Eskimo Joe's, Accurate Environmental Win $175K State Grants

Two Stillwater-founded businesses are using Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program grants totaling $175,000 to fund major equipment purchases and facility expansions that will strengthen their competitive positions in national markets.

Eskimo Joe's Promotional Products Group received $85,000 in payroll tax rebates to purchase a $165,000 apparel printing press, while Accurate Environmental Labs secured $90,000 to expand its testing facilities on Sixth Street. Both companies represent success stories of Stillwater businesses that started locally and grew into regional and national service providers.

EJPPG Improves Production Efficiencies

Amy McCray, president of Eskimo Joe's Promotional Products Group, discovered the OIEP program through a Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Instagram post earlier this year — the first time the 23-year-old company had applied for state incentives.

"I took a screen grab of it because I'd never seen it before," McCray said during a recent facility tour. "We thought let's give it a shot because we buy machines and equipment all the time."

Amy McCray, president of Eskimo Joe's Promotional Products Group, discovered the Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program through a Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Instagram post, leading to an $85,000 grant for new printing equipment. – Photo by Chris Peters

The application process proved remarkably smooth for the promotional products company, which operates a 35,000-square-foot facility employing 75 to 80 people. McCray said the company began receiving payroll tax rebate payments even before the new printing press arrives from overseas in late October or early November.

"It was a really seamless process, and very quickly we knew that we were approved," McCray said. "We've paid the deposit and already gotten deposits from our payments back based on our payroll taxes. So we're already getting paid back on the deposit that we paid and we don't have the machine yet."

The OIEP reimburses companies through payroll tax rebates when they invest in expansion projects or equipment. Companies with annual payrolls of at least $625,000 can apply during a two-week submission window each year on a first-come, first-served basis.

The program operates by returning a portion of the state payroll taxes companies already pay. Businesses submit quarterly reports showing employee counts and payroll taxes, and the state returns funds until the approved grant amount is reached. Companies cannot receive more than they pay in payroll taxes.

"The contact that reached out to me sends a monthly, here's how much we're sending you, and she's got just the funnest emails," McCray said. "They've been a real pleasure to work with."

Mikhael Reed, senior internal branding consultant and marketing manager at Eskimo Joe's Promotional Products Group, leads Oklahoma Department of Commerce employees on a tour of the 35,000-square-foot facility. The company is using an $85,000 state innovation grant to replace an aging press with new equipment. – Photos by Chris Peters

The new printing press, designated "Press No. 2," will make all four of Eskimo Joe's presses the same brand, creating operational efficiencies with interchangeable parts and setups. The company handles both direct-to-consumer retail production for Eskimo Joe's Clothes stores and contract work for other businesses, with retail accounting for 40 percent of production and promotional products for other clients making up 60 percent.

McCray reflected on missed opportunities before learning about OIEP.

"Last year we invested in a washout tank, and had we known you all existed, we would have got a better washout tank," McCray said. "This was just one of those kind of blessings that now we know it's something that will help us in the future."

Accurate Environmental Expands Testing Capacity

Accurate Environmental Labs used its OIEP grant to incorporate the former granite monument business building on Sixth Street into its growing campus, creating a new storefront presence and additional laboratory space for increasingly popular testing services.

Danny Chance, technical director at Accurate Environmental since 2009, said the expansion addresses constant demand for more capacity as the lab handles testing for metals, organics, microbiology and specialized contaminants including PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have gained widespread attention as "forever chemicals."

"We incorporated the granite place into Accurate," Chance said during a tour of the expanded facility. "We're on Sixth Street, which is great. A lot of businesses love to be on 51 or Sixth Street."

Danny Chance, technical director at Accurate Environmental Labs, leads Oklahoma Department of Commerce employees on a tour of the company's expanded facility. The lab received $90,000 in Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program grants to expand its testing operations. – Photo by Chris Peters

The lab has evolved from its original configuration as "one long hallway with rooms on either side" through multiple expansions creating a U-shaped facility with a training center. The latest addition allows clients to drive up on Sixth Street and drop off samples at a new receiving area.

The lab employs gas chromatography mass spectrometers, ion chromatography instruments and automated extraction equipment to analyze samples for PFAS and other contaminants. Chance emphasized that automation improves consistency rather than replacing workers.

"It's not taking jobs, it's making their job easier," Chance said. "Somebody's still got to come in and load it and make all the reagents for it and hit start. But instead of standing there staring at it for an hour and a half, they can walk away and do something else."

