NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THREE AWARDS GIVEN AT DREAM BIG OKLAHOMA REI Oklahoma’s Dream BIG Oklahoma event has opened nominations for the event’s top three awards: Dr. Fern Green-Bowling Diamond Award, Dream Big Award, and the coveted Vision Award.   (OKLAHOMA CITY, June 6, 2023) – REI Oklahoma, an economic development nonprofit serving all 77 counties, has announced that nominations are now open for the top three awards at their annual Dream BIG Oklahoma event. Nominations will be accepted through June 30, 2023. Winners for all Dream BIG Oklahoma awards are celebrated at the annual event scheduled for Tuesday, October … Continue reading →

Peggy’s smile lights up the room when she says she has always wanted to own a restaurant. As a young girl, she even asked her (now late) father to help her start one.   “My daddy said it wouldn’t be a good investment because I would just give all the food away,” said Peggy. Well, her father was half-right on his initial assessment. She is now the proud owner of She Shed Bistro and is growing her business. Their tagline is “Little place with a big taste.”   Peggy’s journey to being a small business owner is a bit unconventional, … Continue reading →

Ken and Kim Isaac are no strangers to being small business owners.   They take pride in caring for their customers and meeting their needs, as well as being part of what drives Oklahoma’s economy. However, in the 20th year of operating their IT business, they realized with all the changes in the industry with the addition of iPads, tablets, smartphones, and the like, they needed to identify a new business venture.   Then it happened. While attending a pre-surgery orientation in 2016, Ken had an epiphany. He noticed that many of the other attendees had branded drink tumblers. Being … Continue reading →

Denise shared she has always been a dreamer and she jokes that for her 30th birthday, she gave herself a business.   A third-generation florist, the love of the industry is deeply engrained in her. Her mother, grandmother and great uncle worked in either the retail or wholesale floral business. Her grandmother specialized in plants, while her mother and great uncle focused on flowers and arrangements. As early as she can remember, if she was out of school, she was at work with her mother amongst the flowers and plants.   In January 2021, with the support and encouragement of … Continue reading →

REI Oklahoma Receives Grant to Support Single Mother and Single Women Business Owners REI Oklahoma and its Women’s Business Center receives a $10,000 grant to launch a scholarship and microgrant initiative to help elevate single mother and single women businesses owners in Oklahoma.   (OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 27, 2022) – REI Oklahoma, an economic development nonprofit, was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma. The purpose of this grant is to help propel the launch or growth of small businesses that are majority-owned by single mother or single women households through their Women’s Business Center. REI … Continue reading →

October 28, 2022 (DURANT) – REI Oklahoma, a nonprofit economic development organization, announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, REI Development Corp., has secured $55 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocations. The tax credits are provided by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and provide a 39 percent federal income tax credit for investments into qualifying businesses in low-income communities.   REI Oklahoma is one of 107 community development organizations in the U.S. to receive a combined $5 billion in NMTC allocation, which is designated to create economic development in distressed communities.  The New Markets Tax … Continue reading →

Wednesday August 24, 2022 – Wednesday August 24, 2022 Map and Directions | Register Description: In this webinar, learners will discover how to create a search-friendly website that drives user action and supports their goals. Whether launching a new website or sprucing up an old one, this workshop will help. All attendees will want to stay after the presentation for a bonus session where Maria Elena will show you marketing tips for building a powerful website. This session is a part of the August Local Business Bootcamp – Track 1 How will you finish out the year? Hoping for the … Continue reading →

Cherokee CRC, named “Construction Firm of the Year” during the 2013 Oklahoma Minority Enterprise Development Week hosted by REI Native American Business Centers (REI NABC) has been recognized for their success at the national level.   The company, which provides construction management services, was awarded “Minority Construction Firm of the Year” during the 2013 National Minority Enterprise Development Week, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce MBDA.   Cherokee CRC was nominated for the national award, which is designed to celebrate and recognize outstanding achievements of minority entrepreneurs, by James Ray, MBDA Business Center Project Director with REI NABC.   … Continue reading →

Billy Hamilton, NABRC Program Coordinator with REI Native American Business Centers, recently joined other minority business leaders to discover strategies for helping businesses grow.  The five-day program, entitled Building A High-Performing Minority Business, took place at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business in Hanover, New Hampshire.  During the program, participants examined three strategies to grow a company – organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic alliances.   The program included topics such as strategy and implementation, analysis of financial statements and refining the management structure.  Hamilton learned methods to assess business operations for the purpose of streamlining processes and improving … Continue reading →

REI Oklahoma recently completed construction on an eco-friendly complex in Durant. The building is part of a growing “green” movement in construction, and has received LEED® Silver Certification from U.S. Green Building Council Leadership (USGBC).  REI Oklahoma partnered with ECO Potential, Mid-Plains Construction and Kinslow, Keith & Todd in the development of the building.  All were recently recognized for their leadership in the green building movement at an open house event. “REI Oklahoma is pleased to be a part of the green building movement, which is an opportunity to create a healthy work environment in our area, reducing the need … Continue reading →