Tulsa Development Authority

What Tulsa Development Authority does

Tulsa Development Authority (TDA), operating publicly under the trade name PartnerTulsa, is a public trust authority of the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, chartered to deliver consolidated economic development services. The current organization launched on July 1, 2021 as the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity (TAEO), merging the Mayor's Office of Economic Development (MOED), Tulsa Industrial Authority (TIA), Tulsa Parking Authority (TPA), and Economic Development Commission (EDC) into a single Trust Authority, and was rebranded to PartnerTulsa in 2022; TDA itself originates from 1954 and is staffed by PartnerTulsa under a separate Board of Commissioners that oversees targeted real estate acquisition and disposition for redevelopment.

PartnerTulsa delivers an integrated portfolio across four functional domains: business attraction and expansion (concierge support with average 5-day permitting and named case studies including Whirlpool and Amazon); small business and entrepreneurship development (operating alongside 100+ supporting entities and partners 36°N and TEDC); workforce development (Retrain Tulsa with $3.2M deployed into transportation and manufacturing career pathways); and community revitalization and affordable housing (the Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan on 56 acres, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Abode Initiative, Gold Star Landlord Program, Neighborhood Infill Overlay, plus the Healthy Food Access initiative addressing food deserts). Underlying technology is primarily GIS-based program mapping and analysis to support impact planning across the portfolio. Industries served include advanced manufacturing (22,000 workers), energy (24,000 direct workers), aerospace and defense (46,233 workers across 250+ businesses), transportation and logistics, and emerging verticals such as Advanced Air Mobility and AI/cyber.

PartnerTulsa is funded through city appropriations, federal grants, public sources, and tax increment financing districts. Services are provided free to users — incentives coordination, permitting, real estate access, workforce training, and development financing carry no fee. The Mayor of Tulsa serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Cumulative outcomes since 2021 include $2.2 billion in direct private investment spurred by PartnerTulsa-supported projects, 2,948 jobs created (2021–2024), 1,442 housing units contracted with PartnerTulsa financing, and $951M+ in FY2025 capital investments mobilized.

Name

Tulsa Development Authority

Legal name

PartnerTulsa

Website

https://partnertulsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tulsa Development Authority, operating as PartnerTulsa, is a public trust authority of the City of Tulsa delivering consolidated economic development services — business attraction, small business support, workforce training, affordable housing, and community revitalization — to businesses, developers, and residents across the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of General Economic Programs (92611), Administration of Economic Programs (926)

akta.pro primary industry

Energy, Utilities & Natural Resources Regulators (BPAIAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory (BPAJANAL)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business attraction incentives
• Workforce development programs
• Affordable housing finance
• Community revitalization projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Economic Development Services: PartnerTulsa operates as a trust authority of the City of Tulsa providing economic development services, workforce development, housing programs, and community revitalization. Funded through public sources including city appropriations, grants, and federal funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tulsa Development Authority (operating as PartnerTulsa) is a public trust authority of the City of Tulsa that delivers free economic development concierge services, including business attraction and expansion support, permitting coordination, tax incentive management, workforce training, affordable housing programs, and community revitalization projects. It consolidates the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, Tulsa Industrial Authority, Tulsa Parking Authority, and Economic Development Commission into a single entity serving businesses, developers, and entrepreneurs in the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Product overview

