Governor Stitt Travels to Guymon

GUYMON, Okla. (Sept. 3, 2020) — Governor Kevin Stitt today traveled to Guymon where he joined state leaders in visiting with the local community to encourage Oklahomans to continue working together to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“It was great to be back in Guymon to visit with Oklahomans and see how they are responding to the impacts of COVID-19,” said Gov. Stitt. “Educating our children and protecting the health and lives of Oklahomans are both non-negotiables to me, so we wanted to visit with folks out here in the panhandle and make sure they have the guidance and resources they need.”

Gov. Stitt and Commissioner of Health Lance Frye, MD, started the day on a tour of Prairie Elementary with Superintendent Angela Rhoades where they visited with students, teachers and staff to learn about the protocols being implemented in order to safely reopen for in-person learning.

The governor and Dr. Frye then joined Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur to visit Seaboard Foods where they toured plant operations and received an update on how the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s rapid response team was able to contain a previous outbreak and work to ensure production was able to continue safely and protect the food supply.

Following this, the governor met with community and businesses leaders, including local officials from Guymon, Goodwell and Hooker to answer questions and provide a situation update.

Governor Stitt and Dr. Frye also met with Dr. Gloria Cuadrado, a local physician, to get a ground-level perspective of how COVID-19 has affected Guymon and the surrounding communities.

The governor also visited Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, where he presented a $200,000 food supply stability grant, toured the university’s meat lab and shooting sports complex where he fired a 1,000-yard shot as well as a WWII-era rifle.

“I was so impressed with the great things that are happening at Oklahoma Panhandle State University,” said Gov. Stitt. “President Tim Faltyn and his team are doing an incredible job focusing on specialized programs that make their university unique. It’s easy to see why OPSU is experiencing tremendous growth despite a challenging national landscape for colleges.”

He finished the day at an Oklahoma Business Relief Program Roundtable with businesses in Guymon that employ more than 140 Oklahomans and received over $195,000 in grant funding.

OBRP recipients at the roundtable included: Jada Breeden, Executive Director of the Guymon Chamber of Commerce; John Reid, Owner of Stanfield Printing Company, Inc.; Suzanne Bryan, Owner of Zak’s Cheese Inc.; David Davis of David A. Davis, LLC; Raymond Christie, Manager of Mitchell Theatres Northridge 8; Shane and Shaunda Williams, Owner of Faith Learning Center and Academy; Paul Montgomery, President of the Board for Texas County Family YMCA; and Chuck Erickson, Owner of Wilson Welding Works

State leaders who participated in the Guymon visit include:

Governor Kevin Stitt
Interim Commissioner of Health Col. Lance Frye, M.D.
Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur
Chief Policy Advisor Brian Bingman
Senator Casey Murdock
Representative Kenton Patzkowsky