Pryor's Mid America Opens 'Center Of Excellence'

Business leaders at Pryor’s Mid America Industrial Park are celebrating the opening of a new space at the complex dedicated to technology, training, and career opportunities.

The Center of Excellence is already buzzing with excitement. People from several different companies at Mid America Industrial Park now have the chance to use the space for training and product development.

James Berka works for Cherokee Nation Aerospace and Defense, which will operate out of the new facility.

Berka is a CNC Programmer for a machine that can turn a piece of metal into basically anything. In another room, the Mayes County FIRST Robotics Team was fine-tuning their robot for competition.

“We have to pick up 7-inch diameter dodgeballs ... that we then have to pick up and shoot in a hole that is 6 feet in the air," said Jimmy Vich

Jimmy said it's a great space to work.

"We have one of the few practice fields actually set up with carpet and side walls and everything actually in Northeast Oklahoma," he said.

This is all part of Mid America's mission to provide technology and training for all current and future employees who work at the park. Scott Fry is in charge of workforce development and said it'll be a great resource.

"The center was put together to provide resources for our employers to access technology, for us to provide a trained, skilled workforce, and for career opportunities to be accessed by job seekers," Fry said.

Mid America also partnered with Northeast Technology Center to provide relevant job training programs.

"What we're trying to do here is provide training for our employers that we can provide a skilled workforce to meet their current demand, but we're also trying to push the envelope so they have a workforce that is prepared for the future through advanced technologies," Fry said. 

Mid America said the facility is only the beginning and plans to expand even more in the future.