Mayor's Spirit Awards, TBJ Form Partnership
The Mayor’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award joins in a strategic
partnership with The Tulsa Business Journal in a move that will provide
continuing in-depth coverage of the awards process as well as
additional funding. Entering its third year, the business model competition will begin
accepting applications for the program beginning April 2. Each year,
three Tulsa entrepreneurs are selected to receive checks of $30,000,
$5,000 and $2,500 from Spirit Awards partner SpiritBank.
Last year, more than 100 hopefuls submitted business plans for their ideas.
The partnership with the Spirit Awards will allow the TBJ to
build continual and eagerly-anticipated news coverage, information and
announcements about the awards each week from launch through the final
announcement of the winner on Nov. 17 during Global Entrepreneurship
Week. The coverage will utilize all media resources available within
the TBJ family portfolio. A portion of proceeds generated from
supporters of special publications created by the TBJ for the Spirit
Awards will be donated to the program.
“We at the TBJ are committed to the entrepreneurial spirit in
Tulsa.,» said Jim Mason, TBJ publisher. «We are thankful for the
opportunity to be a partner with a program so meaningful and vital to
Tulsa-area businesses.»
“Supporting entrepreneurs has always been my passion. The
Mayor’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award provides support, encouragement
and mentorship for entrepreneurs who have always been the true spirit
of Tulsa’s economy.” said Mayor Kathy Taylor. “I thank SpiritBank and
the Tulsa Business Journal for believing in this mission and becoming
strategic partners of the Mayor’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.”
Kell Kelly, CEO, SpiritBank, said, “The spirit of
entrepreneurialism is alive and well in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With the
current economic climate, we expect this year’s competitors to be the
best and brightest. While it may not seem like a good time to start a
business today, it’s actually a great time for innovative ideas to take
root and prosper. As Plato said, ‘necessity is the mother of
invention.’ We’re excited to be part of the mayor’s efforts to build
entrepreneurialism to even higher levels in Oklahoma through the
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.”
Stephen Hillman, TBJ editor, said, «It is our intent to
provide the Tulsa business community insight and exposure to the Spirit
Awards as never seen before. This will be accomplished through a series
of articles beginning in April and concluding in November as the winner
is announced. In addition, we plan to follow these entrepreneurs after
the awards process is finished to see how the Spirit Awards have
impacted their businesses.»
Inspired in part by the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City,
the Spirit Awards was born out of a desire to motivate entrepreneurs to
start their businesses in Tulsa, Taylor said.
“The intention of the Mayor’s Tulsa Entrepreneurial Spirit
Award is to make it sustainable so it can be carried on. While this
began due to my personal passion, leadership from the chair of the
Spirit Award, Sean Griffin, and the entrepreneurial team, are working
to create a replicable model – one that will remain flexible enough to
meet the needs of an ever changing entrepreneurial environment,” she
said.