Regional business, government and Tulsa Ports leaders said Oct. 30 the Ports of Catoosa and Inola are doing well.

More than 100 people gathered at the Bella Donna Event Center in Catoosa to hear the second State of the Ports address. Speakers said the ports have a positive economic impact on Northeast Oklahoma and will stimulate growth for years to come.

District 3 Commissioner Ron Burrows, whose district includes both ports, said they are a significant catalyst for Rogers County.

"You see the results there: One barge takes 70 semi trucks off the road," Burrows said. "It's incredible, and it's just this silent machine that is just doing some incredible things for us."

Andrew Ralston, Tulsa Ports' director of economic development, said the ports have added 400 jobs since last October. He said though most people's minds go to the ports attracting big companies like Sofidel, 89% of these new jobs cropped up within existing companies.

Ralston said the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance brought a manufacturing lab this year to Port Plaza, located across State Highway 167 from the entrance to the Port of Catoosa.

"That lab is there to work with existing companies to show them how to use automation, especially small and medium-sized manufacturers that can increase their capacity so much if they're just implementing these simple measures," Ralston said. "That lab is going to be a huge benefit to Rogers County and to the region."

Ralston said the port is building a new wastewater treatment plant in Inola that will serve the town and the port alike. He said it's a $71 million project that should be completed by the end of 2026.

The plant will help both the town and port grow by expanding the area's ability to treat water, Ralston said.

He said the ports will also invest $19 million into a new rail project at the Port of Catoosa.

"We could not do this without the Legislature and the money appropriated at the state level," Ralston said.

He was thanking Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, chairman of the Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee. Haste said he was involved in two bills that appropriated money to the ports.

House Bill 2888 during the 2023 session put $38.62 million into a fund for wastewater system upgrades in Northeast Oklahoma. Senate Bill 1429 — which Haste authored — set up a revolving fund for port upgrades and invested $16.2 million into the ports.

Haste said without a revolving fund, money appropriated to an agency must be spent in 30 months.

"What this revolving fund does is allows us to have money in there, and if it needs to go into a project beyond 30 months, it's not going to be pulled back," Haste said.

Burrows is on the Ports Committee for the National Association of Counties, and he said county commissioners from other states are often surprised to learn Oklahoma has ports.

Haste said even state legislators from other parts of Oklahoma often don't know there are two ports in Rogers County. He said part of his job as chairman of the transportation committee is spreading awareness of the ports' existence and how they benefit Oklahoma.

"As new members come in, we're going to make them aware of what our ports are and how this is not just in Northeast Oklahoma — it's not even just in Oklahoma," Haste said. "This impacts Arkansas. It impacts Kansas ... It's making us a better state."

Dewey Bartlett, president of Tulsa Ports' board of directors and a former Tulsa mayor, said he envisions the ports one day becoming an object of national attention. He said he pictures a complex with schools for all grades, including a vocational school, and railroads that connect the ports to places like Tulsa, Grand Lake and Northwest Arkansas.

Ronna Montgomery, director of the Catoosa Chamber of Commerce, said the ports are a testament to the power of partnerships.

"This gathering is a celebration of progress [and] the shared vision we hold for the future," Montgomery said. "The ports are not just a critical part of our local economy, but an essential part of our regional growth and a key to many opportunities."