In Greg Asciutto’s eyes, east Tulsa’s Plaza Santa Cecilia is fascinating. During a recent visit, he said everything was interesting, from the parking lot to the shopping center housing the Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m geeking out,” he said.
Last week, Asciutto was among about 1,900 professionals who arrived in Tulsa to learn about its four main streets and how to replicate business strategies in their home states. The Flyer spoke with some of the roughly 40 visitors on the tour of east Tulsa about the lessons they hope to take with them.
The tour was part of a workshop highlighting the Tulsa Global District during the annual Main Street Now conference, which bills itself as the largest national conference of local leaders advancing economic opportunities in downtowns.
Leaders for the Tulsa Global District, an organization focused on economically revitalizing the area around 21st and Garnett, led groups through four staples in the district: Plaza Santa Cecilia, Supermercado Morelos, Pancho Anaya and Plaza 21.
Asciutto works for CharlotteEAST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and strengthening social and economic capital in east Charlotte, North Carolina.
He immediately called the director of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte to see the space. He plans to connect with the Tulsa Global District to eventually bring out folks from his team to visit the city.
Attendees also learned about the first business incubator that caters to immigrant entrepreneurs. The Eastside Business Center has a $2.52 million contribution from the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County and George Kaiser Family Foundation.
“We have a very similar project that has been taking some time to get off the ground, but it is exactly mixed retail, former office space being turned into a commercial hub with our Latin chamber being housed,” Asciutto said.
Donna Cervantes, a staff member for Oklahoma City’s commercial district revitalization program, said the foundations in her city fund specific initiatives but she has never heard of one where the city is at the table as well.
She came to the event because she oversees 15 different districts in Oklahoma City. She was curious to learn more about Tulsa’s growth, how the city supported its main streets and how they form relationships — a key element to building entrepreneurship in a city.
“I have districts that look just like this, and so to see their success like forming relationships,” Cervantes said. “I think it’s trust. There’s a lot of mistrust and there’s a lot of turnover in our district leadership.”
This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.
Alejandro Garcia, executive director of the Tulsa Global District, is a member of the community advisory committee for the Tulsa Flyer. The Tulsa Global District is funded by the The George Kaiser Family Foundation, which has also provided funding for the Tulsa Flyer. The George Kaiser Family Foundation provides financial support for The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer. News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
