Jul. 16—Engineers, high-tech workers, teachers and health care professionals can benefit from a $10,000 housing stipend through the Port of Muskogee.
All they need to do is come to Muskogee to work, and buy or build a house within the Muskogee city limits.
The Port of Muskogee, with help from the City of Muskogee Foundation, is offering the Ready, Set, Move incentive to entice new talent to Muskogee.
Darla Heller of Port of Muskogee Workforce Development said the program gives major employers a tool to recruit high-wage workers.
"This program is a creative way to recruit talent to Muskogee city limits and encourage home purchase," she said.
The program offers a one-time $10,000 cash stipend for any program awardee to buy or build a new house within Muskogee city limits.
To qualify for this Strategic Investment Program, the applicant must be newly hired at a job that pays more than 110 percent of the average county wage.
Heller said criteria also focuses on newly created positions or hard-to-fill positions.
An example of a qualifying position could be Georgia-Pacific seeking an engineer, Heller said.
She said other positions could be "health care professionals, anything in manufacturing, high tech, higher wage jobs."
"Ten of those incentives can be used for educators," Heller said "There is a small number."
Muskogee Public Schools has used its Facebook page to tout Ready, Set, Move as a hiring incentive.
MPS Marketing and Communications Director Brandon Irby said district human resources "have been diligently recruiting the entire summer."
"This housing stipend came at a very ideal time for us in order to get a little more exposure to the end of the summer months," he said. "We appreciate the leadership that the foundation and the port have demonstrated in attracting new talent to Muskogee. We've seen an uptick in interest and excitement as we begin to promote this."
Port Director Kimbra Scott said the incentive helps health care, as well.
"We understand that our public-school districts and our health care facilities are struggling to recruit," Scott said. "Our proposal to include classroom teachers and health care workers communicates that we are committed to building a stronger more vibrant community,"
City of Muskogee Foundation board chairwoman Wren Stratton said the incentive is for "any professional that they're having trouble recruiting to the community."
"We need to address workforce attainment," Stratton said "Our businesses and our future businesses must know that we are serious about helping them prosper in Muskogee, Oklahoma."