Fulkerson: An incoming tsunami

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The headlines that we’ve seen for the last few months around tariffs are so sensationalized that I know, at least for me, the real meaning behind some of the moves the administration is making gets lost in drama and hyperbole.

But there’s something going on here that could be meaningful to Oklahoma.

A long-term client who I have coached on and off for several years is an executive with a global company that is in the construction space.

Their business is a bit sluggish right now. I’m hearing the same thing for many clients. Everyone is tentative, holding their breath and waiting for the dust to settle from the economic policies that are being enacted. So, it’s making leaders cautious about spending.

But while my client’s business is tepid, they are concerned by the “overwhelming incoming tsunami of projects” they are being asked to participate in. Wondering if they can even resource what they’re being asked to do. New builds, retrofits, redesigns, etc.. It’s across the board.

He said, “It’s clear to us that we are seeing the single largest investment in American manufacturing infrastructure in 80 years”.

This sounds exciting to me. For decades, I have been certain that one of the key factors to the decimation of America’s middle class has been the overseas outsourcing of American manufacturing.

Whenever I’ve brought this up, I’m usually met with obstacles to bringing manufacturing home. Are we ready to pay “made in America” prices? Do we have the workforce appetite? Do we understand the trade implications?

I don’t know that I have the answers to any of those questions, by I am now clear that we are no longer operating in theoretical territory. It’s real, and it’s happening. Right now.

And I think Oklahoma could be a leader in this manufacturing renaissance. We have the right workforce, the right business conditions, abundant natural resources and a century of evidence that Oklahoma is a spectacular place for manufacturing.

I’m putting the call out for political and business leaders to recognize this opportunity and to seize it with vigor. Let’s proactively grab a big piece of what is coming.

This kind of infrastructure is not built overnight. This is going to be a process that will take two to five years to play out. Which means anyone who acts now can be well positioned to be a part of the story.

Aaron Fulkerson is a partner at the consulting firm Schnake Turnbo Frank.