The Economy

Boeing Breaks Ground on New Oklahoma City Facility

May 2, 2011

New office will support relocated B-1 and C-130 programs.

Boeing Co. last week broke ground on a new facility in Oklahoma City.

The six-story, 320,000-square-foot facility will support Boeing's B-1 program and its C-130 avionics modernization program, both of which are being relocated from Long Beach, Calif.

Gardner Tanenbaum Group, an Oklahoma City-based commercial real estate company, is designing and building the new facility on the site of an existing Boeing building. Boeing is leasing both facilities.

Operated by Boeing's Global Services & Support division, a unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, the Oklahoma City site focuses on engineering, contractor logistics services and field support.

Boeing employs approximately 700 people at the site as well as nearby Tinker Air Force Base.

An artist's rendering of the new six-story facility (on left) that Boeing is building at its existing site in Oklahoma CityDuring a recent visit to the site, Boeing Oklahoma City site leader Mike Emmelhainz told Expansion Management that moving the B-1 and C-130 programs from Long Beach to Oklahoma City will significantly reduce expenses for the B-1 and C-130 programs. Emmelhainz noted that several states, including Texas, were competing for Boeing's expansion project, but the aerospace company chose Oklahoma by virtue of its low cost of living, state aerospace incentives and five ABET-accredited colleges, among other benefits. Boeing also took into consideration that the company's history in Oklahoma dates back to the early 1950s, when it opened its first office in Oklahoma City to support Tinker Air Force Base. Boeing expects to add 550 employees as part of the expansion. The company hired the first new employees in April, Emmelhainz said.

About the Author

Josh Cable | Former Senior Editor

Former Senior Editor Josh Cable covered innovation issues -- including trends and best practices in R&D, process improvement and product development. He also reported on the best practices of the most successful companies and executives in the world of transportation manufacturing, which encompasses the aerospace, automotive, rail and shipbuilding sectors.

Josh also led the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame, IW’s annual tribute to the most influential executives and thought leaders in U.S. manufacturing history.

Before joining IndustryWeek, Josh was the editor-in-chief of Penton Media’s Government Product News and Government Procurement. He also was an award-winning beat reporter for several small newspapers in Northeast Ohio.

Josh received his BFA in creative writing from Bowling Green University, and continued his professional development through course-work at Ohio University and Cuyahoga Community College.

A lifelong resident of the Buckeye State, Josh currently lives in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. When the weather cooperates, you’ll find him riding his bike to work, exercising his green thumb in the backyard or playing ultimate Frisbee.