Tribal leaders, Congressional representatives and local officials welcomed Canadian firm Pro-Pipe USA LLC to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, for the pipeline manufacturer’s groundbreaking ceremony at Iron Horse Industrial Park.

“Pro-Pipe USA LLC’s investment in Iron Horse will help drive economic development in Oklahoma,” Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Chairman John ‘Rocky’ Barrett said. “Iron Horse Industrial Park and CPN provide an excellent environment for manufacturers to produce and distribute their products. We thank Pro-Pipe USA LLC for the partnership.”

Pro-Pipe USA LLC is an Oklahoma-based company that will operate a 50,000-square foot production facility at Iron Horse Industrial Park located on 25 acres of land. Once at peak production, Pro-Pipe USA LLC’s Iron Horse facility will employ 20 to 30 workers who will manufacture high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) for the oil & gas, mining, irrigation, sewer, telecommunications, geothermal and municipal water markets.

“The historical connection between Canada and CPN is the people,” Pro-Pipe USA LLC’s Patrick Lamoureux said. “This commercial trade will lead to ongoing commerce between CPN and Canada via Pro-Pipe USA LLC and its Canadian business interests.”

The company’s production facility is in the initial stages of construction, with CPN retaining ownership of the facility while subleasing it to Pro-Pipe USA LLC through contractual tenets laid out by the U.S. Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act, or HEARTH Act. The act restores the authority of federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own laws governing the long-term leasing of Indian lands for residential, business and other purposes.

“Iron Horse’s location is ideal for logistics, access to markets while the economic environment is ideal,” Lamoureux said. “The (Oklahoma) region offers similar economics to Canada in terms of an area that is rich in amazing people, oil and gas and agriculture.”

Pro-Pipe USA LLC expects operations to begin by the summer of 2020, including expansion with its affiliate partners, thus creating additional employment.

“We can never predict the weather, but Pro-Pipe USA LLC will be producing their pipeline products within the next year,” CPN Economic Development Director James C. Collard said. “This is not the only great news, as many know that one manufacturing job tends to support and multiply three or four outside jobs as well.”

By developing Iron Horse Industrial Park as a destination for manufacturers and those participating in international trade, CPN looks to increase its ability