Reinventing the Heartland
How One City’s Inclusive Approach to Innovation and Growth Can Revive the American Dream
Nicholas Lalla
- A
- blueprint
- for
- the
- bottom-up
- revival
- that
- is
- so
- sorely
- needed
- in
- cities
- across
- America.To
- thrive
- in
- this
- day
- and
- age,
- cities
- must
- create
- innovation
- economies
- of
- their
- own.
- Tech
- jobs,
- venture
- capital,
- and
- R&D
- are
- concentrated
- in
- a
- handful
- of
- big
- coastal
- cities,
- while
- the
- broad
- middle
- of
- the
- country
- is
- left
- out—and
- that’s
- a
- problem.Nicholas
- Lalla
- founded
- Tulsa
- Innovation
- Labs
- in
- January
- 2020
- to
- help
- Tulsa,
- Oklahoma
- transition
- from
- its
- outdated
- oil
- and
- gas
- legacy
- to
- tech.
- Lalla's
- organization
- would
- go
- on
- to
- build
- the
- first
- tech-led
- economic
- development
- strategy
- in
- northeast
- Oklahoma’s
- history,
- raise
- over
- $200
- million,
- and
- create
- thousands
- of
- tech
- jobs.
- This
- success
- catalyzed
- a
- massive,
- city-wide
- endeavor—the
- first
- time
- in
- American
- history
- a
- city
- has
- dedicated
- itself
- in
- such
- a
- concerted
- way
- to
- becoming
- a
- player
- in
- the
- innovation
- economy.Drawing
- upon
- Lalla's
- experience,
- Reinventing
- the
- Heartland
- lays
- out
- a
- bold
- and
- pragmatic
- plan
- for
- urban
- reinvention,
- showing
- innovators,
- entrepreneurs,
- and
- leaders
- how
- to:Each
- chapter
- covers
- a
- core
- plank
- of
- the
- action
- plan,
- with
- powerful
- examples
- of
- the
- kinds
- of
- changes
- American
- cities
- need.
- In
- Reinventing
- the
- Heartland,
- Lalla
- provides
- the
- path
- forward
- for
- any
- city
- ready
- to
- embrace
- the future.
