Oklahoma County Small Business and Nonprofit Grants opened Monday with an enthusiastic response from businesses and nonprofits across central Oklahoma. The goal of the program is to quickly put funding into the hands of small business owners and nonprofits to provide stabilization and help retain jobs in central Oklahoma. The grants are possible through $15 million in CARES Act funding, allocated by our Oklahoma County commissioners and administered by the Oklahoma Industries

There’s never been a time when small businesses in our community needed or deserved our attention more. Saturday, Nov. 28 is Small Business Saturday, a designated shopping day to support small businesses. Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday reminds us that, as we shop holiday deals and think about special surprises for our loved ones, we can also do something special for business owners in Oklahoma City. Who among us doesn’t have a favorite locally

It was just over a year ago that we had a successful opening weekend for Scissortail Park with fireworks, concerts and food trucks. Last Friday, we marked another important MAPS 3 milestone with the groundbreaking of the second portion of the park. Once completed in the spring of 2022, the southern half will add 30 acres to Scissortail Park. The Lower Park is designed to have more open and natural spaces than the Upper Park with paved paths, native gardens, a hollow, and an o

The Urban Land Institute recently published an economic forecast for 2021 and beyond. Its findings, with data trends over the past 10 years as well as the economic predictions, generally align with what we’ve seen and are experiencing in Oklahoma City. The economic forecast shared good news for industries hardest hit by COVID-19: retail, hospitality and tourism, predicted to rebound in 2021. One of the strongest economic drivers over the past 10 years, nationally and in Oklah