Claremore officials tout $355M in private investment, warn of housing and childcare shortfalls

Claremore economic-development staff on Monday presented city leaders with figures they said show strong private investment and job growth even as housing and childcare lag behind.

Bailey Thompson, who identified herself as the city economic-development staff member overseeing initiatives and finance management, told the council the city and its partners have awarded nearly $500,000 in upskilling scholarships to more than 300 Rogers County adults this year to prepare residents for jobs in manufacturing and health care. "We will have awarded nearly $500,000 in upskilling training scholarships to over 300 Rogers County adults," she said.

Thompson said the city has seen what she described as more than $355,000,000 in private investment in manufacturing and health care this year, and that the work announced this year has created roughly 700 new local jobs. "These expansions also resulted in 700 new jobs created just this year alone," Thompson said. The presentation named local employers involved in expansions, including MST Manufacturing, Basin Steel, Cellar Print Services, ENCO, Cherokee Nation Health Services and Ascension St. John.

Council members pressed the presenters on housing and childcare. Thompson said a chamber analysis showed the city was about 543 housing units behind as of June 2024 — a figure she said did not factor in more recent announcements. "On the housing, June '24, we were 543 units behind the city," she said. She added the city is "moving the needle" but not necessarily outpacing demand from recent job announcements.

On childcare, presenters warned of structural cost and staffing challenges. The staff noted notably high operating costs for facilities that serve infants and toddlers, which require lower staff-to-child ratios; Thompson said a 4-to-1 ratio for children aged 6 months to 2 years raises operating costs and complicates employer efforts to place employees in local jobs that require shift work.

The presenters framed the investments and training as part of a long-term approach to making Claremore attractive to employers: "Companies go where they're invited and they stay where they're appreciated," the presentation said. Officials described continued work with Rogers State University and local employers to align training with openings.

The figures and program descriptions above were presented by city and chamber staff during the meeting; the city did not provide independent documentation during the session and attendees asked that some statistics be updated and tracked over time. The council did not take any formal policy votes tied directly to the presentation during the meeting. The next regularly scheduled council meeting was announced for Jan. 5.