‘Not impacted as this stage,’ say Oklahoma manufacturing leaders on White House tariff policies

Manufacturing growth has been the pinnacle of national political debates about the Trump administration’s new tariff policies. 

The White House argues its policies will promote the return of overseas manufacturing. Critics argue the tariffs are putting strain on global markets, including the U.S. stock market. 

Oklahoma on the rise 

Despite the political tensions, Oklahoma business leaders say the state has already maintained favorable growth within the manufacturing sector in recent years. 

“Oklahoma really has a diverse group of manufacturers, about 4,000 manufacturers within the state, and 85% of those have less than 100 employees,” said Sharon Harrison, vice president of workforce development for the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance and CEO of Harrison Consulting. “And, a lot of them also have been here a long time. With that, they are manufacturing anything from bottle caps, to battery refurbishing, to solar to wind farms, to food.” 

Harrison said other leading markets for manufacturing in Oklahoma are the aerospace industry and autonomous technology. 

Developing the workforce is key 

Harrison expects manufacturing in Oklahoma to keep growing over the next five years, with 20,000 positions to fill. 

Nationally, that number is expected to be 1.9 million by 2033. 

“Even though we may have a low unemployment rate within our state, there's a lot of population groups that have not been captured,” Harrison said. “So, some of the initiatives we work with are really looking at those groups and figuring out ways, with all of our strategic partners, to offer them a really good occupation with a lot of variety, and a good wage, within manufacturing.” 

To spur Oklahoma’s developing workforce, the Harrison Consulting group is working with the Central Oklahoma Manufacturers Association to launch a manufacturing skills academy in Oklahoma City, set to open in the Fall of 2025. 

The initial cohort will be 25 high school seniors from Oklahoma City. It’s partly funded by ARPA dollars, and if successful, could be replicated in other parts of Oklahoma. 

“The big thing about that is that they'll be working in a full production environment, making parts for clients in the Central Oklahoma Manufacturers Association, as well as beyond,” said Stewart Harrison, director of workforce projects for Harrison Consulting Group. “So, they're going to be real parts that they're making, and once they graduate from that part and complete this program, we're really excited that they're going to be able to go out and get jobs and be one of the best qualified candidates out there.” 

Small businesses are the backbone of the industry 

Dave Younge is the owner of Flex-Ability Concepts and Progressive Stamping & Fabrication in Oklahoma City. 

His experience leads him to trust the statewide network of local manufacturers. 

“The people who are not going to move, the people who are going to stay here, the people who want to develop here and grow their business here are small,” he said. “They're small manufacturers.” 

In March, the Central Oklahoma Manufacturers Association held a webinar about the impact of tariff policies with Bank of Oklahoma. 

Younge said Oklahoma has a footprint in the global market. 

“We just shipped a shipment of a 20-foot container load of products to Australia,” he said. “We're exporting. We're doing stuff globally because there's a need for the product that we provide.” 

Harrison sees an interim future where Oklahoma’s manufacturing space isn’t shaken off its course by tariff policies. 

“Manufacturing is resilient,” she said. “They will adapt, and they will see the opportunity that is there for them as well. And, they will pivot to those different situations.” 

“We also have not really been impacted at this stage,” Harrison added.