A new facility aims to invigorate east Tulsa’s immigrant entrepreneurs, both prospective and current.
A new business incubator will be built at Plaza Santa Cecilia in the city’s predominately Latino Global District at 21st and Garnett. It will offer resources and networking opportunities for neighborhood entrepreneurs.
Between the city, county and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, more than $2.5 million is going toward the business incubator. Morelos Supermercado owner Francisco Ibarra said during the announcement that the plaza will undergo a renovation to better accommodate the small businesses at the location.
City Community Development Director Rodrigo Rojas said the center could open as early as the end of the year.
During the announcement at the plaza Wednesday, Mayor G.T. Bynum said a business incubator makes sense in east Tulsa.
"In the immigrant community in Tulsa, entrepreneurship is just off the charts. It’s at a far higher rate than the non-immigrant population in our city," he said.
Cynthia Jasso, program officer for the George Kaiser Family Foundation's Vibrant and Inclusive Tulsa team, said the COVID-19 pandemic put the struggles of entrepreneurs at the forefront. She said this highlighted the need for a facility like the incubator.
"I remember to coming to La Plaza and to these businesses out here in east Tulsa, and so many of them saying, 'I'm not sure if I'm going to be open in the next month," she said. "It's that light that COVID-19 really illuminated those barriers that our immigrant entrepreneurs faced."
Bynum gave credit to city community development director Rodrigo Rojas, who he said stayed laser-focused on bringing the business incubator to fruition.
Rojas said the incubator — which he credits to the business community at 21st and Garnett — has cultural significance as well.
"Everybody from Tulsa can come and enjoy this space — not just come and enjoy the resources that we have here, but really enjoy the vibrancy that is Plaza Santa Cecilia, with the 10s of 20s, 30s businesses that are here. There’s amazing things that we have here, and we really want to showcase that to the Tulsa community," Rojas said.
"This collaboration demonstrates that when we join forces, we can create significant changes and turn our dreams into tangible realities," said Ibarra.
