Kenton Tsoodle

I am proud to share that Oklahoma ranks ninth in the country for job creation – a statistic that tracks job growth over the last five years and highlights the decades of investments Oklahoma has made to encourage a robust economy.

The Oklahoma City Housing Authority’s Choice Neighborhoods planning grant is an important addition to Oklahoma City’s ongoing efforts to revitalize distressed communities.

StitchCrew’s OKC Latino Accelerator program is now accepting applications for the newest cohort, fully funded by ARPA aid.

The Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership will honor three business and civic leaders at the 37th annual Dean A. McGee Awards for their outstanding lifetime contributions to downtown.

The Paris Olympics have come to a close, and Oklahoma City residents are particularly interested in the experiences of satellite locations like Tahiti, as our city is up for consideration to take on a similar role. In 2028, the Olympic flame could come to Oklahoma City as the host of two Olympic events, softball and canoe slalom.

This week marks two significant civil rights anniversaries in Oklahoma City—the 66th anniversary of the Oklahoma City sit-in movement and the 55th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Sanitation Workers Strike. In the six decades since, our city has continued making progress toward preserving history, investing in neighborhoods and creating initiatives to build up minority-owned businesses.

As summer winds down and many of us have wrapped up our summer travels, now is a great moment to reflect on the growing impact of tourism on our city. Much of Oklahoma City's tourism industry received extra attention and investment in recent years—from our new convention space to the revitalization of The National to new and improved sports arenas—and our city is now reaping the rewards.

Last week, voters in Oklahoma City approved a tax increase on hotels, from 5.5% to 9.25%, starting October 1- to include independent peer-to-peer lodging businesses, like Air BnB and Verbo. The vote will usher in expedited funding for further tourism developments and the high 66% approval from voters signals public commitment to further developing the city's attractions.

The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA), the city's public redevelopment agency, has released its FY 2023-2024 annual report, highlighting 66 development projects across central OKC. These projects include affordable housing, infill developments, important historic preservation projects, and several mixed-use buildings.

Accelerator programs help local entrepreneurs and small business owners gain access to capital, secure funding for their businesses, connect with other business owners and gain valuable training and skills development to grow their businesses. The Alliance for Economic Development has provided American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for several local accelerator programs, including