Business Briefs (Week of July 7)
Monday, July 10, 2023
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Looking for business briefs? This week's roundup (for the week ending July 7) from The Journal Record.
Closing time bittersweet at Brown's Bakery
Brown’s Bakery was set to close its longtime N. Walker Avenue home in Oklahoma City on July 8. William Brown, the grandson of the bakery’s founders, intends to continue the namesake business at a smaller location, but its whereabouts are not yet determined.
Governor seeks renewal of tobacco compacts, with change
Gov. Kevin Stitt on June 29 called on 14 tribes to renew their tobacco tax compacts with the state for one year. Stitt sent letters to tribes with compacts set to expire on Dec. 31 in an effort to extend the agreements through 2024, maintaining similar terms, except for language regarding tax jurisdictions. Stitt routinely has argued that compacts need to be renegotiated following the McGirt v. Oklahoma decision in 2020, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s reservation wasn’t formally dissolved, making a large swath of eastern Oklahoma Native land under jurisdiction of tribal governments.
Northeastern breaks ground on new Oklahoma College of Optometry
Northeastern State University recently broke ground on a planned new home for the Oklahoma College of Optometry. The college on the NSU campus in Tahlequah is the only one of its kind in the state and one of only 23 optometry colleges in the nation. When it’s complete, the 85,000-square-foot complex will provide nearly triple the usable space of the current optometry school and will house additional exam lanes, labs, classrooms, clinical conference rooms, seminar rooms, an auditorium and optical shop.
OU 'bootcamps' to open tech career pathways
In an effort to meet growing talent demands, the University of Oklahoma has partnered with a New York City-based technology education provider to launch new local programming. Fullstack Academy, a national tech training provider, and OU Outreach, the university’s continuing education organization, are offering two new "bootcamp" programs: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, as well as Cloud Computing. The two courses are developed and delivered by experienced tech practitioners. The classes, which are offered through OU Outreach, will equip professionals with skills and hands-on training to pursue a career path in those fields in 26 weeks.
From 4 vendors to 4 enterprises, Curbside a true 'game-changer'
The Curbside Chronicle released its 100th issue on July 3 a decade after launching the “street paper” to provide job training and income to people experiencing homelessness. Since its July 2013 start, Curbside has established three additional supportive employment ventures. All four are programs of the nonprofit Homeless Alliance. The newest is Curbside Apparel – a commercial screen-printing shop offering T-shirts, posters and tote bags – that opened May 18 at 1011 NW Sixth St. Curbside Apparel takes orders of 20 or more items; 1,500 T-shirts has been the largest order so far.
Riversport OKC breaks ground on $1.4M bike park expansion
Riversport OKC broke ground July 1 on phase one of its planned $1.4 million bike park expansion. The new Oklahoma Trailhead and Bike Park will act as a hub for the newest expansion of the city’s trail system, which will run through Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District and connect to the Katy Trail to the east. Slated to open in spring 2024, the Oklahoma Trailhead and Bike Park expansion will include a new bike plaza, trail expansion, community garden, and outdoor classroom.
New ‘LaunchPad’ to elevate Oklahoma’s place in aerospace
A new LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility set for takeoff in Tulsa will elevate Oklahoma’s reputation as a hub of development and deployment of emerging aerospace technologies, officials say. The center, representing a partnership between Oklahoma State University, the Osage Nation and Tulsa Innovation Labs, will not only accelerate uses of unmanned aerial systems and next-generation air transportation systems, but also will make Oklahoma even more globally competitive in the arena of advanced air mobility. The center at OSU-Tulsa’s Helmerich Research Center will house dedicated resources to promote development of new technologies and also staffers who will solicit projects from industry engineers and researchers with goals to build new products, support commercialization and grow companies.
Co-op works to spare environment, spur benefits
A local cooperative has announced an opt-in residential recycling program for Moore residents. Fertile Ground's mission is to transform waste into community wealth by repurposing compostable and recyclable materials to protect local ecosystems, according to its website. The program will start in Moore when 100 households sign up for service. The cost starts at $17.99 a month, but will reduce by $2 when 1,000 households opt in.
Apartments planned in vacant downtown OKC buildings
The nearly $70 million conversion of two historic downtown buildings will turn 202,000 square feet of vacant office space into much-needed housing, developer Richard Tanenbaum told the Oklahoma City Council. Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings purchased the Tradesmen National Bank building, 101 N. Broadway Ave., and the Medical Arts building, 100 Park Ave., in the past year. The buildings will become The Harlow, offering 265 residential units and more than 4,300 square feet of restaurant and retail space. Tanenbaum, the company’s CEO, is seeking $4.2 million in tax increment financing for the project. Council members are scheduled to vote on the TIF request at their July 18 meeting.
OKC real estate market resists US volatility
Halfway through the year, the 2023 U.S. housing market is looking tepid, Forbes Advisor reports. Low housing inventory has been a challenge since the 2008 housing crash when construction of new homes plummeted. It still hasn’t recovered fully and won’t in 2023, according to Forbes Advisor. The nearly historic low supply continues to prop up demand and sustain higher prices, the report notes. However, Oklahoma City remains less volatile than larger markets, said Lauren Toppins, secretary/treasurer of MLSOK Inc., a subsidiary of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of Realtors.
Nonprofits to share in Oklahoma County pandemic relief funding
Several nonprofits have been named to share in several million dollars’ worth of pandemic relief aid extended to Oklahoma County by the federal government. The county was awarded $154 million in all to help address pandemic recovery needs, improve quality of life and invest in making communities more resilient. Of that, $4.9 million was reserved to aid nonprofits and small businesses across the county’s three districts.
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