Tulsa’s Future, the Tulsa Regional Chamber-led regional economic development partnership, is leading the way in our economic growth.

A team effort that brings together the city of Tulsa, Tulsa County, more than 100 private investors and many regional and tribal partners, Tulsa's Future played a vital role in some major 2024 victories, including:

  • A billion-dollar battery-grade lithium facility at Port Muskogee
  • NorSun’s planned $620 million project at Tulsa International Airport
  • American Airlines’ addition of more than 600 jobs to its Tulsa maintenance base

Make no mistake about it, our community's success could not have happened without the support of Tulsa’s Future investors and partners.

Please take a moment to read the 2024 Tulsa’s Future Annual Report for more on the past year’s growth in our region.

We are ready to build on that success in the coming year. Thank you for joining us on the ride.

Dr. Cliff Robertson 2024 Chair, Tulsa’s Future President & CEO Saint Francis Health System

Winning awards, backing company expansions and drawing business investment from Argentina to Norway to The Netherlands, Tulsa’s Future rocketed to a banner year in 2024.

The Tulsa Regional Chamber’s economic development partnership – which works with the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, hundreds of private investors, and regional and tribal partners – attracted a billion-dollar investment to the Tulsa region via Stardust Power, which plans to build a battery-grade lithium facility at Port Muskogee.

Tulsa’s Future also helped lay the foundation for a $620 million project from NorSun, a Norwegian solar energy company that plans to build a facility on land at Tulsa International Airport.

The standout work from the Chamber’s economic development team didn’t go unnoticed.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) handed the Tulsa Regional Chamber a pair of Excellence in Economic Development awards, including a silver in the Special Event category for a project called “The Outsiders.” The trip convened a delegation of 150 people to coincide with the premiere of The Outsiders, a musical based on the book by Tulsa author S.E. Hinton, and it capitalized on Tulsa’s attributes as a destination for economic development and tourism.

The Chamber also won a bronze award from IEDC in the Paid Media Campaign category for its “Elevating the Tulsa Region” campaign built in conjunction with Development Counsellors International (DCI), the Chamber’s national destination marketing consultant.

“…The Outsiders trip was ingenious in concept and large in scale, but it was carried out flawlessly by the Chamber team, with an assist from DCI…,” said Justin McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Chamber.

Saluting the invaluable economic and cultural contributions that the area’s three major tribes give Oklahoma, the Chamber held its inaugural State of the Tribal Nations event. Before a sold-out crowd of more than 850 people, leaders from the Cherokee, Muscogee and Osage nations shared insights during panels focused on tribal leadership, economic development, and tourism and cultural education.

Seeking to build Tulsa’s corporate core, the business attraction team, along with regional partners, went on four marketing trips in 2024 to meet one-on-one with companies and site consultants to share the Tulsa region’s story. Basing its travels on target industries and migration data, the team visited companies and site consultants in New York City, Chicago, Southern California and the Bay Area of California.

Since its inception in 2005, Tulsa’s Future has generated close to 83,000 jobs and more than $8 billion in capital investment.

In the third and final year of Tulsa’s Future: Acceleration, the initiative and its partners:

  • Brought more than $2 billion of new capital investment to northeast Oklahoma
  • Supported the creation of 2,873 jobs with an average salary of more than $64,721
  • Provided externship opportunities to 29 Black Tulsa-area high school students through the Tulsa’s NextGEN Talent program
  • Hosted 52 site visits for prospective companies and initiated 96 new projects

The multi-faceted portfolio of Tulsa’s Future is expected to grow in 2025 under the leadership of Kim Wilmes, a 22-year economic development veteran who was hired in October as the Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development. She will help guide a new joint strategy called Bridge to the Future 2030, which will combine the efforts of Tulsa’s Future and Tulsa Regional Tourism for the next five years.

