Costco targets Oklahoma City for new operations center Seattle based Costco wants to open an operations and customer care center that would add more than 1,000 jobs over the next three years with an average annual salary of $59,740. This would involve $3 million in incentives from the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust and the State of Oklahoma's Quality Jobs Program. Costco reports it expects to invest more than $25 million to purchase a property along with furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Roy Williams, president of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, noted the deal is well timed as the city — faces a rising unemployment rate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Oklahoma City Chamber estimates the total economic impact will be $772 million over the first seven years of operation based on total project impact, including capital investment, wages, state and local taxes.
They plan to begin hiring very soon and want to be in operation by the end of the calendar year according to Cathy O’Connor, president of The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City. O'Connor indicated thousands applied for jobs at the warehouse store and that’s when they realized we had an adequate workforce that is highly motivated.
Costco also felt the effects in stores after reporting a surge in sales during the first weeks of the pandemic. The company also reported an 88% increase in eCommerce sales, which will be the focus of the Oklahoma City operation.
A second Costco is expected to start construction in Moore, OK this fall. It should be open sometime next year. The metro's first Costco store opened in May, 2019, near the Kilpatrick Turnpike and Western Avenue.