Tulsa is poised for growth and prosperity! Everywhere you look, there is a New Kind of Energy emerging in the business community. We are working to make sure that the City of Tulsa is “open for business”. Below are a few accomplishments:

ECONOMIC STIMULUS FORUM

In March 2009, the Mayor hosted a community forum to update citizens and the business community about the President’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act opportunities.

The forum was attended by about 300 people looking for information and a chance to network with agencies working on stimulus issues in Tulsa. Read the Tulsa World story.

Downtown Revitalization

Tulsa’s downtown is on the move! To prepare for the opening of the new BOK Center, 50 blocks of downtown streets were rehabilitated. These days, downtown is buzzing with new restaurants and entertainment venues. Below are other things that the Mayor is working on to bring downtown back to life:

ONE TECHNOLOGY CENTEROTC pic

Purchased One Technology Center serves as Tulsa’s new high-tech City Hall. The move allowed the city to consolidate employees and services from 5 properties. The properties are being aggressively marketed for commercial use and development.

BOK CENTER AND CONVENTION CENTER

Tulsa’s new point of pride is the BOk Center.

In September of 2008, Mayor Taylor hosted grand opening ceremonies that included Garth Brooks, the Hansons and other dignitaries and elected officials such as Former Mayor Bill LaFortune and Former County Commissioner Bob Dick who worked to pass the Vision 2025 initiative that funded the project.

Opening acts have included The Eagles, Celine Dion, Elton John and Billy Joel with acts such as Fleetwood Mac, Dave Matthews Bank and Bruce Springsteen also slated. The BOK Center is home to Tulsa Talon’s football and Tulsa Oiler’s hockey games.

Garth Brook Press Conf 012 The building is world class, designed by Architect Cesar Pelli. It has 565,000 square feet. The building contains 350,000 square feet of exterior metal panels, 75,000 square feet of glass, 30,000 cubic yards of concrete and 4,000 tons of structural steel. The BOK Center’s exterior is tiles with 33,000 5-by-2 foot stainless steel panels.

To attract even more conventions and events to Tulsa, the  Tulsa Convention Center is being renovated to compliment the adjacent BOK Center. Renovation is currently underway, and upon completion the convention center will have the largest ballroom in Oklahoma, two arenas, and more meeting space downtown than any other city in the state.


CENTENNIAL WALK AND CENTENNIAL GREEN PARK

The transformation of a former parking lot into a greenway with grass, trees and a fountain is spectacular.

The $2.8 million project consists of new traffic signals, new sidewalks and trees, decorative pedestrian lights between intersections, multi-space parking meters and storm drainage improvements.

Centennial Green Park features a fountain at one end of the oval green lawn and an amphitheater at the other end. These features add appeal and bring new life to the city’s core.

OSU MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITAL AND RESIDENCY PROGRAM

OSUMC Doc Signing

Oklahoma State University Medical Center Trust was established to save Tulsa’s downtown hospital and residency program. The hospital serves approximately 40,000 patients annually.

Mayor Taylor, community leaders such as Howard Barnett and Bob Poe, Speaker of the House Chris Benge, area legislators, organizations such as the George Kaiser Family Foundation and others came together to strengthen the hospital and preserve the residency program for the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

MAYO HOTEL AND MAYO BUILDING

Renovation and restoration of Tulsa’s historic Mayo Hotel and Mayo Building is underway. Made possible with partial funding from Vision 2025, the Mayo Hotel is slated to open to the public as a hotel/condominium in the late fall of 2009.

View videos of the Mayo Hotel construction and renovations.

ATLAS LIFE BUILDINGP1000254

A New Courtyard by Marriott Hotel will soon be occupying Tulsa’s historic Atlas Life Building. The building, located at 415 S. Boston Avenue, will undergo major renovation to accomodate the 118 room hotel that will feature meeting space, a full restaurant and bar along with a three bedroom “Atlas” suite.

BLUE DOME AND BRADY ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS

Construction is underway for more downtown residential space with the 1st Street Lofts. Nineteen new lofts are part of the project in Tulsas fastest growing entertainment district, the Blue Dome.

Trolley service to downtown venues such as the BOK Center, is operating from the original “Blue Dome” structure that is one of Tulsa’s most beloved landmarks.

