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The $180-million plant is on a fast track to completion, and the company expects to begin operations in September 2007, serving six to eight states in the South-Central Region of the U.S. The facility will employ 280, with an estimated economic impact of $5 to 7 billion in its first 10 years. “Pryor is a wonderful community and an important transportation hub in the South- Central Region. We weighed many economic, community, environmental and resource factors in our final decision, and we are happy to call Oklahoma home to our ninth manufacturing and distribution facility,“ said Chuck Maniscalo, President of the Gatorade Company. Pepsico considered several cities for the plant, and Pryor was a last-minute entry in the process. “We had two days to put together a proposal,” sad Sanders Mitchell, MidAmerica Administrator and Board Member.
“Two days after we gave it to them,” Mitchell added, “they were here talking to us.” “This shows that Oklahoma’s ‘Fast Forward’ team can provide the speed and expertise to attract companies to Oklahoma,” said Amy Polonchek, interim Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC). “Our team worked with MidAmerica to quickly gather the information that the company needed in order for Pryor to be considered for the project, and then brought the necessary resources to the table to close the deal. As a MidAmerica Board Member, I saw the hard work that all the team members put forth to bring this project to Oklahoma.” In addition to geographic location, which a Gatorade spokesperson called “the primary deciding factor in locating the facility in Oklahoma,” other advantages cited in favor of the Pryor site included low-cost electric power and water, and the inexpensive, shovel-ready flat land at MidAmerica Industrial Park. “MidAmerica Industrial Park and ODOC did a great job bringing Gatorade to Oklahoma,” said PSO’s Economic Development Manager, Janet Smith. “Projects like this one keep Oklahoma in the forefront as a location for ‘name-brand’ companies.” “At PSO, we’re proud to help ensure the pant’s success by supplying reliable, cost-effective energy backed by world-class customer service,” Smith added. According to PSO Customer Services Account Manager Bob Bitting, a tour of PSO’s 24-7-365 Customer Solutions Center may have made the difference. “Gatorade representatives were impressed with the size and efficiency of the operation. We showed them we really are in the customer care business,” Bitting said. Just over a month after presenting a proposal to Gatorade, PSO began delivering power to the construction site. “The same plusses that made PSO Gatorade’s choice for electric services allow us to work as an effective partner with communities across the state to bring new businesses to Oklahoma,” said PSO’s Smith. Find out more:
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In July last year, Gatorade, a division of Pepsico, broke ground on a 1.5 million sq. ft. manufacturing and distribution facility in Pryor’s MidAmerica Industrial Park. 
