Report: Panasonic chooses Kansas Over Oklahoma for newest factory
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - It seems Oklahoma has lost out on a major company calling the Sooner State home, according to new reports.
Earlier this year, Oklahoma lawmakers worked out an incentive package to attract a large company to choose Oklahoma as the location for its next factory.
“We have the opportunity to land one of the largest factories in the entire country just a humongous, humongous factory with billions of dollars in investment, thousands and thousands of jobs,” said Governor Kevin Stitt in April.
At the time, the governor wouldn't name the company involved but sources said it was Panasonic.
On Wednesday, Nikkei Asia reported that Panasonic Holdings announced that it would invest several billion dollars in an electric vehicle battery factory in Kansas.
The report states that the company chose Kansas because of its proximity to Texas and its favorable tax treatment.
KFOR reached out to the governor's office about the news and received the following statement:
“Governor Stitt is confident in his plan to attract companies to Oklahoma. This is not the end of the governor’s strategy to make Oklahoma a Top Ten state for business and Oklahomans would be wise to not count us out just yet," said Communications Director Carly Atchison.