Last year, Quebec won. This year, Tulsa did
Gradient, the nation’s sixth largest innovation hub located in Tulsa’s downtown, is now winning on the international stage.
It received the International Business Innovation Association’s highest honor as Global Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year.
Last year, Quebec’s hub earned that title.
Gradient was also named the Technology Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year.
Hubs like these across the globe help scale high-growth technology companies through community, programming, mentorship and access to money. Some call them tech incubators for start ups but Gradient also supports businesses of all sizes as well as remote workers through events, resources and a flexible workspace.
I was at the Gradient event announcing the awards and the news from its 2025 Impact Report, which showed the organization had a $1.76 billion in regional economic impact over the past five years.
Also in 2025, Gradient supported 493 businesses that created 4,421 jobs, generated $198 million in sales, secured $121 million in funding and filed 35 patents. The organization also hosted 476 events last year at its facility at 12 N. Cheyenne Ave.
“If you think about this as an intentionally designed space, it brings together individuals. It creates density. It creates proximity to resources and infrastructure. All those things are essential for growth, and that’s why we believe that Gradient is the place where things actually happen,” Devon Laney, president and CEO of Gradient, told the crowd at the event.
If you have a big idea, need help launching a startup or want to scale the business you already have, Gradient might be your next step. Check out joingradient.com.
22,727 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies are waiting in Tulsa for you to buy them
For some reason, Tulsans aren’t eating all the Girl Scout Cookies put in front of them.
Last year it was more than $300,000 worth of cookies. Now it’s $136,362, according to a letter sent to Girl Scout families from Melissa Bogle, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma.
“As you know, we have to pay the bakers for the packages whether or not we sell all the cookies,” she wrote.
Bogle said the council can’t lose six figures in lost revenue again like it did last year.
So, cookies are back on sale even after the traditional season is over. Not only are Girl Scouts asked to sell again, but also the staff will sling cookies at events around town through April and maybe even May.
“If every girl sold one more case, we would sell out,” she said. “We teach resiliency and this current cookie crunch is a great example of how we can pivot and still reach our goals.”
She’s asking for ideas if anyone has any to sell out the supply by contacting the council.
Here’s an idea: Former Girl Scout Kellon Collington sold 1,534 boxes in 2015. How did she do it? She called them “Boxes of Happiness” (a phrase she made up) and wasn’t afraid to pull her full wagon into places where people congregated. “Do you want to buy a box of happiness?” is a hard question to say no to.
Quotable
“The job-security premium of a bachelor’s degree has – at least for now – disappeared.”
– Economist Gad Levanon in the Wall Street Journal noted that over the past 12 months, unemployment among college-educated workers 34 and under has now surpassed the 4.1% rate for people with two-year associate degrees in the latest Labor Department data.
“As a judge, I thought, ‘What the hell? Did they just say what I thought they said?’”
– Retired U.S. Administrative Law Judge James R. Linehan of Edmond to Oklahoma Watch reporter J.C. Hallman in a story headlined State Farm told a retired judge his adjuster report was a corporate secret. He lawyered up.
“Wado for your letter. Your letter, better than anything I have seen during my time as principal chief, illustrates the great challenges for tribes in engaging with the state of Oklahoma.”
– Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. in response to a letter he received from Oklahoma Speaker of the House Kyle Hilbert. One day earlier, Hoskin spoke to the House of Representatives and mentioned that he’s opposed to any legislation that would rollback Medicaid expansion. Hilbert wrote: “It was quite inappropriate and contrary to our House rules for an invited guest to delve into political matters.”
Notable numbers
Following up from last week’s Collington Index mentioning that 472 child care centers in Oklahoma closed in 2025: The Tulsa Flyer’s Anna Colletto reports that 131 child care centers have closed so far this year.
4,000
Number of people welcomed to Tulsa in eight years through Tulsa Remote, reports Kimberly Marsh with the Oklahoma Eagle. Collectively, they have delivered more than $878 million to Tulsa’s economy and have created more than 1,000 jobs, said Justin Harlan, executive director of Experience Tulsa, the nonprofit that oversees Tulsa Remote.
57,000 phone calls and 11,000 texts
That’s how much traffic came to Oklahoma’s mental health crisis hot line between January and November in 2025. Oklahoma Voice’s Emma Murphy reports that the state now needs to find a way to pay for it to continue.
How about some good news?
Lessons from a 3,000-mile solo row across the Atlantic Ocean: Holland Hall teacher Neil Bergenroth coached a man to row across the ocean. Former Tulsa World assistant editor Patrick Prince, who now works at the school, writes it was a life-changing experience for both men.
Six TPS high schools have reported a year-over-year absenteeism decrease of 10% or more: Will Rogers, McLain, Tulsa Met, Memorial, Booker T. Washington and Central, writes Tulsa World education report Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton.
Check the absenteeism at your kid’s school: oklaschools.com
1,100-plus school files obtained by IRS investigators: The deep dive on finances for Epic Charter Schools comes while a state criminal trial looms, the latest from investigative reporter Andrea Eger, now working for Oklahoma Watch.
In 2022, Eger reported in the Tulsa World that Oklahoma’s state auditor and inspector said mismanagement by co-founders of Epic Charter Schools is “the largest amount of reported abuse of taxpayer funds in the history of this state.”
Recommendations
LEGO sculptures worth the walk: From towering hummingbirds to blooming spring flowers, thousands upon thousands of LEGO bricks are bringing nature to life at the Tulsa Botanic Garden this spring, writes Kirsten Lang in Tulsa People. My favorite was the butterfly I captured here.
Get ready for all the 100th anniversary events for Route 66: There’s an event for everyone in the family. The best calendar of the Route 66 Centennial events all around Tulsa I could find was in Tulsa People, thanks to Madison Walters.
Another email newsletter worth your time: If you would like to know more of what you should know from around the state when it comes to news, check out the Oklahoma Memo from Ryan Welton.
Towering pancake inspired by a Chinatown diner in New York City coming to Tulsa
Angela Evans of The Pickup solved a local mystery: Owner Tim Rucker is bringing The Helen to the location where the Wildflower Café used to be at 11th Street and Peoria Avenue. Will this pancake make people stand in line for hours? We’ll see.
Speaking of restaurants, let’s try this list thing again
Thank you for all the feedback we got on our list of the best Italian (not pizza) restaurants.
Before it gets much hotter, let’s bring you the list of Tulsa’s best patio restaurants to eat and drink at:
- Daigoro on the river: Creative drinks. 5-star menu.
- Soma on the roof of the Brut Hotel: Best views. Comfy seating.
- Bohemian Pizza: Cozy and intimate. Great food.
- Wild Fork: Quintessential Utica Square.
- In the Raw Vu: Big city feel.
- Queenies: Friendly. A Tulsa classic.
- Holé Molé: Covered patio. Good vibes.
- Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar: Only rooftop on Cherry Street. Skews young.
- Noche Woodfired Grill & Agave Bar: Love it when the garage doors open to the ball park.
- McNellie’s: Tremendous beer selection that launched the downtown scene.
Matt Gleason says the Collington Index is like having coffee with me. I like that so much I’ve started to say that when people ask what it is. Thank you for reading and supporting this movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is no cavalry. It’s up to us.
All together now. jc
P.S. My daughter doesn’t just know how to sell cookies. She was just named Miss American Indian OSU, as the O’Colly’s Megan Gibson reports.
The Collington Index offers a free weekly news summary that explains quickly what’s important and interesting, shared in weekly wraps, lists, conversations and cheat sheets. A movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Subscribe to the free email newsletter.
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