The City of Chickasha started offering a Downtown Grant back in 2019. An expired economic development sales tax had generated funds that provided incentives to the property owners to fix up their buildings. This was the beginning of the Downtown Revitalization. The free market system with no incentives produced no results in 30 years, it was time to try something else. The incentive was set up on a rebate program, so the property owner had to spend the money first and then turn in receipts in order to receive the grant. For every $3 dollars spent by the property owner, they would get $1 refunded back as long as the building produced a retail business that generated sale tax. This purpose of the grant was to stimulate private investment, but sales tax was a good by-product. The Grant was overseen by the EDC and thirteen different buildings addresses received grants. The buildings were renovated all along Chickasha avenue because the tax that funded this had those specific borders. The results were outstanding! Approximately $1.5 million dollars created almost $5.5 Million in private investment from the grant. BUT…over $7 Million more was spent by the private sector because of the very visible improvements in Downtown. For a detailed breakdown of this, please see the Chickasha EDC Facebook page .

Chick TOK Tips Uncovered: Unlocking the Power of AI for Your Business

I saw a Facebook post last week from Mayor Zach Grayson discussing his experience at the Oklahoma Municipal League’s conference in Alva Oklahoma. Traveling to other rural towns in Oklahoma and seeing what they are doing is always fun. It’s good to get out of our bubble and realize how Chickasha compares to other towns, both strengths and weaknesses. From the Mayor’s post, it looks like he had time to do some reflecting on his drive home. If you want to read his entire post, it’s on the Facebook page “Chickasha Positively Speaking” which he created for everyone to share exactly that: Positivity! He is like most of us that choose to live here, he likes what he sees. He also recognizes what our Community needs to work on and that’s why he chose to run for Mayor, a position that requires a lot of time, with zero financial compensation. His rewards is helping lead our town and to unite us to work together for progress. In his post, Zach commented on feedback he has received from people that have lived here their whole life or at least several decades and how they like what they see. I have heard a lot of that too. I wonder if we took a poll of the citizens that live in Chickasha and asked them what they think about how our town is going, what would the results of the poll be? I guess we will find out next Tuesday, April 1 st when citizens will go to the polls and Vote for City Council. Being a City Council member pays no salary, just like the Mayor’s job, it’s strictly volunteer. For someone to run for Council they have to be willing to attend a minimum of two meetings a month on Monday nights. They have to represent the citizens of the Ward they live in and make decisions that shape our future. It’s a commitment, very different from those that like to sit back and criticize everything on social media. Next Tuesday I hope we have a huge voter turnout. I hope that citizens understand that no matter what Ward they live in that they get to vote on all three races. I hope they do some research and find the candidates that best represent their views for Chickasha and its future. Leadership matters! Whether good or bad, we get what we vote for in elections. I hope you will get out and vote and I hope you will remind all your friends to do the same. Great Leadership is the only way we will get to enjoy #TheGoodStuff! 

Spring has officially sprung, and with it comes the much-anticipated Easter Shop Local Campaign ! Following the success of our previous campaigns—Local Love and Rainbow Hunters—we’re back with another exciting opportunity for our local businesses and the Chickasha community to come together and celebrate all things local this spring. From April 16th-19th , we’re encouraging everyone to shop local and join the Easter fun by participating in a city-wide Easter egg hunt. Participating businesses will hide Easter eggs in their stores, each containing a special discount, freebie, or surprise prize for shoppers to discover. Whether you’re a seasoned local or a newcomer to Chickasha, this campaign is the perfect way to connect with the community, support small businesses, and snag some fantastic deals! How Does the Easter Shop Local Campaign Work? It’s easy to get involved and even easier for your customers to participate! Here’s a quick rundown of the campaign process: Sign Up : Local businesses sign up to participate by March 28th . Once you’re on board, we’ll deliver Easter eggs filled with special offers to your business between April 9th-15th —just in time for the hunt to begin! Hide Your Eggs : When you receive your eggs, you’ll need to hide them somewhere inside your store. Each participating business is asked to provide at least 5 prizes , whether they’re discounts, free items, or fun surprises. The Hunt Begins! : From April 16th-19th , shoppers will be on the lookout for those hidden eggs, hopping from store to store in search of deals. The thrill of discovery is all part of the fun! Claim Your Prize : Once a shopper finds one of your eggs, they’ll be able to redeem their prize between April 21st-30th . Whether it’s a small treat or a big discount, they’ll be excited to return and shop with you again! Golden Eggs : For a little extra excitement, there will be three Golden Eggs hidden around Chickasha. These special eggs contain grand prizes for lucky shoppers. Who doesn’t love a good surprise? Join Us for the Big Kickoff Event! To get everyone in the spirit and make sure the hunt starts with a bang, we’re kicking off the campaign with a big event at Walmart on April 11th . This will be during Walmart’s ribbon cutting and our Chamber Connects event, which is a perfect opportunity to network with fellow local businesses and celebrate the start of the Easter Shop Local Campaign together. Be sure to stop by, grab your eggs, and learn more about how this campaign can boost your sales and connect you with new customers. Why Participate? The Easter Shop Local Campaign isn’t just about hiding eggs and offering discounts—it’s a fantastic way to: Increase foot traffic to your store Boost sales and attract new customers Connect with the local community in a fun, engaging way Showcase your business in a city-wide campaign And let’s not forget, it’s a great way to bring some joy and excitement to the Easter season! We’ve already seen tremendous participation in our Local Love and Rainbow Hunters campaigns, and we know that this Easter campaign will be just as successful, if not more! The support from the Chickasha community has been incredible, and we can’t wait to see how many people will join in on this hunt! How to Sign Up Ready to be a part of the Easter Shop Local Campaign? Sign up by March 28th to secure your spot! Just email cassie@chickashachamber.com to let us know you’d like to participate. We’ll provide everything you need, including the Easter eggs, promotional materials, and all the details on how to make the most of the campaign. We can’t wait to see how this Easter Shop Local Campaign brings our community together and supports our wonderful local businesses. Let’s hop to it—don’t miss out on this fun and exciting opportunity!

