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A former Baker Hughes industrial campus in south Oklahoma City has been converted into a manufacturing site for equipment that powers large cloud and AI data centers. The May sale underscores how the rapid growth of hyperscale computing is changing local industrial real estate and stirring fresh debates over zoning and infrastructure.
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The property at 6421 S Sooner Road — four buildings across five acres — sold in May for $4.45 million to Rigid Fabrication, a company that builds equipment used by major cloud and AI operators. Zach Martin, owner of Adept Commercial Real Estate, handled the transaction; he had purchased the site in 2021 for roughly $1.6 million.
Previously used by Baker Hughes for manufacturing and servicing oil-and-gas tools, the campus totals about 41,000 square feet. Baker Hughes scaled back operations there after a 2018 consolidation tied to a merger, leaving purpose-built facilities that required significant reworking for a new occupant.
Martin said the new tenant moved quickly to reconfigure the buildings and begin production. “They came in and changed the place almost overnight,” he said, describing dense stacks of components and crews welding both inside and outside the structures.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | 6421 S Sooner Rd, south Oklahoma City |
| Acreage | 5 acres |
| Buildings | 4 |
| Total space | Approx. 41,000 sq ft |
| 2021 purchase price | About $1.6 million |
| May 2026 sale price | $4.45 million |
| Buyer | Rigid Fabrication (owner: Kevin Metheny) |
What Rigid Fabrication makes — and why it matters
Rigid Fabrication specializes in manufacturing electrical modules and power systems for large-scale data centers. The company converts shipping containers and skid platforms into self-contained electrical cabinets with integrated cooling — so-called modular power blocks — that can be delivered and connected at data center sites with minimal on‑site construction.
Martin said the firm works for major tech and AI customers. Rigid’s owner did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
The shift is part of a broader pattern: as artificial intelligence and cloud services expand, demand for physical infrastructure — from power modules to cooling systems — has surged. According to industry tracking, Oklahoma hosts dozens of data centers, a footprint that has grown as hyperscalers seek geographically diverse capacity.
Local implications and the policy backdrop
The redevelopment arrives amid local policy changes. Oklahoma City’s council revised a temporary moratorium on certain data center permits in mid‑May after a public meeting where multiple industry supporters turned out. That decision affects how and where new facilities and related manufacturing can locate.
- Jobs and investment: Conversion of industrial sites can bring manufacturing employment and property tax revenue.
- Real estate demand: Repurposing oil-and-gas infrastructure shortens the lead time for tech supply businesses to scale up.
- Infrastructure needs: More data-related manufacturing increases local demand for power, transport and skilled labor.
- Planning and zoning: City rules and moratoria determine how quickly similar projects can proceed in residential or industrial neighborhoods.
Martin said part of the reason Rigid acquired the property outright was the scale of the modifications required; the company’s capital plan made ownership the practical choice rather than continued tenancy. That dynamic — tenants converting into buyers to support large upgrades — could repeat as specialized manufacturers expand.
For Oklahoma City, the sale is a concrete example of a regional economy in transition: facilities built for decades of oil-and-gas production are being retooled to serve the infrastructure needs of the cloud and AI era. How local officials balance those economic opportunities with community and infrastructure concerns will shape the next wave of such conversions.
