36 Degrees North Celebrating Successful First Year

Just one year after opening its doors, a hub for entrepreneurs in downtown Tulsa is making a big impact on the city's economy.

36 Degrees North has helped hundreds of Tulsans get their business dreams off the ground.

Nicole Morgan started her business in another space with just two employees. And now her firm, Resolute PR, has eight employees - even an intern.

“I had big hopes for the space when we moved in. We didn’t even have a door. I was like, ‘We’re here, we are ready,’ and it’s been really great to see how things have progressed over the year,” she said.

36 Degrees North - a self-proclaimed basecamp for entrepreneurs - is celebrating its first birthday. In that year, more than 300 members have signed up from 40 different industries.

Executive Director Dustin Curzon said, “To try and meet the needs of all these individual companies. Everyone is in a different place. You might be on your first company or you might be on your fourth company.”

Those behind getting the idea off the ground knew people wanted it.

Meredith Peebles with Lobeck Taylor Foundation said, “Will Tulsa be comfortable with this? Will they buy into it and be there on the onset? We knew the community needed this and never wavered in understanding the need that existed.”

And it paid off; not just for entrepreneurs, but for Tulsa. The chamber reports 36 Degrees North contributed $12 million to the city economy since opening.

“You have Start Up Serious, and One Million Cups and Cultivate 918 and all these things are happening in one area. Instead of having all these silos of different resources around people are finding a community to help their businesses be able to grow so it’s been really neat,” Morgan said.