Spring officially begins this week. We’ve already experienced daylight savings time, but now the calendar will make it official and hopefully the weather will too. I’m sure we are all ready for more sunshine and less wind. Our Community was incredibly blessed last week by our local first responders, firefighters and City staff that worked very hard to keep us safe. The weather and mother nature will let us know that change is coming, but we will also see a lot of changes here in our town over the next few months. The City Council election is on Tuesday, April 1 st and everyone will get a chance to vote on candidates in all wards, not just the one they live in. I think Chickasha has a good system where every year citizens get a chance to run for office as well as vote for whoever you think will best represent your views. I realize that it can be pretty challenging for the average citizen to know who to vote for if you don’t know the candidates. The Chickasha Lions Club is again doing a meet the candidate reception. It will be held on Thursday, March 27 th at Canadian Valley Technology Center. It will be from 5:30 to 7 that night. It’s free and open to the public and a great opportunity to learn more about the candidates. Much like the season changing to Spring, Chickasha is also changing. It’s growing with new businesses and new homes. Our population is growing. We are witnessing change on a monthly basis. There will be several MAJOR announcements made in the next 90 days. These announcements will be about growth and change. However you feel about change and growth, you have an opportunity on April 1 st to go Vote! Do some research and find the candidate that best represents your views for the future of Chickasha. Voting for what you believe in…well that’s definitely #TheGoodStuff! 

So what does it mean to you when you hear the phrase “Pro-Chickasha”? I think that’s a question we should all be asking ourselves, do you consider yourself to be Pro-Chickasha? Here’s what it means to me. I believe in the town I grew up in! I don’t believe it’s perfect, but I love the direction it’s going. I think it’s great for our Community to see new businesses coming to town, new homes being build, run down homes being fixed up, and all three of our schools working together to educate our youth. Pro-Chickasha to me means we all are working together: the Business community, the City, the Chamber, the EDC, our Educational partners, civic clubs and most importantly the citizens that love living here and want to see our town continue to thrive. The reason we have so much momentum right now is because the majority of our town is Pro-Chickasha! I don’t think anyone thinks our town is perfect, like every other town we have plenty to work on. It was very cool when the Mayor of Weatherford stopped by recently and he was asking questions about our Downtown and what we did to bring it back to life? Weatherford is a wonderful town that I visited last summer and they certainly have their town headed in the right direction. He was very kind mentioning the momentum we have right now. If you are reading this column, there is a good chance you are Pro-Chickasha. Thank you! That’s how amazing things happen: we believe in ourselves and are willing to invest in ourselves to make our Community better! I believe that that this will be an incredible year. When we are Pro-Chickasha, that’s when #TheGoodStuff happens!

