November 5th Update

November 5th, 2025

Mr. Wayne Mays - wmays@hammrc.com

2025 Annual Meeting in Tahlequah

The HAMMRC Board of Directors convened at the Cherokee Nation Health Outpatient Center, with Board Chair Brian Hail of Cherokee Nation Health presiding. Guest Dusty Miggletto of the Indian Capital Technology Center explained their services in the workforce area, and explored some potential connections with HAMMRC prospect companies, including current new company Precision Injection Molding.

Wayne Mays, HAMMRC staff, reviewed his current activities, reported on the positive financial position of the organization and reviewed a handout listing current prospects he has contacted and is pursuing. These include Lineus Medical, Pressio Spine, Chinook Medical Gear, Medtronic, Kinsa/UAMS, Smith and Nephew, and Spero Clinic, and others.

Mays also presented a draft budget for 2026 with proposed increases in advertising/marketing and trade show trips. It also reflects loss of income from members not renewing on 1/1/26: City of Lincoln (citing extreme increases in city-paid employee insurance and other increases) and Cherokee Nation (citing overlap of expenses with their internal economic development department). Both stressed satisfaction with HAMMRC services and effort. Not included in the budget was the video project, planned for 2025 but not completed, according to a report from Brian Hail and Arielle Barnett of the Cherokee Nation. The uncompleted video had been earmarked for a $67K expense in 2025. After the reduction in income and the unspent funds from the video project, Mays offered a balanced budget for 2026. The HAMMRC Executive Committee will consider a few changes focused on advertising and travel in their planned Dec. 12 conference in Fayetteville. The final recommended budget will be sent to the Board members by email for consideration/approval.

The meeting concluded with the transition of Board of Directors leadership. Outgoing Board Chair Brian Hail of the Cherokee Nation "handed the gavel" to incoming Chair Josh Hutchins of Hutchins Law in Tahlequah, who is the Chair of the Tahlequah Regional Development Authority. The change will officially take place on Jan. 1, 2026.

HAMMRC Board of Directors and guests, 11/14/25

Update on Precision Injection Molding

We are continuing to get good news from our first success story- Precision Injection Molding. Since relocating to Tahlequah from Canada this summer owner David Cross has been extremely busy getting his family settled in and setting up his operation in the Tahlequah Business and Technology Park. He speaks highly of the welcome they have received.

As of Nov. 14 David reports that he has hired 12 new employees, has four main production cells up and running, and is running 24/7 in order to catch up on back orders. He says the quality and retention of the new hires is good; the early hires are in packaging, quality control, maintenance and processing technicians. His planning includes training the new folks in robotics and programming. Future hires will need some training and higher education, with focus on engineers, tool makers and production managers. For now, he has enough applicants that he is not advertising.

Resin pellets, basic component for manufacturing at P.I.M.

David says his product lines right now are focused on electronics, prosthetics and a portable hand-sanitizing device. The prosthetic device is a foot/ankle/leg support brace system (see dafo@dafo.com); these are primarily produced for children with disabilities. This is the medical manufacturing link attractive to HAMMRC.

A potentially fortuitous connection has been made with Fayetteville manufacturer Marshalltown Tools; after a report by Wayne Mays at a Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Board Retreat Marshalltown's Jack Murders alerted several managers to the presence of PIM nearby. They have established contact with David and he has agreed to provide quotes for items needed by Marshalltown; they have an NDA in place and David is actively quoting prices for an "edger handle" and other items. In confirmation of our HAMMRC investigation of re-shoring opportunities, Marshalltown managers noted that they were actively contacting injection molders (some domestic and some international outside of China) hoping to find a valuable new injection molding supplier very soon.

This new company offers proof that HAMMRC can connect with prospect companies, offer great quality of life and positive opportunities ("Oklahoma is open for business," according to David Cross), and assist them with their move.

New Website Message

Energizing Economic Development (EED)

Food for Thought: "The Technologically Intoxicated Zone"

In his books "Megatrends" (1982) and "High Tech-High Touch" (1999) author/thinker John Naisbitt very accurately predicted the ascendance of technology in our lives. He said "Technology's promises are music to our ears. We want to believe that any given solution is only a purchase away."

Naisbitt noted- even 25 to 40 years ago- that over time "America has transformed from a technologically comfortable place into a Technologically Intoxicated Zone. Intoxicated by technology's seductive pleasures and promises, we turn our backs to technology's consequences and wonder why the future seems unpredictable. Few of us have a clear understanding of what place technology has in our lives (or should have), what place it should have in society, and most fundamentally of all, what it is." This sounds a lot like our current struggle with AI, doesn't it?

Daily headlines about AI's infusion/intrusion into every facet of our lives leaves some of us feeling something is not quite right but we can't put our finger on it. Naisbitt said "High Tech-High Touch is enjoying the fruits of technological advancements and having it truly sit well with our god, our church, or our spiritual beliefs. It is understanding technology through the human lens of play, time, religion, and art." So, in an effort to identify, isolate, and address this "Zone" we may be in, let's review Naisbitt's handful of clear symptoms that indicate an unsettling diagnosis of our way of life.

"The symptoms of a Technologically Intoxicated Zone are:

We favor the quick fix, from religion to nutrition.
We fear and worship technology.
We blur the distinction between real and fake.
We accept violence as normal.
We love technology as a toy.
We live our lives distanced and distracted.

By being aware of these symptoms and how they manifest themselves, we can better understand the role technology has or could have in our lives."

Let's examine our lives, looking for one or more of these symptoms and seek ways to root them out.

SOURCES:

"Megatrends"
John Naisbitt, 1982

"High Tech-High Touch: Technology and Our Search for Meaning"
John Naisbitt, 1999

Upcoming Events:

December 12th, 2025 - 10am
HAMMRC Executive Committee planning session at Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce

January 9th, 2026 - 10am
HAMMRC Board of Directors meeting at Farmington City Hall

February 24th, 2026 - (Tentative)
Healthcare Showcase, Fayetteville Town Center