City Grill

Craig Abbott 
Vice President
Manhattan Construction Co. 
President, 
AGC Oklahoma Building Chapter

Despite continued supply chain challenges and shortages of skilled labor, construction activity continues to increase in Oklahoma City, Abbott says. “In September 2021, the city council approved the MAPS 4 Implementation Plan, which lays the groundwork for 16 new projects focused on quality of life, human needs and job-creating initiatives,” he says. This temporary 1¢ sales tax will yield $978 million over eight years and be supplemented by private investment.
“Two significant projects that will kick off in 2022 include the Convergence development in the Oklahoma City’s innovation district as well as the OKANA Hotel and Resort along the Oklahoma River,” he says.
“With public, Tribal and private development investments, Oklahoma City AEC companies are poised for growth,” he says, but that increase in activity coincides with record low unemployment rates, a shortage of skilled workers and AEC professionals, and unprecedented supply chain disruptions. “Contractors will have to change their strategies and get very creative in how they mitigate procurement risks,” Abbott says.