V&S Schuler Tubular Products is making a bold statement about Muskogee's future — and it's backing that statement with $22 million.

The steel components manufacturer, which has called Muskogee home for more than three decades, has announced plans to construct a brand-new manufacturing facility expansion at the Port Muskogee John T. Griffin Industrial Park.

The project involves relocating current operations to the new site, modernizing equipment, and ramping up production capacity — a signal that the company is not just maintaining its local footprint, but aggressively growing it.

For a city where manufacturing already ranks among the top employment sectors, the timing of this investment carries real weight.

Officials at Port Muskogee have made clear that landing this kind of commitment from an established local operator is exactly what economic development strategy looks like in practice.

The expansion is expected to preserve more than 70 existing positions while opening the door to additional hiring over the next five years — a meaningful boost in a county where the unemployment rate currently sits near five percent.

V&S Schuler Tubular Products, known for fabricating tapered tubular poles and steel structures used in utility, infrastructure, and industrial applications, has deep roots in the region.

Losing an anchor employer of this scale would have been a blow — making the decision to reinvest locally all the more significant.

The John T. Griffin Industrial Park, which spans hundreds of developable acres within a Federal Opportunity Zone, has increasingly become a magnet for serious capital investment.

This announcement follows a broader wave of manufacturing momentum in Muskogee, with multiple companies expanding operations and adding jobs across the industrial corridor in recent years.

The V&S Schuler project stands out, however, for the scale of its commitment and the longevity of its community ties.

Local small business owners say the ripple effect of more industrial jobs can be felt across every corner of Muskogee's economy — from retail and food service to housing and local services.

The City of Muskogee and the State of Oklahoma both played supporting roles in bringing the project to fruition, reflecting the kind of public-private alignment that economic development leaders often point to as the foundation for sustainable growth.

For a community working to build on its industrial legacy, this is the kind of news that matters.

The manufacturing facility expansion by V&S Schuler Tubular Products is more than a construction project — it is a vote of confidence in Muskogee's workforce, infrastructure, and long-term potential.