July 9, 2007 -- Tiger Truck Co. of Dallas will bring 300 jobs to Poteau after it opens an assembly plant. The facility, confirmed Thursday by Poteau Mayor Jeff Shockley, should begin operation within three months and ramp up to 300 employees within five years. "It's a big breath of fresh air, not just for Poteau but all over the county," he said. "They're a new, aggressive company."

The LeFlore County plant will open in a 112,000-square-foot building at Poteau Industrial Park south of town, Shockley said. Emerald Plastics, currently operating in the building, will relocate elsewhere in Poteau. Poteau's branch of Tiger Truck will assemble off-road vehicles from parts designed and manufactured by ChangAnAutomobile Group, China's third-largest vehicle manufacturer. Tiger Truck is a U.S. company independent from ChangAnAutomobile.

The trucks, primarily off-road, security and construction vehicles, will be sold mostly in Mexico and South America. A-OK Railroad and the city of Poteau will collaborate on a new rail spur to serve the plant, Shockley said. Tiger will also receive accelerated depreciation benefits on the building and equipment because it sits on former Indian land, and the company will be eligible for more incentives from Poteau if it meets development plans.

Shockley said talks culminating in the deal began three weeks ago when Poteau officials met Tiger Truck employees at Oklahoma Southeast's Striper and Golf Festival, an economic development event for cities south of Interstate 40 and east of I-35. "We've been working on this hard for the last three weeks," Shockley said. "They were actively looking in Oklahoma."

Source: Tulsa World
Source: Factiva