PartnerTulsa operates as a consolidated economic development authority offering an integrated portfolio of programs and services rather than a traditional technology product. Core offerings include business attraction and expansion services with permitting and incentives coordination; small business and entrepreneurship support through incubators, accelerators, and capital access; workforce development via Retrain Tulsa; affordable housing programs including the Affordable Housing Trust Fund; community revitalization projects such as the Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan; and commercial development support. The organization also provides industrial site selection, transit-oriented development, and food access initiatives. All programs are coordinated through a concierge service model designed to create equitable economic outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $2.2B direct private investment spurred since 2021
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tulsa Development Authority (TDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021PartnerTulsa provides staffing for the Tulsa Development Authority and manages TDA assets. TDA Board of Commissioners meets monthly to oversee redevelopment and revitalization projects through targeted acquisition and disposition of real estate.
• Tulsa Innovation LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on launching Tulsa's Advanced Air Mobility industry with goal of generating more than 30,000 jobs and $3.5 billion economic impact. Works on advanced mobility sector development.
• Black Tech StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack Tech Street founder Tyrance Billingsley leads efforts to establish Greenwood as an AI and cyber center of excellence. Goal of 1,000 Black cyber professionals in Tulsa by 2030. PartnerTulsa supports Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan revitalization of 56 acres.
• 36°NorthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTulsa's nonprofit coworking space and small business support organization. PartnerTulsa invested $5.25M in Small Business & Entrepreneurship through partnerships with 36°North and TEDC.
• Tulsa Economic Development Corporation (TEDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Development Finance Institution (CDFI) providing small business lending and development support. PartnerTulsa invested $5.25M in Small Business & Entrepreneurship through partnerships with 36°North and TEDC.
• Oasis Fresh MarketminorStrategic or Co-development Partner16,425 sq. ft grocery store opened in North Tulsa food desert in 2021. Partnership included local community, nonprofits, and CDFI. Includes weekly onsite health and financial educators.
• Food on the MoveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative mobile food initiative working to eliminate food deserts through monthly food events offering fresh produce, meals, and health resources. Founded in 2014 by Taylor Hanson of Hanson band.
• Rose Rock Bridge Energy Tech IncubatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy tech incubator supporting startup ecosystem in Tulsa's energy sector.
• Oklahoma Manufacturing AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnly statewide entity focused on manufacturing industry since 1992. Works with manufacturers to access, diagnose and optimize operations. Reports $75 in new sales and $19 in new factory improvements for every dollar invested.
• The Common GoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit community center in West Tulsa providing afterschool programming, workforce training, and senior fitness. PartnerTulsa collaborating on RFP for full-service grocery operator at their 49th West Avenue location in food desert area.
• Tulsa TransitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transit authority operating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. One-in-seven Tulsans have reliable access to 20% of jobs within 10-minute walk of a BRT station.
• City of TulsacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity government partnership where Mayor Monroe Nichols serves as Chair of PartnerTulsa Board of Trustees. PartnerTulsa brings together Mayor's Office of Economic Development and other city authorities into consolidated trust authority.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• World Business Chicago: World Business Chicago is a public-private partnership that drives economic development for the City of Chicago, with a focus on inclusive growth, business attraction, and corporate relocation. It is directly comparable to PartnerTulsa's mission of equitable economic development, workforce programs, and concierge services for expanding companies.
• Greater Houston Partnership: Greater Houston Partnership is the Houston region's primary economic development organization, providing business attraction, retention, and expansion services. Like PartnerTulsa, it emphasizes energy sector development, workforce pipeline programs, and equitable economic outcomes across diverse communities.
• JobsOhio: JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation that leads Ohio's job creation and capital investment strategy. It mirrors PartnerTulsa's concierge model of business attraction, incentive coordination, and site selection, operating at a larger state-scale footprint with industry-targeted focus on advanced manufacturing and aerospace.
• Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC): LAEDC is a public-benefit organization providing economic development services, site selection assistance, and business advocacy for the Los Angeles region. Its concierge model for business attraction and industry-focused initiatives (aerospace, clean tech, manufacturing) align closely with PartnerTulsa's industry-targeted approach.
• Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation: Metro Denver EDC is the regional economic development entity serving the Denver metropolitan area, focused on business attraction, retention, and industry cluster development. Its concierge services for corporate site selection and incentive packaging closely parallel PartnerTulsa's service delivery model.
• Austin Chamber of Commerce (Opportunity Austin): Opportunity Austin is the regional economic development initiative of the Austin Chamber that drives job creation and corporate recruitment in central Texas. Comparable to PartnerTulsa's industry-targeted strategy, with analogous focus on advanced industries, workforce development, and public-private incentive coordination.

Broad incumbents

• MassDevelopment: MassDevelopment is a Massachusetts state-level quasi-public economic development and finance authority that combines real estate development, financing tools, and business attraction. It parallels PartnerTulsa's integration of TIF-style financing, site acquisition, and incentive coordination under a single consolidated authority.
• NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC): NYCEDC is a municipal economic development organization that drives investment, job creation, and real estate development across New York City. Like PartnerTulsa, it operates as a public-benefit entity facilitating business attraction, managing city-owned real estate, and coordinating incentives across a consolidated authority structure.

Regional players

• Greater Oklahoma City Chamber: The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber is the regional economic development and chamber of commerce organization serving Oklahoma City, directly competing with Tulsa for investment, talent, and corporate relocations. It provides an apples-to-apples benchmark for PartnerTulsa's regional competitiveness and pipeline development.
• Tulsa Regional Chamber: The Tulsa Regional Chamber is the local chamber of commerce and a partner/adjacent entity to PartnerTulsa. While serving overlapping business constituencies in Tulsa, it operates more as a membership-based advocacy and networking organization, making it a partial overlap rather than a direct competitor on incentive and real estate services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tulsa-development-authority
• Instagraminstagram.com/partnertulsa
• Facebookfacebook.com/TulsaDevelopmentAuthority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles28 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tulsa Development Authority