Tulsa Regional Chamber comments on Tesla Gigafactory site selection

“While it’s certainly disappointing Tulsa was not selected as the new home for Tesla, we congratulate our fellow-finalist Austin. We thank Elon Musk and all of the Tesla leadership for their consideration of Tulsa, and we are optimistic we might still have the chance to partner with them in the future.

“A big part of what made us so competitive in this process was the extraordinary collaboration among our state, local, regional and tribal partners. We especially thank Gov. Kevin Stitt and Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development Sean Kouplen for their tremendous work throughout this process. We also thank Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and the George Kaiser Family Foundation – especially Jeff Stava – for their commitment to showcasing our city and region.

“The publicity surrounding this project has been absolutely astonishing. Tulsa’s profile has been elevated substantially, and individuals and organizations that previously might not have given us a serious look now see our advantages – including a low cost of living and short commute times, as well as an eager, well-trained workforce, access to top engineering talent and a centralized location. Those advantages will no doubt resonate with other companies looking to expand or relocate.

“Tesla also saw an overwhelming outpouring of support from thousands and thousands of local citizens via social media and other means. Ours is a welcoming region, and though we might not have gotten Tesla, without a doubt other great new projects are still ahead. Northeast Oklahoma has seen big increases in economic development activity the past several years, and we’re optimistic that will continue. Tulsa beat out a host of other significantly larger, world-class cities to be a finalist for the Tesla project, and that has to mean great things for our future.”

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About the Tulsa Regional Chamber

Representing more than 2,150 member organizations and more than 178,000 workers, the Tulsa Regional Chamber is the primary driver of regional and individual prosperity in northeast Oklahoma. The Chamber develops and delivers a wide variety of programs and services designed to bolster and benefit Tulsa-area businesses of all shapes and sizes, from large corporations to small startups. For more than 115 years, the Chamber has served as an integral part of what makes the Tulsa region a great place to live, work and play. As epitomized by the Chamber tagline – “Your Partner in Prosperity” – every strategy, program and service of the Chamber is created specifically to increase prosperity.

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) named the Tulsa Regional Chamber the nation’s best chamber in 2005, 2008 and 2010. The Chamber has been recognized three times by the Oklahoma Quality Foundation (OQF), including receipt of OQF’s Award for Commitment to Excellence in 2019. The Chamber holds three prestigious accreditations: five-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; accredited economic development organization through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC); and accredited destination marketing organization (VisitTulsa) through Destinations International (DI). The Chamber also houses the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture (Tulsa FMAC), Oklahoma’s only accredited city film commission through the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI).

For more information, visit tulsachamber.com.