Kenton Tsoodle, the new president of the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, walks through a recent workday filled with development meetings, quick calls to the Mayor and figuring out who is picking up the kids.
6 a.m. Wake up. Kiss my fiancée good morning and check my phone. Answer a few emails, review what’s happening for the day and finally roll out of bed. Say good morning to my two dogs sleeping at the foot of my bed and let them out. The cat comes and says hello too!
6:15 a.m. Grind some coffee beans from Clarity Coffee and put the coffee on! Let the dogs back in and get ready for work.
7:30 a.m. On the road to work. Will it be sports radio, Spotify, or a podcast on the way to work? Looks like I’m feeling like some music!
8 a.m. Business meeting at Clarity Coffee, which is next door to my office, with my buddy Jeff Seymour from the Chamber of Commerce to talk strategy about several economic development projects we are working at the moment. In walks my fiancée having a business meeting of her own! Great minds …. I spend way too much money on coffee …
8:30 a.m. Head to Oklahoma City Council. Have several items on the agenda this morning including a purchase of land from the City, which will later be sold to a company to build a new facility and an incentive package for a new manufacturer that will be locating in OKC. While I’m waiting on my items to come up, I have a conference call with a developer on another project that is in the works.
9:15 a.m My items come up and I have to get up in front of Mayor and Council to answer questions. The items are approved! Whew!
10 a.m. Take the opportunity to talk with City staff about two more projects we are working on. We strategize about upcoming meetings that are happening on these projects. Run back to the office and catch up on emails and review notes for the afternoon’s meetings.
11:30 a.m. Walk to lunch with a coworker. We talk strategy on a few things and also touch base on how things are going in the office. Great local food at Patrono!
1:30 p.m. Quick call with the Mayor to brief him on several things coming up as well as some strategic initiatives I’m interested in advancing. There is a lot of activity in OKC so we run out of time!
2 p.m. Literally run across the street to the Oklahoma City Water Utility Trust meeting. The same item regarding a land purchase also must be approved by this public body as well.
3 p.m. Now, I’m at the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust. At this meeting, I’m actually sitting on the horseshoe as the General Manager of the Trust. We have several items on today, and I have to explain each one. Everything from incentives for a grocery store to a tire manufacturer to an industrial park today! This city is growing!
4 p.m. Head back to the office to finish up. Make phone calls, answer emails. Work on some closing documents for a deal that was approved earlier in the week. Check the schedule and coordinate with my fiancée on picking up kids. Luckily this week, there’s no practices, activities, etc. and I get out of pickup duty for tonight!
5:30 p.m. Start heading home. Stop on the way to do some grocery shopping for the rest of the week. Must not buy junk food … must not buy junk food.
7 p.m. Get home and unload groceries. Throw together some quick salads for dinner. Yay! We ate healthy! Are those holiday chocolates on the table? Oh well … we tried. Have some good conversation. Kids are out of school right now so no worries about homework!
8 p.m. Finally sit down and relax on the couch. Check news, social media, etc. while watching an episode of whatever that latest show we are binging.
10 p.m. Wake up from dozing on the couch and crawl into bed!
