By Robert Barron
Staff Writer
As printed in The Enid News & Eagle, June 24, 2008.

Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis said Advance Food is an example of a better idea Oklahomans must have to grow economically.

Hargis made the remarks Monday as keynote speaker at the grand opening of the Advance Food Enterprise facility, an $84 million, 233,000-square-foot expansion of the company's facilities.

"Oklahoma is in a position where we can't spend our way to the top. We have to have better ideas, like Advance Food," Hargis said.

Many of those ideas, he said, will come from partnerships between universities and private enterprise. Hargis said economic development happens when money comes from outside in, and he said what Advance is bringing in is enormous.

"What's really happening is that money is coming in from out of state and staying here," he said.

After the ceremony, Hargis said Advance is a good example of the type of collaboration between university and private enterprise he mentioned in his speech. He said OSU works with Advance on a variety of initiatives in the development of its products. OSU also is involved in sensor research in Ponca City and partners with the Noble Foundation and the University of Oklahoma in development of biofuels. OSU also has Extension offices in every county to work with the agriculture industry to help improve agriculture production.

"Universities are a tremendous asset to the state. As a land grant university, it's our job to share what we learn," he said.

Peter Dillingham, chief operations officer of Advance and manager of the cooked products division, said the company has 2,200 employees.

David Schram, director of assets, products and engineering, told the audience of about 150 invited guests Advance has renovated or built 800,000 square feet in Enid since 1983. That is the equivalent of 600 homes, he said.

The expanded facility highlighted Monday will produce 100 million pounds of product a year.

Paul Allen, co-founder of the company, thanked his wife, Joan, for her assistance throughout the years and said the company has been blessed with great workers in Enid.

"This would never have happened without the support of the city of Enid. The city helped get the 54th Street plant going," Allen said, referring to a Tax Increment Financing agreement between the city and the company. He also thanked his partner, Dave McLaughlin.

McLaughlin said Advance Food Co. stands as an example of free enterprise. He said the talented and dedicated second generation now running the business has done well. The business also shows rural Oklahoma can grow, he said.

"The future is bright, but not without challenges. The plant is a commitment of faith in the future," McLaughlin said.

After a tour of the plant facilities, Brad Blankenship, president of Security National Bank in Enid, said the expansion means a lot to Enid in terms of potential job growth and new money coming into the community. He complimented the Allen and McLaughlin families for being excellent community partners, not only through the business but also David Allen Memorial Ballpark, Enid Symphony, Denny Price Family YMCA, YWCA and other areas.

In 1973, Allen and McLaughlin started Advance after quitting their jobs with Hormel. They found a building in Enid that would suit the needs of their manufacturing company and began producing a line of bulk ground hamburger and patties. They found a niche in the food manufacturing industry.

For the first few years, the company focused on product formulation. With only eight employees, Allen and McLaughlin knew they would need hard work, ambition and a strong sense of customer service. Value-added meat products were just being introduced to the market, and the market was driven by customers who were willing to pay for the convenience.

From their first annual sales of about $300,000, Advance has grown and in 2007, with more than 2,200 employees, the company earned almost $600 million in sales. Today, Advance manufactures nearly 2,000 food products and distributes them in 50 states and several foreign countries.

This article appeared in The Enid News & Eagle, www.enidnews.com, on June 24, 2008.