Broken Arrow manufacturer gets $75,000 grant for expansion efforts

Pictured left to right: Jared Cooper (Oklahoma Department of Commerce), Jon Chiappe (Oklahoma Department of Commerce), Jody Harris (Oklahoma Finance Authorities), Mike Payne (Hill Manufacturing), Brent Kisling (Oklahoma Department of Commerce), Jennifer Conway (Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce), Amber Smith (Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce)

By John Dobberstein, Editor

Hill Mfg. & Fabrication in Broken Arrow is one of three companies that recently received state grants through the Oklahoma Innovation and Expansion Program (OIEP).

Founded in 1976, Hill was awarded $75,000, which will support expanded capabilities and shorten lead times by 25%.

Mike Payne, president of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication, said the money will allow Hill to “increase capacity and create jobs and growth for our team.”

Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication, 2333 W. Wichita St., was founded in 1976 and is a leader in precision machining and fabrication. The company is an ISO 9001:2015 certified job shop with more than 30 CNC machines, employing machinists, welders, and manufacturing professionals in its 37,000-square-foot facility.

Additionally, Shen Te Enterprises in Tulsa was awarded $50,000 which will help the company produce component parts, eliminating a regular supply chain issue and opening the door for new operational capacity. 

The company specializes in logistic support, engineer support, and building low fidelity maintenance, cockpit, and cabin training equipment. The company supports all branches of the U.S. military and is skilled in all aspects of Military Specification and Commercial Training System requirements.

Cushing-based VMI Inc. was awarded $25,000 to go toward the acquisition of property near its existing facility to relocate its sand-blasting operations and also expand its pipe storage capacity. By relocating these operations, VMI will be able to replace its manual machining centers with new CNC machines and, eventually, 3D printing machines.

VMI designs, manufactures, and rents dredges and sludge handling equipment for customers worldwide. VMI supplies machines for all types of operations including environmental, agricultural and mining to dig and clean out bodies of water.

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The company was recently featured on Manufacturing Marvelson the Fox Business Network and is celebrating its 50th year in operation.

OIEP utilizes funds set aside by the Oklahoma Economic Development Pooled Finance Act (62 OS 891.1 et seq). Participating businesses are required to provide quarterly reports verifying employment levels and expenditures, as well as submit verification of purchase and installation of machinery and equipment. The full list of OIEP recipients can be found on the Commerce website at www.okcommerce.gov/OIEP.