Business Attraction

The arrival of solar energy firm NorSun to Tulsa is expected to create 320 jobs by mid-2026, when solar wafer production is scheduled to commence. The company secured a long-term land lease through agreements with the City of Tulsa and Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.

“Tulsa continues to catch the attention of not only U.S. companies, but also companies on a global scale,” said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “Word is spreading; our skilled workforce and excellent business climate put us front and center on the international stage. We are excited to welcome NorSun to the region as it connects an important link for the solar industry supply chain.”

Stardust’s lithium refinery at Port Muskogee is expected to employ hundreds of people. Situated on a 66-acre site, once operational it will process up to 50,000 metric tons of lithium, enough to power about 5 million electric vehicle batteries annually.

Crusoe Energy Systems, an AI-infrastructure company, announced plans to pour $10 million into a new Tulsa manufacturing facility. The innovative firm, which was featured on 60 Minutes, will make critical elements of data center infrastructure. Crusoe expects to create 100 new jobs in the first year and double that number by the end of year two.

Other 2024 arrivals included:

  • Givt, a tech company established in The Netherlands that moved its headquarters to Tulsa. Givt is a digital giving app that organizes, prioritizes and maximizes charitable efforts, even showing members how to join impact groups.
  • And Bioeutectics, a biotech company from Argentina that chose Tulsa for its U.S. headquarters.

Existing Business Retention and Expansion

Tulsa’s Future: Acceleration mobilized resources to assist existing businesses, which are the backbone of our regional economy.

It did so via its workforce and business retention and expansion efforts.

Through the first 10-plus months of 2024, the business retention and expansion (BRE) team contacted 385 existing companies in the Tulsa region, conducting meetings with 104 companies.

The BRE team also providing individual assistance to 56 companies and worked with 13 others on expansions, including Sofidel, Lufthansa Technik Component Services, Lufthansa Technik Engine Services, and James and Miller Welding.

American Airlines, operator of the world’s largest commercial aviation maintenance facility, which is in Tulsa, made a $23 million capital investment, adding 629 jobs.

Steel tubing manufacturer Webco Industries, a longtime Chamber investor and partner, opened the 72,000-square-foot F. W. Weber Leadership Campus in Sand Springs.

Greenheck Group, a Wisconsin-based, global leader in engineering and manufacturing air movement, conditioning and control equipment for nonresidential buildings, added 400 jobs above the $50,000 annual wage level.

The BRE team also supported key industries in the region via the Aerospace, Manufacturers’ and Technology councils, providing forums to share best practices and engage industry professionals with networking opportunities. In October, the Chamber brought all three councils together for the first time, hosting more than 60 business, tribal, government and nonprofit leaders from the area.

Additional 2024 expansions included:

  • Telecommunications giant AT&T added 150 jobs locally.

Workforce and Talent Strategies

The workforce and talent strategies team built relationships among employers and helped route the talent pipeline via networking opportunities and a series of meetings and events.

More than 400 people attended the Chamber’s annual State of Workforce and Talent event, which brought together reps from area education institutions, career tech and workforce training partners to hear about current and future trends, innovation and opportunities in the talent and education ecosystem.

The Chamber partnered with national nonprofit Engineering Tomorrow to champion a virtual Northeast Oklahoma STEM Day on April 22. More than 2,200 students participated from 19 area high schools.

This year’s Tulsa’s NextGEN Talent cohort – the fourth since the program launched in 2021 – featured 29 externs and a five-member executive leadership team. A total of 15 local employers participated.

The Chamber’s Education Leadership Summit convened more than 125 leaders from the region’s public-school districts and higher education institutions to discuss the opportunities and challenges in preparing students for the modern workforce.

Meaningful conversations were held at three HR Forums, at which HR professionals from companies, educational institutions, nonprofits and tribes shared best practices.

Dozens of employers participated in the debut of the Chamber’s Workforce and Talent Council, which met twice in 2024.