Technical director Danny Chance discusses testing operations at Accurate Environmental Labs, where automated equipment and technicians analyze samples for PFAS, metals and organic compounds. Laboratory staff have personalized some equipment, including an automated testing machine bearing images of Dave and Hal from the film "2001: A Space Odyssey." The company used $90,000 in state innovation grants to expand its campus and testing capacities. – Photos by Chris Peters

The automated equipment proves especially valuable for high-volume testing with quality control requirements. Manual processes can introduce variability between technicians, while automated systems deliver consistent results.

"You don't want one person coming in and doing really good and somebody else not doing so great and seeing those concentrations shift a little bit," Chance said. "It's great to have essentially a robot that does it the same way."

Chamber, MTC Partnership Drives Program Success

The Stillwater Chamber of Commerce partnered with Meridian Technology Center to assist 19 local businesses with OIEP applications in 2025, resulting in 17 awards totaling $853,900.

Kari Moore, economic development director for the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, told the Stillwater Economic Development Authority in August that the innovation grants created 57 new jobs with total new wages of almost $3 million, representing an average wage of $50,319 for new positions. The awards supported total project investments of almost $3.5 million across the 17 funded companies.

McCray credited the state program's ease of use and see EJPPG applying in the future.

"The contact told me they're going to open applications up again," McCray said. "They want to help manufacturers and companies in Oklahoma to keep doing this."

From Toothless in Seattle to Major Manufacturer

Eskimo Joe's Promotional Products Group traces its origins to a 1995 basketball phenomenon. When Oklahoma State University's men's basketball team advanced to the Final Four that year, owner Stan Clark created a t-shirt commemorating player Scott Pierce, who lost his front tooth during the NCAA Elite Eight round win over the UMass Minutemen.

"Toothless in Seattle" became the biggest-selling t-shirt in Eskimo Joe's history, overwhelming the company's printing capacity at its facility across from the retail store. Clark decided to build a larger facility on what was then an undeveloped street to prepare for future demand surges.

The current building opened in 1998, with the first t-shirt printed for Special Olympics Oklahoma, an organization the company still supports with annual co-branded shirts. The promotional products division launched in 2002 to utilize excess capacity, initially focusing on screen printing before quickly expanding to a full range of branded merchandise.

The company has completed four major expansions since 1998, pushing beyond 35,000 square feet with additions for program management, fulfillment storage, offices and conference rooms. Eskimo Joe's Promotional Products maintains partnerships with approximately 50 to 60 suppliers from an available network of 3,000, selecting vendors based on quality standards and a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.

OSU Graduate Builds Environmental Testing Leader

Dr. Ali Fazel founded Accurate Environmental in Stillwater in 1990 after earning his doctorate in environmental engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1983. The company has grown from its original single-hallway configuration into a multi-facility operation serving clients across Oklahoma and surrounding states.

Accurate Environmental has provided testing services since its founding, with Chance joining the company in 2001. The lab's PFAS testing program dates to 2012, when the contaminants were still unregulated and generated little concern. As research revealed widespread presence of PFAS in water supplies and understanding of health impacts grew, demand for testing exploded.

"Now it's a solid part of our business," Chance said. "Every time I'm asked to go talk somewhere, it's instantly about PFAS."

Accurate Environmental conducts testing for metals including arsenic, aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium and uranium; organic compounds like benzene and toluene; and microbiology analysis for coliform bacteria in drinking water. The company also performs EPA projects on unregulated contaminants and method development work.

The company operates 13 vehicles serving clients across Oklahoma and maintains certifications for Oklahoma and Kansas, with EPA certification enabling national project work. Accurate Environmental focuses primarily on Oklahoma business while maintaining capabilities to serve clients in surrounding states.

Retaining Oklahoma State University Graduates

Chance pointed to a significant shift in Stillwater's ability to retain college graduates over the past decade, making recruitment easier for technical positions requiring science backgrounds in biology, chemistry or soil science.

"I think in the last 10 years or so, that's changed, where people are much more likely to stay in Stillwater," Chance said. "Where people part-time 10 years ago, those people were just leaving. And now it's very likely that they'll stay."

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The company's ideal hiring path starts with Oklahoma State University students working part-time, receiving training during their college years, then transitioning to full-time positions after graduation. Chance, who attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah before relocating to Stillwater, said the city now offers career opportunities that weren't as prevalent in smaller college towns when he graduated.

"I wish that I would have had the opportunities back then, but I think Stillwater offers those now," Chance said. "There's all sorts of industry, especially coming in. If you're in the environmental field, it's a good opportunity."

Looking ahead, Chance expressed optimism about Stillwater's industrial growth including planned facilities for a Google data center, Kingspan manufacturing and USA Rare Earth processing.

"With the three that we have coming in, I think things are looking great," he said. "In another five years, I think it'll be much better as well."