Catch the latest Enid news and economic development announcements, including business expansions, partnerships, and community milestones.
USDA grant helps Enterprise Grain
Enid Regional Development Alliance is celebrating the completion of a USDA Rural Business Development Grant project with the transfer of bagging equipment to Enterprise Grain Co. In 2020, ERDA secured USDA funding for a bagging equipment system to help Enterprise Grain expand its value-added grain and specialty crop operations. Over the past five years, the equipment has improved efficiency, strengthened supply chain operations and opened new market opportunities for producers across Northwest Oklahoma. As part [...]
ERDA awards grants to Unique Designs, GSP Health
ENID, Okla. — Enid Regional Development Alliance has awarded $35,000 in grants to two local businesses to help them grow. Unique Designs T-Shirts & More received a $10,000 Small Business Renovation Grant from ERDA, while Great Salt Plains Health Center received a $25,000 Business Opportunity Grant. Unique Designs Unique Designs has used the grant to buy and outfit a new mobile custom apparel unit. Owner Mark Burrow said this will give him the ability to reach [...]
Three ERDA Member Companies Win Grants Totaling Over $100K
ENID, Okla. — Three businesses that are members of the Enid Regional Development Alliance (ERDA) have received grants totaling more than $100,000 from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program (OIEP). The three businesses that received grants were Martens Machine Shop, Evans Pharmacy and Whiterock Resources. Evans Pharmacy received a grant of $25,000. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Blackburn said this is the pharmacy’s second year participating in the OIEP. The previous year, Evans used [...]
Commission approves CDBG funding
ENID, Okla. — Enid city commissioners approved the Community Development Block Grant action plan during their meeting Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The city was allocated $494,190 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for fiscal year 2026. Lorinda McDaniel, CDBG coordinator for the city of Enid, said HUD requires the city have a five-year plan. “That’s where we identify our community needs and outline our goals for how we plan to spend the funds [...]
Business owner receives prestigious award from United Way
ENID, Okla. — David Lawrence was at a loss for words on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at United Way of Enid & Northwest Oklahoma’s annual meeting and awards ceremony. The Dense Mechanical owner, who has been involved in the Enid community since 2011, including leading United Way campaigns as past president, received the 2026 Dick Lambertz Memorial Award — much to his surprise. Dense Mechanical, which was formerly owned by the late Bob Dense, was recognized [...]
❝Unlike anything we’ve seen❞ AI expert predicts ❝biggest tech disruption in human history❞
ENID, Okla. — The rapidly evolving boom in artificial intelligence is an unprecedented change facing everyone. “I believe that what we’re about to experience is going to be the biggest tech disruption in human history, and we’re just at the early, early stages of it,” Ken Parker, vice president of Public Strategies, told Enid Regional Development Alliance members Thursday, April 16, 2026. Parker has four decades of experience in the technology field. He spoke at ERDA’s [...]