What started as a fun way to encourage local shopping and exploration has turned into an overwhelmingly successful community event! Over the past few weeks, we've seen families, friends, and individuals take to the streets of Chickasha, eagerly searching for Paddy’s hidden rainbows at local businesses. With each rainbow found, participants have been scanning QR codes, racking up entries, and taking part in bonus challenges like buying something green or trying out St. Paddy’s Day specials or products in local businesses. The energy has been incredible, and the local businesses involved have loved seeing so many new and returning customers walk through their doors searching for rainbows. One of the most heartwarming sights has been seeing kids excitedly spot a rainbow and snap a photo, proving that this event is more than just a contest—it’s a way to bring smiles, engagement, and community spirit to Chickasha. We’ve had participants of all ages joining in, from little ones embarking on a fun adventure to longtime locals rediscovering businesses they hadn’t visited in a while. With just a few days left, the hunt is still on! More rainbow locations have been added, giving even more chances to enter before the deadline on March 17th at 10:00 AM. After that, we’ll go live on Facebook to draw a lucky winner for the Chickasha Pot of Gold, filled with local goodies and gift cards from some of our amazing businesses. And don’t forget—our Paddy’s Party Block Party is happening on March 15th starting at 11:00 AM! 🎉 It’s the perfect way to celebrate the season with fun, food, and community togetherness. Plus, we heard Paddy herself will be joining us again this year from 2:00 - 6:00 PM. Make sure to bring chairs for the concert at If you haven’t joined in yet, now’s the time! Grab your friends, follow the rainbows, and support Chickasha’s local businesses while you’re at it. Thank you to everyone who has participated so far—you’ve made this event truly magical!

This past week, I had the honor to meet with two different candidates that a company is interviewing for an executive management position here in Chickasha. My job was not to interview them, that was someone else’s responsibility. My job was to “Sell” them on Chickasha and why it’s a great place to live, work and play. Both of the candidates were from out of state. Each came here at different times and stayed the night, but like most people they googled our town long before they arrived. They are just like most businesses that are considering Chickasha, they want to learn as much as they can online, before I get a chance to tell them all about #TheGoodStuff we have to offer. They did their research on housing, education and quality of life. They had a lot of great questions about ‘Why Chickasha” and I told them because we are in the Middle of Everywhere! Think about how close we are to so many amenities: Thunder basketball, incredible lakes, the Wichita Mountains, Dallas Cowboy Football or OU/OSU Football, Branson Missouri, incredible Casinos, and Broadway plays at the Civic Center. The list goes on and on. So many big time amenities within a reasonable drive, yet you can enjoy the hassle free life that our Community has to offer. There is a graphic about this on the Chickasha EDC Facebook page. Both candidates remarked that they could tell that our town was growing, they could see it but then they could also “feel” it. When I asked them what they meant by that, they mentioned that when they talked to hotel or restaurant staffs, that the message was the same. When they compared where they were living to what they saw in Chickasha, we stood out in one major thing: Growth! One of them commented that the town they were in was Anti-Growth! The local officials didn’t want new businesses or new housing additions, they wanted to stay small. Ouch… If I find out that either one of these candidates gets the job here, I may ask them to be a guest columnist for the #TheGoodStuff, that way you can hear it directly from them. We will always have challenges to overcome, every town does, but we will continue to see unprecedented growth in Chickasha as long as we stay focused on #TheGoodStuff right here in the Middle of Everywhere!

The Chickasha Community lost a Community Giant last week. Since his passing, there has been so many social media posts from all over Oklahoma sharing their condolences to his family. Steve LaForge did so much for so many, but it wasn’t just limited to our town. His presence was felt everywhere. God knew what he was doing when he made Steve. Steve stood out from the crowd with those Hawaiian shirts and always said to “dress where you want to be,” but he was so much more than just those colorful shirts. Steve was the Spirit of Chickasha! He supported so many causes to help local youth, I don’t know that I could come close to name them all. Stocking catfish in the pond at Shannon Springs Park always stood out to me, but his generosity showed up all over our Community. He was a very accomplished businessman, but he was devoted to make all of Chickasha successful! He is the reason we have much of the retail in the 4 th and Grand area when he was developing it. He served many years on the Chickasha Economic Development Council and the Chickasha Industrial Authority. He sponsored numerous events and was a proud and outspoken member of the Chamber of Commerce. Some of my favorite memories of Steve were over the last year as he would provide the weekly deep thoughts at Rotary. These were typically jokes about “little johnny” that maybe not everyone was able to hear, but caused everyone to laugh. Steve always insisted that Rotary speakers use the microphone, but often forgot to use it himself. There is no way I can do justice in this article to what Steve meant to Chickasha. There’s just too much. Steve commanded respect because of not just who he was, but what he did for others. He was comfortable speaking his mind and his vast experience in business provided him significant insight that when he spoke, people listened. He inspired others to not settle, but to push to make big things happen. Chickasha is going to miss Steve LaForge because the way he lived his life to help others was the definition of #TheGoodStuff!