While the last two years have had tremendous challenges, we’ve also seen positive transformation and accomplishments in 2021 that will have a lasting impact on Oklahoma City jobs, economic development and quality of life. Early in the year, we were still administering aid to small businesses and nonprofits through the Small Business Continuity Program to meet basic expenses, maintain payroll and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The total of the three rounds of funding, $

It takes developers, real estate agents, city planners, architects, bankers, landscapers and construction companies to create an outstanding development project. The public sees the results of their hard work: places in our community that use land in a sustainable and responsible way to add great places to live, retail spaces where people enjoy working and places and events for entertainment, education and connection. At an important event each year, we celebrate them, their

I’m excited that a planning process has recently kicked off for NE Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority owns several vacant commercial and residential lots on the Eastside. We’ve been considering how these lots can be developed to bring revitalization, add value and enhance quality of life for the surrounding neighborhoods. We recently hired Open Design Collective to collaborate with Eastside residents, businesses and stakeholders to create a vision and a

Next week, 17 local small business owners will “graduate” from a program designed to help their businesses grow. Started in 2020, the Real Deal Collective is a six-month executive growth program that fosters collaboration and innovation to help business owners plan, access capital and find an influential network of resources to address barriers that cause businesses to get stuck. The executives represent 17 central Oklahoma businesses: Andie Harms of Dedicated Logistics Solut