FAPC changes name to Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center
Study reveals FAPC's 10-year economic impact
FAPC changes name to Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center
By Ruth Bobbitt
FAPC Communications Graduate Assistant
STILLWATER, Okla. –The Oklahoma Food and Agricultural Products Research and Technology Center on the campus of Oklahoma State University has been renamed the Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center.
The name change is in honor of the late senator’s role in the conception and development of the FAPC. Sen. Kerr was the legislative champion in the two-decade effort to create the state-of-the-art research and technology center.
“Without the leadership, vision and consistent hard work of the late Sen. Kerr, the Food & Agricultural Products Center would not exist today,” said J. Roy Escoubas, FAPC director. “Sen. Kerr worked tirelessly for two decades to pass legislation for the development of a food-processing center in Oklahoma.”
In 1994, Kerr’s efforts were rewarded when his bill to develop the FAPC was unanimously approved by both houses of the legislature and signed by the governor.
The FAPC opened for business in early 1997, and the 96,000-square-foot stand-alone building houses animal harvesting, food manufacturing, grain milling, sensory profiling, food microbiology and analytical laboratory facilities, as well as conference facilities and applications laboratories for demonstration and prototype testing. In 10 years of service to Oklahoma, the FAPC has assisted more than 1,000 Oklahoma clients through 3,000 technical and business projects.
The announcement of the name change was made at the third annual FAPC Media Day, where approximately 85 media representatives and industry personnel helped the FAPC “Celebrate a Decade of Adding Value to Oklahoma.”
“The FAPC Media Day is an opportunity for media professionals to learn about the FAPC’s contributions as a research, development, business and technical resource for Oklahoma’s food and agricultural industries,” said Mandy Gross, FAPC communications specialist.
Gross said Media Day participants heard from FAPC clients and contributors about projects completed throughout the center’s 10 years of existence. Projects and clients represented included Smokaroma, Prairie Gypsies, Daddy Hinkles, Red River Gourmet, Cattle Tracks, the FAPC Basic Training program, the development of PB Slices, a lycopene research project, a liquid smoke research project and an overview of the impact of the FAPC.
In addition, attendees witnessed three demonstrations of projects performed at the FAPC, including the production of biofuels, manufacture of cooked sausage and development of Katy’s Pantry salad dressing.
The center’s new name was revealed at a birthday party luncheon complete with punch, cake, hamburger patties sponsored by Cattle Tracks and hamburger buns sponsored by Our Earth Organic Bakery. Keynote speaker Rodger Kerr, son of Sen. Kerr, discussed his father’s role in the development of FAPC, his own role as a member of the Industry Advisory Committee and the FAPC’s impact on the state.
Jenifer Reynolds, host of “Discover Oklahoma,” moderated the event.
“For a decade, the FAPC has strove to discover, develop and deliver technical and business information that will stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma,” Escoubas said. “The FAPC Media Day was a great opportunity to share success stories and look forward to many more years of ‘Adding Value to Oklahoma.’”
For more information about the Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center, call Gross at 405-744-0442, or visit fapc.biz.
- ### -
Back to top
Study Reveals FAPC's 10-year economic impact
By Ruth Bobbitt
FAPC Communications Graduate Assistant
STLLWATER, Okla. – A study conducted by the Food & Agricultural Products Center on the campus of Oklahoma State University shows the center has had significant economic impact in the state of Oklahoma.
“The FAPC opened for business in January 1997 and has assisted more than 1,000 Oklahoma clients through 3,000 technical and business projects,” said Rodney Holcomb, FAPC Agribusiness Specialist. “This study was conducted to quantify the statewide impacts of these efforts.”
Holcomb said the study surveyed FAPC clients to assess the changes in employment and sales these clients attribute to FAPC assistance. In addition, respondents were asked to provide an assessment of the value they associate with various services and workshops offered by FAPC.
In 2006, the 343 responding businesses had total sales exceeding $1.9 billion and provided around 8,700 full-time and 325 part-time jobs for Oklahomans. The combined direct, indirect and induced economic contributions of these companies through other local businesses such as the service and transportation industries were more than $6.3 billion generated and 52,000 jobs.
Several respondents also provided information about business operations before and after receiving assistance from FAPC. The study indicated 2.1 percent of these companies’ full-time positions and 1.5 percent of part-time positions were created between the time the firms received assistance from FAPC and 2006. In that time, companies providing sales information experienced 16.95 percent sales growth. Of these job and sales increases, the firms attributed 157 total jobs and almost $93 million in sales directly to FAPC assistance. The direct, indirect and induced impacts these companies directly attributed to FAPC assistance were $308 million and 800 jobs.
“Lawmakers such as the late Sen. Robert M. Kerr, who helped create the FAPC, hoped that the tax dollars spent on the Center would reap benefits for the state, Holcomb said. “It’s good to have affirmation that the state funds supporting FAPC have generated exceptional returns for Oklahoma.”
The FAPC is a 96,000-square-foot stand-alone building that houses animal harvesting, food manufacturing, grain milling, sensory profiling, food microbiology and analytical laboratory facilities, as well as conference facilities and applications laboratories for demonstration and prototype testing.
By offering large and small businesses, producers and entrepreneurs access to faculty and staff with expertise in business and technical disciplines, the FAPC strives to discover, develop and deliver information that will stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma.
- ### -
Back to top
