FAPC stimulates Oklahoma’s economy

The Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Product Center is much more than a 96,000 square foot building housing manufacturing equipment, conference facilities and applications labs for demonstrations.  The FAPC exists to stimulate the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma.

 The center was the result of a legislative movement started by the late Sen. Robert M. Kerr, which was designed to curb the outflow of Oklahoma’s premium commodities. Today, the FAPC provides educational programs and resources for Oklahoma’s food and agricultural processors in order to boost the state’s economy with local products. 

As a part of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, about thirty faculty and staff members are employed at the FAPC. Under the direction of Roy Escoubas, the dually appointed faculty members, who are also research professionals, work with the staff to provide an array of educational programs and resources for the state of Oklahoma.

“A study of the FAPC impact on entrepreneurial and start-up businesses in the food sector in Oklahoma showed more than 60 start-up businesses resulting in more than 300 full-time employees in 35 communities across Oklahoma and more than $10 million in annual sales revenue,” said Escoubas. 

 Large and small businesses, producers and entrepreneurs in the food and agricultural industries are offered access to faculty with expertise in business and technical disciplines to start a new business or continue to develop new products though the FAPC.

 Since 1997, the FAPC has assisted more than 1,000 Oklahoma clients through 3,000 technical and business projects. One of the most popular FAPC offerings is the Basic Training workshop for food entrepreneurs. The workshop covers in detail all the elements to consider when starting a food business.

 “Clients who have attended the Basic Training Workshop and who are ready to move forward with their product or idea, come back to the FAPC on a regular basis to work on their product or idea,” said Mandy Gross, manager of communications at the center.

 Other educational programs include agribusiness economics, marketing and communications, food engineering, cereal chemistry, horticulture processing, product development and meat science.

 Oklahoma agricultural processors, future business owners or current students are welcome to visit and profit from the countless resources the FAPC has provided the state of Oklahoma for the past 15 years. 

Story Written By Debra Schlegel