November 7, 2026 Issue, Page 12 of 15

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12• SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2026 The Elk City News Situated for Success Elk City is at the center of a country-sized trade area. This trade area—the geographic region where most of our business customers come from—includes a huge swath of territory east to Weatherford, south beyond Mangum and Altus, west to nearly Pampa, Texas, and north well past Arnett and Leedey. At 10,000 to 12,000 square miles, it’s about the size of the European country Belgium. The estimated population of our bi-state trade area is 117,916—approximately the same as Oklahoma’s 4th-largest city, Broken Arrow. According to the most recently-available, compiled, one-month information, Elk City’s hotel-tax revenue was up 10.7% from the same time last year. Sales-tax revenue was more than $1.5 million. Elk City’s unemployment rate was 3.7%—lower than the state’s rate of 4.3% and the nation’s rate of 4.1%. The number of visitors to Elk City was 145,100. These are people who don’t live or work here and who spent more than 10 minutes here. The Rocking TNT Ranch Joins Membership of American Angus Association Many visitors come to town for activities at Ackley Park and Ackley Park West. For example, The 5 Plex Baseball Fields and 5 Plex Softball Fields drew 9,400 visitors. Elk City businesses benefit considerably from visitors who spend money, which benefits locals by creating jobs and generating sales-tax revenue that funds City services and amenities. Investing in the downtown retail district infrastructure, Ackley Park, and Ackley Park West, plus the growth of business from the west side of town to the economic center on the east side of town near the interstate, has positioned Elk City for continued economic success in attracting regional customers. Elk City is in a country-sized, twostate trade area with an estimated population of one of the state’s largest cities. Vibrant local businesses and attractions make Elk City a destination city at the center of it. The Rocking TNT Ranch, Erick, Oklahoma, is a new member of the American Angus Association®, reports Mark McCully, CEO of the national breed organization headquartered in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The American Angus Association, with more than 21,000 active adult and junior members, is the largest beef breed association in the world. Its computerized records include detailed information on over 21 million registered Angus. The Association records ancestral information and keeps production records and genomic data on individual animals to develop industry-leading selection tools for its members. The programs and services of the Association and its entities — Angus Genet- ics Inc., Angus Media, Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Foundation — help members advance the beef cattle business by selecting the best animals for their herds and marketing quality genetics for the beef cattle industry and quality beef for consumers. ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 21,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by more than 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers. SWOSU Public Relations and Marketing Team Earns 10 International Awards WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Southwestern Oklahoma State University’s (SWOSU) Office of Public Relations and Marketing has earned four Gold awards, six Silver awards and one Honorable Mention in two international creative competitions. The honors were awarded in the 22nd Annual Davey Awards and the 2026 MarCom Awards. The viewbook, The View from the Hilltop, earned Gold honors in both competitions. The team included direct contributions from students and families about choosing SWOSU and becoming part of campus life. Their stories and photographs bring personal experience into a publication that also addresses academic programs, college costs and enrollment. Prospective students can hear from the people who have faced many of the same decisions they are considering. For the anniversary campaign, the team used SWOSU’s history as the foundation for both its storytelling and visual identity. Stories from the Hilltop shares accounts of the university’s beginnings, its community and its alumni. The anniversary branding features the bell tower of the original Main Building, a landmark from SWOSU’s earliest years. These stories and designs give departments and alumni a shared way to commemorate the university’s history throughout its 125th year. SWOSU earned seven category awards in the 2026 Davey Awards across three projects: The View from the Hilltop: SWO- SU’s 2026–2027 Viewbook Gold: Corporate Identity–Design & Print Collateral Silver: Direct Mail–Consumer Silver: Design & Print Collateral– Brochure SWOSU 125: Celebrating 125 Years Silver: Corporate Identity–Brand Identity Silver: Consumer–Brand Identity Silver: Corporate Identity–Logos SWOSU 125: Stories from the Hilltop Silver: Branded Digital Campaigns–Educational & Instructional The Davey Awards recognize creative achievement by small agencies, in-house teams and independent creators. Entries are evaluated by the Academy of Interactive & Visu- al Arts, whose membership includes more than 1,000 industry leaders from brands, institutions and creative agencies. The international competition honors work across design, print, marketing, advertising and digital media, with a focus on creative achievement without large-agency budgets. SWOSU earned three Gold awards and one Honorable Mention in the 2026 MarCom Awards: Gold, Viewbook: The View from the Hilltop: SWOSU’s 2026–2027 Viewbook Gold, Brand Journalism: SWOSU 125: Stories from the Hilltop Gold, Brochure: The View from the Hilltop: A Student-First Viewbook Honorable Mention, Branding: SWOSU 125: Celebrating 125 Years MarCom is an international competition recognizing achievement in the concept, design and production of marketing and communication materials. The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals sponsors and judges the competition, which attracts entries from corporate communication departments, advertising agencies, public relations firms and independent creative professionals. More than 6,000 entries were expected for the 2026 competition from the United States, Canada, and 41 other countries. The digital viewbook is available on the SWOSU homepage at swosu. edu. Anniversary stories and branding are available at swosu.edu/125. Additional information about the ELECTION RESULTS competitions is available at daveyawards.com and marcomawards. com. ABOUT SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) was founded in 1901 and offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs across three locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon. The university serves more than 5,000 students and prides itself on affordability, small class sizes, and over 200 faculty and staff committed to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals. For more information about Southwestern Oklahoma State University, visit www.swosu.edu.