As people prepare to vote, Ginnie Graham and Bob Doucette discuss: Despite the rhetoric about safe suburbs, the Tulsa area has a gun violence problem. Plus, have letters to the editor been lopsided this election? Or “litter on a stick” campaign signs unfairly targeted?
Tulsa Remote, which started out as an ambitious pitch to draw new workers to Tulsa four years ago, has shown itself to be an economic success story for the city.
Tulsa Remote has recruited more than 2,000 people to the city, a milestone measured in new jobs and economic vibrancy.
The program was the brain child of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Started in 2018, its goal was to offer incentives to people who were willing to relocate to Tulsa. Candidates would have jobs in which they could work remotely — ideal for those in high tech and other knowledge-based professions, which are high on the list of jobs the city hopes to attract.
Tulsa Remote offered $10,000 and 12 months of programming that would help these workers become more connected to the city. In return, these workers would commit to stay in Tulsa for at least a year.
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The results have exceeded expectations. In its first year, the program received about 10,000 applicants. The next year, that number doubled.
Nine out of 10 people who participated in Tulsa Remote have stayed past that year-long commitment.
For Tulsa, that means more start-up companies and a deeper pool of high-skill, high-wage workers who call Tulsa home than would otherwise be here. What’s more is that this is exactly the type of economic diversity that Tulsa has been seeking for decades.
The economic impact is measurable and significant. According to The Economic Impact Group, the influx of new workers has added $62 million in new local earnings. Of that, $51.3 million is directly tied to the earning of Tulsa Remote workers while an additional $10.7 million is tied to new economic activity linked to Tulsa Remote workers.
Tulsa Remote’s timing also proved to be fortuitous. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses suffered significant losses. But the pandemic accelerated the number of people coming to the city through Tulsa Remote, helping the city stabilize its economy in the face of one of the sharpest economic declines in memory.
Looking forward, it appears that the program is set for more growth. Tulsa Remote expects as many as 1,000 new people moving to Tulsa next year.
Tulsa leaders have long sought ways to attract new talent and diversify the city’s economy. The thinking was that if people could see and experience the city, they’d opt to put down roots.
Tulsa has plenty to offer in terms of the arts, recreation and cost-of-living value, but it’s been a challenge to make those assets known to the greater American workforce.
Tulsa Remote gave the city the needed tool to do just that, and all indications show that it is working.
We offer our congratulations and gratitude to Tulsa Remote for daring to try something new to showcase and strengthen our city, and wish even more success to the program in the years to come.