INOLA, Okla. — Tulsa Ports are continuing to grow in more ways than one. Inola is getting it in the form of a new company, Enel. It's expected to bring in close to 2,000 jobs.
You never know who you'll run into at the Inola car wash. With a population under 3,000 people, it's charming knowing the odds are high you'll know them by first name.
Lanie Mefford moved to Inola from Pryor two years ago.
"We don't usually have traffic or big crowds anywhere," Mefford said.
She didn't want the hustle and bustle.
Now, her town is getting what Oklahoma Gov. Stitt calls the state's biggest economic development project.
2 News Oklahoma reported earlier this year that Enel - a green energy company out of Italy - will build a solar panel manufacturing facility on the port of Inola.
It will be close to another giant company -Sofidel -which makes tissue paper.
It's still grassland, but company executives say they plan to begin construction this fall with 1,000 initial jobs and another 900 during phase 2.
Tulsa Ports Executive Director David Yarbrough says it'll be a game changer for Inola.
- Previous coverage >>> 'One of the largest solar panel manufacturing facilities in US' planned for Inola
"This is going to bring high-paying jobs and everything that goes with that," Yarbrough said. "Great school systems are going to follow. It's going to be exciting to see, not just Inola, but Rogers County and the communities around us develop."
They'll build a 2-million-square-foot facility, and the company expects to invest more than a billion dollars in it.
Mefford's for it as long as one thing remains.
"We're a small town. Hopefully, it keeps that small-town feel," Mefford said.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