TULSA DRILLERS BALLPARK

Construction is underway for a new baseball stadium in the heart of Tulsa’s Greenwood District. At the corner of Archer and Elgin, the new stadium will be home to Tulsa Driller’s baseball and other activities.

The park is being funded through a public/private partnership with a portion of costs coming from a combination of a downtown business district assessment and private donations.

JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN RECONCILIATION PARK

JHF GroundbreakingWork is currently underway to honor the work of Tulsan Dr. John Hope Franklin (1915-2009). The park is scheduled to be completed by late summer of 2009. Dr. Franklin joined the Mayor and other dignitaries to break ground on the park in November of 2008.

To commemorate his life and legacy, the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park is currently under construction at the corner of Elgin and Detroit, South of the Martin Luther King Jr. expressway in Tulsa. The Park is scheduled to be completed in late summer of 2009. Community volunteers are also working towards plans for a Center for Reconciliation that will house a museum, and documentary projects related to fostering a community dialogue and a greater understanding between ethnic and religious groups.

NORTH TULSA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (NTEDI)NTedi announcement 11/08

To spur growth and development in the North Tulsa area, the Mayor formed NTEDI. This taskforce set development priorities for North Tulsa and incorporated a planning model facilitated by Oklahoma Community Institute, funded by Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The North Tulsa Development Action Group caused formation of North Tulsa Parade of Homes and a grant was obtained  for North Tulsa leadership training.

The FORWARD (Franchising Opportunities Reinforced with Assistance Rewards Development) program is also an outgrowth of NTEDI designed to encourage business ownership of franchises in north Tulsa. Being selected means that participants can start a franchise business with all necessary support — financing, coaching, technical assistance, office space, etc. Ten businesses will be selected and, all the projects have been grassroots initiatives with NTedi leaders putting an enormous amount of time and energy into these projects; including the fundraising portion.

Another project includes residential development. Oltman Homes offers a new 33-home gated community on Cincinnati Ave. between Oklahoma St. and Latimer Place with no down, low interest loans.

Entrepreneurship

Tulsa was founded by entrepreneurs with bold ideas and a spirit of innovation! Today, that same spirit can still be found in Tulsa! We know that the best way to grow opportunities in our city is by supporting our existing small businesses and industries. Here are a few highlights of those efforts:

Entrepreneurship Week

To support new entrepreneurs, Mayor Taylor hosted the first Mayor’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award in February of 2007. It has now become an annual event.  The initial program drew nearly 200 local business professionals who competed for a $25,000 cash award, office space for one year, and access to the SpiritBank Business Resource Center Strategic Partner Network.

The second year (2008) of the Spirit award included a total prize of $105,000 cash and services. Find out more about the Spirit Award here.

BRIDGE

The Mayor launched the BRIDGE (Building Resources in Developing and Growing Enterprises) program in February of 2007. The program partners small businesses with established businesses in a mentorship relationship. Participants enjoy educational opportunities, peer partnering and networking opportunities. For more information click here.

Aerospace

AA_Komen757_1stFlight_7213Tulsa’s aerospace industry is our largest industry cluster. Taylor works closely with industry leaders and state government to support this vital economic engine.

Working with Governor Brad Henry, the Mayor helped secure $10 million in State Opportunity Fund dollars to Tulsa. The funds provide incentives in infrastructure to retain and grow employers in the aerospace industry.


TULSA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The past few years have seen a significant investment of $34 million to unveil 85,000 square feet of renovated space, including a competed passenger terminal.

2009 OKLAHOMA AEROSPACE SUMMIT AND EXPO

Tulsa will host the 2009 Summit this year at the Tulsa Convention Center on June 15-18.  The mission of the Oklahoma Aerospace Summit & Expo is to provide a venue for Oklahoma’s aerospace industry leaders, government officials, and non-aerospace companies to network and to attend sessions designed to help companies achieve success in today’s economy.

Vision 2025 Projects

The citizens of Tulsa are realizing the vision they had for their future when they passed a county-wide funding initiative. Today, Vision 2025 projects are coming online with great excitement and enthusiasm. For more information on Vision 2025 projects around Tulsa County, click here.