Tiger Truck lands in OK
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Newsboy photo/Jimmy Galvan ACCORDING TO TIGER TRUCK OFFICIALS, the former LP plant was not suited for the Tiger Truck expansion project because of environmental concerns. But the owner of the property still believes the site is ready for a project that will make a strong impression on the Jasper market.

Fresh off of turning away from Jasper, Tiger Truck has landed in Poteau, Oklahoma.

In a telephone interview with Tiger executive Michael S. Ward on July 3, he stated there was no decision made on a future site for the plant.

"There are plenty other locations that we could start in tomorrow without any risks," Ward said.

Ward didn't say when a final decision would be made on a new plant location.

But by Friday, July 6, Tiger Truck announced that the plant would open in Poteau, OK.

According to The

Morning News in Oklahoma, the hiring has begun for some positions and the first round of employment will range from 75 to 100 people.

According to the article published Friday, July 6, "Tiger Truck has been looking in Oklahoma for a plant site and needed one fairly quickly, Davie Spindle, economic development director for the city of Poteau said.

According to Bruce, when Ward visited with Jasper officials in late June the deal for the Jasper site was still on.

"When he left, he said everything was a go," Bruce said. "He said there were no problems at all. Then we received the email from China. Something definitely happened in China to change his mind.

"As far as I knew, our deal was still going on as planned," Bruce said. "All of a sudden, they just pulled out."

But in the Friday, July 6 edition of The Morning News, Spindle was quoted as saying "the deal had been in the works since May. In early June, executives from the company visited the city and a month later announced its intent to set up shop."

"I have suspected for the last six weeks that there was something wrong with the equity on his part," Bruce said. "It looks like he is using the environmental issues to get out of coming to Jasper."

Ward still pointed to the environmental issues at the former LP plant site on Hwy. 63 as the main reason Tiger Truck didn't open its plant in Jasper.

Even though Mike Bruce, owner of the property had offered to financially take care of the environmental issues, Ward said time was becoming a crucial factor.

Tiger Truck officials formally announced the Poteau location during a Monday press event.

"The forces in Oklahoma were not to be denied," Ward said during the announcement. "They quickly mobilized to meet our needs in such a way that little time has been lost from our original aggressive schedule. We anticipate making initial production deliveries from this site by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

"In an effort to emulate the remarkable responsiveness that you and your Oklahoma colleagues have demonstrated to us, you will see action in this facility this month as we begin to organize it for production of our newest line of Champ trucks."

The facility will be located in the 112,000-squarefoot facility at Poteau Industrial Park.

Short Line Railroad will build a rail spur in conjunction with the city to meet the needs of the facility. Tiger will also receive accelerated depreciation benefits on the building and equipment because it sits on former Indian land.

If plan details are met, the company is also eligible to participate in a $300,000 economic development incentive offered by the city, which city officials said played a major part in Tiger's decision to locate in Poteau.