Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc. (REI) has opened its fifth office at Cameron University in Lawton. Other REI offices are located in Durant, Alva, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Gilmer J. Capps will be heading up the effort to provide economic development services to the southwestern quadrant of the state.
It has taken a little bit of time, but we are living up to the promise we made to the people in southwestern Oklahoma to make our services more accessible and Gilmer is going to help us do that, said Tom Seth Smith, REI President & CEO. We are also very pleased to partner with Cameron University, Center for Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Studies (CETES) where Gilmers office is located.
Capps brings diversified experience to REI. He is a managing partner of Capps Angus Ranch and served as Senior Vice President of the Bank of the Wichitas. Prior to his banking career, Capps served as Director for Medical Imaging, Inc., Lawton, OK.
His education is equally diversified and includes Associates of Science from Western Oklahoma State College, Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology from the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City and graduate studies in managerial economics at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He also graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Graduate School of Banking and has served 13 years as a Regent for Western Oklahoma State College, Altus, OK.
Capps is a native of southwest Oklahoma and the son of (Ret.) State Senator Gilmer N. Capps. He and his wife, Darcy, live in the Lawton area.
Capps may be reached by calling 580.583.3725. His office is located at Cameron University, CETES, 2800 West Gore Blvd., Suite 208 A, Lawton. He may also be reached via e-mail at gcapps@ruralenterprises.com.
The establishment of REIs Lawton office is the result of community assessments conducted through the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) two years ago, said REDI co-chair, State Representative Don Armes. Through community meetings and surveys, it was evident that southwestern Oklahoma could benefit from the economic development services offered by REI. We are very excited about unleashing the potential of this partnership.
REI services include business financing, homebuyer assistance programs, Womens Business Center services, international trade assistance, business incubators and services of the Native American Business Enterprise Center.