DURANT – When Senior Executive Officer John Elliott wanted to meet with his staff at the Choctaw Nation’s Department of Commerce, it was about a 15-minute drive. The department was spread across three buildings in Durant. Now, it’s a walk across the hall.
“We’re having a lot more impromptu meetings at The Roots Café,” said Tammye Gwin, executive director of the Commerce Department. “It’s a lot easier for us to congregate for a visit.”
The Choctaw Nation has spent the last few months moving into its new headquarters building at the tribe’s campus at S. Ninth Street and U.S. Route 75. The nearly 500,000-square-foot building condenses down more than 30 buildings that were spread across Durant and Bryan County. Some offices were in mobile homes. Within those buildings, there were more than 300 departments that operate 145 programs. They’re all under one roof now.
“I’m seeing a lot more collaboration among departments,” said Chief Gary Batton. “They’re sharing best practices.”
Batton, Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr. and senior executive officers from the tribe’s departments spoke to media representatives on Monday, ahead of the building’s ceremonial opening. More than 2,000 people are expected at Tuesday’s event.
During Monday’s media presentation, Batton looked down the line of the nation’s senior executive officers and said that in the past, it would have taken about a month to get all of them in the room.
“This is an exciting time for us within the Choctaw Nation,” Batton said.
Gwin referred to the new building as the tribe’s White House, where people can get services and meet with leaders. Batton and Austin’s offices are on the first floor. Batton said he wanted to be accessible to his people and employees because that’s where he gets his best ideas.
“Though the second floor does look nice, with that conference room and the balcony,” Batton said, jokingly. “It took me an hour-and-a-half to get to lunch the first day we were here because I was visiting with staff. It’s good for a weight-loss plan.”
The $200 million building was designed by Oklahoma City’s Frankfurt-Short-Bruza architecture firm. Manhattan Construction was the general contractor.
The building is equipped with the latest in office-building technology. It has already been toured by companies that want to integrate similar technology in their buildings.
Batton said the building has also attracted traditional tourists. The five-story structure stands out on the campus, where the wellness center and medical center are housed. The judicial center, with three courtrooms, is under construction. A cultural center is also in the works, but construction has not started.
“It’s great to see this as a tourism destination,” Batton said.
The tribe’s former main office building was built as the Oklahoma Presbyterian College. The tribe had added on to it and reconfigured the building as much as it could. It will now be used as a museum on the first floor, storage space, and a business incubator, Batton said.
The tribe employs 10,000 people, so the new building should be seen as more than an office building. Those people get to spend money in southeast Oklahoma and help the cities increase their sales-tax collections. In total, the tribe has a $350 million annual payroll and a $2 billion economic impact on the state, Batton said.
“I hope that you all see this (new headquarters) as no different than Apple or Google,” he said.
The tribe didn’t have a short list of cities where it would go when it was looking for a new home. In its 10.5 counties, Durant was the only city that welcomed them. And the new headquarters is only the beginning of what the tribe wants to do in the area. It’s recently started helping with business recruitment, with CMC Metals being its first win.
“I think (this building) shows that the city of Durant is on the move,” Batton told The Journal Record. “Anytime you make an investment like this, you’re on the move. It’s just another highlight that we’re looking to grow this area.”