Better Planners Podcast · 2025-12-11 · 53 min
Today's episode is a great one! We interviewed Gary Hamer, the current Director for Strategic Planning at Partner Tulsa , but his previous role with the City of Tulsa led to the implementation of a locally owned, full service grocery store in an underserved area of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this episode we cover how Gary, as a planner, was able to use federal funds to assist in building a community led grocery store, lessons learned and the importance of community engagement and community leaders, as well as the impact of local businesses to the economics and livability of a city or neighborhood. Learn more about the Oasis Grocery store: Planning Magazine: Partnerships and Federal Funding Build an Oasis in a Food Desert He Opened the First Black-owned Grocery Store in Tulsa in 50 Years (video) Oasis Fresh Market Opens in North Tulsa (video) Want to be a part of the podcast? Send in an email or voice message! The team behind the upcoming Better Planners podcast wants to hear from you about the real life issues you handle as a planner. What are the honest, gritty, wicked problems you find yourself managing?
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