Also, the Chamber this year added a twist to its workforce and talent efforts. For the first time, employer representatives from Tulsa joined the Chamber’s workforce and talent strategies team on a trip to connect with career placement advisors at colleges and universities in Missouri. These visits ensure placement personnel are aware of the job and quality of life opportunities in our region in hopes we can attract more and more college graduates.

Through the first three quarters of 2024, the workforce and talent team met with more than 550 organizations on workforce efforts, assisting on 50 business attraction projects that yielded more than a dozen site visits.

Focusing on the Future

So much was accomplished in 2024, but all signs point to an even brighter future.

Thank you to all our city, county, regional, state and tribal partners for their continued collaboration.

Tulsa’s affordability and enhanced quality of life make it ripe for growth in investment and jobs.

The ongoing investment of Chamber members make that progress happen.

So, it’s time to get to work. Let’s roll up our sleeves and give our region the prosperity it so richly deserves.

Thank you to our regional partners and our corporate investors for their generous support of northeast Oklahoma’s economic prosperity.

INVESTORS

  • AAA Oklahoma
  • American Residential Group
  • Arvest Bank
  • Bama Companies
  • Big Elk Energy Systems
  • Bill Knight Automotive Group
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
  • Blue Sky Bank
  • Case & Associates Properties
  • CBIZ Stinnett
  • Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
  • Commerce Bank
  • CommunityCare
  • ConsumerAffairs
  • Cox Communications
  • Cyntergy AEC
  • Dewberry
  • Dolese
  • Don Thornton Automotive Group
  • Eller & Detrich
  • Ernst & Young
  • Flintco
  • forvis mazars
  • Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers
  • GableGotwals
  • Gateway First Bank
  • Grand River Dam Authority
  • Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS®
  • Greenheck Group
  • Griffin Media
  • Hall Estill
  • HoganTaylor
  • Ingredion
  • JE Dunn Construction
  • Jim Norton Toyota
  • Joshi Technologies International
  • JPMorgan Chase Bank
  • LUXA Enterprises
  • Mabrey Bank
  • Manhattan Construction Group
  • McElroy Manufacturing
  • McGraw Realtors
  • Nabholz Corporation
  • Northeastern State University
  • Oklahoma Aquarium
  • Oklahoma Central Credit Union
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
  • Oklahoma State University-Tulsa
  • Omni Air International
  • Oral Roberts University
  • Our Blood Institute
  • Regent Bank
  • Rogers State University
  • Roxtec
  • Sanguine Gas Exploration
  • Schnake Turnbo Frank
  • Security Bank
  • Senior Star
  • Small Business Capital Corporation
  • Sofidel
  • Summit Financial Group
  • TEDC Creative Capital
  • The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation
  • The Persimmon Group
  • The Robson Companies
  • The University of Tulsa
  • TTCU Federal Credit Union
  • Tulsa Bone & Joint Associates
  • Tulsa Community College
  • Tulsa Tech
  • Tulsa Zoo Management
  • University of Oklahoma Foundation
  • University of Oklahoma-Tulsa
  • Vast Bank
  • Wallace Design Collective
  • Webco Industries

Regional Partners

  • Bixby Metro Chamber of Commerce
  • Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development Corporation
  • Cherokee Nation
  • Cherokee Nation Businesses
  • City of Bixby
  • City of Broken Arrow
  • City of Catoosa
  • City of Claremore
  • City of Collinsville
  • City of Glenpool
  • City of Jenks
  • City of Sand Springs
  • City of Skiatook
  • City of Tulsa
  • Claremore Economic Development
  • Jenks Chamber of Commerce
  • MidAmerica Industrial Park
  • Muscogee (Creek) Nation
  • Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
  • Okmulgee Area Development Corporation
  • Osage Casinos
  • Osage Nation
  • Owasso Chamber of Commerce
  • Port Muskogee
  • Public Service Company of Oklahoma
  • Rogers County
  • Rogers County Development
  • Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce
  • Tulsa County
  • Tulsa Ports
  • Wagoner County Economic Development