Congresswoman Bice visits EOC

By Ryan Horton
Choctaw Times

Choctaw Area Chamber of Commerce hosts tour of Jones

Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, Kyle Croak, Choctaw Area Chamber President/CEO Carol Goodwin and Teresa Shuffield meet with other local business leaders for a roundtable at Shuff’s in Jones. (PHOTO PROVIDED BY MATT BLUBAUGH)

The Choctaw Area Chamber of Commerce hosted Congresswoman Stephanie Bice’s first official visit to eastern Oklahoma County since taking office, April 8.

Chamber officials say the goal was to help introduce the Congresswoman to the EOC area.

The Choctaw Area Chamber of Commerce represents the communities of Choctaw, Jones, Nicoma Park, as well as the surrounding eastern Oklahoma County areas.

The Chamber hopes to highlight the important happenings in the region and also let Bice’s office know where congressional support is need by EOC communities.

The first of what coordinators hope are many visits took place in Jones.

Attendees met at Shuff’s for a business roundtable, toured Blue & Gold Sausage and then the Chamber hosted a roundtable with business owners as well as Town of Jones City and Jones School officials.

“My goal as CEO of the Chamber is to advocate for small business in our community and connect our members to resources. The Chamber has established relationships with elected officials to ensure that we have access to policy makers, who need to understand what is driving (and hindering) commerce in our area. A strong economy leads to a strong community,” said Carol Goodwin.

“We are thankful to Congresswoman Bice for joining us in Jones today. She indicated to us that it was important to her to hear from business owners, as well as community leaders. We held two round table discussions, where we talked about the current business climate and how she can best support us. We had some productive discussions, and I’m excited to have her back out to show off Choctaw and the surrounding areas.”

Congresswoman Stephanie Bice tours Blue & Gold Sausage headquarters in Jones.
(PHOTO PROVIDED BY MATT BLUBAUGH)