience of being in a small community."
      To one local company with regional distribution requirements, Enid's location is almost a disadvantage. Nonetheless, area economic developers made it clear to the owners of Atwoods, a locally based retailer with stores in five states, that it wanted the company's headquarters and distribution center to remain in Enid and would work to make it happen. The retailer of hardware, gardening supplies and related goods had outgrown its existing space, and Enid was not ideal for the distribution side of the equation, with most of the stores to the east and south.
      "It could have gone anywhere in our geographic region, and we had strong ties to Enid, so we wanted to keep it here, even though it wasn't the most efficient spot for us," says Brian Atwood, the general manager. Additionally, the owners wanted to locate the new center, which employs about 100, adjacent to a retail outlook to gain efficiency. A location in Enid on property already owned by Atwoods was the winner, with the city kicking in traffic and site improvement costs and performance-based incentives.
      "All of our local incentives are tied to new payroll and new-jobs thresholds," says Jon Blankenship, executive director and CEO of the Enid/Garfield County Development Alliance. "Atwoods is well on their way to meeting those thresholds — they probably already have. The incentives structure guarantees that the community gets what we're all after, which is new, quality jobs. Also, the state's quality jobs program will pay incrementally based on new payroll. A lot of our successes have come from local employers trying to expand."