News

Oklahoma ranks as the 7th-lowest tax burden state in the nation.

A few weeks ago, I shared stories about how The Study, Swiss Cleaners and ReMerge responded to COVID-19 with creativity and used funding and technical assistance from the Small Business Continuity Program to help meet some of the challenges brought on by the pandemic. There are hundreds of similar success stories – small businesses and nonprofits that have changed, dramatically or ever so slightly, to better communicate, reach out, encourage sales and preserve their business.

Thrillist's recent piece highlighted a number of cities that offer "comfort, culture, or verve" but "minus the wall-to-wall people, soul-sucking traffic jams, and wallet-draining cost of living."

Ready for a forecast for something other than the weather?

Oklahoma businesses still need our help and JPMorgan Chase has made an investment to help small businesses in our state. Progress OKC and the Tulsa Economic Development Corp. are using that support to launch programs to help business owners and entrepreneurs, especially those in underserved communities, as they fight to recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn.

In recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Oklahoma City MSA had an unemployment rate of 4.8% for the month of December.

Just before the end of December, two of the region’s biggest developers announced the biggest project of the year. Gardner Tanenbaum and Robinson Park Investments are teaming up to build a 2.7-acre development at the Innovation District.

Bar/dogpark combination Bar K is set to open in OKC's Boathouse District in early 2022.