The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/holberton-school-is-coming-to-tulsa-oklahoma/amp/

Another win for GKFF. Interesting type of college. You pay via 17% of your salary for 42 months after graduation. If you stay in Tulsa, GKFF foots 7% of that so it is only 10% of your salary.

It's going to be at 15 N Cheyenne which is basically next door to Welltown Brewery:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/15+N+Cheyenne+Ave,+Tulsa,+OK+74103/@36.1561567,-95.9953734,3a,90y,83.4h,87.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjEMt5IZpm-qWMiw61dXXLg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x87b6eb77e6c07635:0x4f745dc2e6fca720!8m2!3d36.1562827!4d-95.9948669 (https://www.google.com/maps/place/15+N+Cheyenne+Ave,+Tulsa,+OK+74103/@36.1561567,-95.9953734,3a,90y,83.4h,87.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjEMt5IZpm-qWMiw61dXXLg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x87b6eb77e6c07635:0x4f745dc2e6fca720!8m2!3d36.1562827!4d-95.9948669)

I like that stretch of Cheyenne and think it has potential with several old warehouse/store fronts that have potential.

Is this at all affiliated with the other GKFF project on Boulder?  They mentioned they want to eventually set up more of an urban campus in Tulsa.

I can't help but think there needs to be some kind of link to nearby OSU-Tulsa that could benefit both schools.  

Sounds like a fantastic program for Tulsa! Anything to grow the pool of IT professionals in Tulsa is great. 

I'm currently on week 3 of the program here.  It is supremely exciting to see people from all over the country (and a few international students) come to Tulsa for this.  I get to introduce people from the Bay Area, Detroit, Puerto Rico to Tulsa. Most live downtown and simply walk everywhere.  The space is great and soon when the second and third cohorts start there will be  between 100 -120 students based out of this location.  It is helping to fill a hole between the arts district, the CBD, and the Arena.  I can't wait to take people out to see a baseball game in spring!

The big bonus here is that The Foundation offers a generous living stipend which is forgiven if the recipient remains in Tulsa for 4 years after graduation.  Students from all over have a big financial incentive to stay here and work in tech.

Side note on this, the man who owns the building owns the entire block.  He is  currently cleaning out the old wood working spaces next door.  Not sure if he has immediate plans for the space, but he has a market for a restaurant now.

Interesting to hear an insider's persepective! I know someone who took one of the other coding schools that GKFF brought in. It is really exciting what these could do for Tulsa and that they are bringing in people from all over. We definitely need more to take advantage of all the great developments downtown.

Cool insight, thanks for sharing! Looking at that area on google maps, looks like it has a lot of potential :)

tulsaworld.com/news/tuition-deferred-coding-school-in-tulsa-hosts-grand-opening/article_280e2b9f-d455-5cd5-bcc8-599c64638d1a.html (http://tulsaworld.com/news/tuition-deferred-coding-school-in-tulsa-hosts-grand-opening/article_280e2b9f-d455-5cd5-bcc8-599c64638d1a.html)

We had our grand opening yesterday, even though we've been open for a month or more.  It was nice to meet with some of the local businesses that will be our potential employers.

Holbertson is doubling in size by building an expansion on the vacant lot to the north.  The new 3 story building on Cheyenne will have a roof deck amenity space.

(https://i0.wp.com/theblackwallsttimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PATIO-RENDERING.jpg?resize=1024%2C663&ssl=1)

https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2021/03/17/holberton-school-tulsa-to-more-than-double-in-size-by-2022/ (https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2021/03/17/holberton-school-tulsa-to-more-than-double-in-size-by-2022/)

Yep. We're all excited about this. Even those of us who will have graduated already by then. That part of downtown will be Totally different in the next 5 years with this and other projects.

Any idea what the current enrollment is?

Now just if OSU and TU could get their act together we might have a pretty solid pipeline to tech talent graduating in Tulsa every year.

GKFF is working directly with TU on building up their cybersecurity program.  I'd like to see the Tandy School of Computer Science expand as well.  It would make sense for OSU to have all of its computer engineering-related programs consolidated in Tulsa.

I would say we've got about 120 people total. Since we are still all remote, the different cohorts are a bit siloed.

And since it's all GKFF we as Holbies were allowed to attend the cybersecurity summit at TU recently.  That was really inspiring. And that program is absolutely world class.

https://ktul.com/news/local/holberton-groundbreaking

We had the groundbreaking for the new space a couple weeks ago.  Good Schmooze fest.

Oh and, on a semi-related note, the spaces next door are being renovated by by Chip Gaberino for use as offices and (eventually) the new home for The Saturn Room.

I'm excited to see Holberton grow! We need that talent base so bad! Not sure how I feel about the frontage design, but this type of design either works out in person or not, it's hard to tell from a rendering. Either way it will catch some eyeballs on that sleepy street. Now if we can do something with that old warehouse on the other side of the streeet...

I was wondering what was going on with Saturn room. I remember them making that announcement, and then it tapered off. I figured they realized it wasn't much of an improvement. Holberton school is cool, but there's not much else there. Their current location is also not exactly ideal since it is kind of hidden, but it's also not much of a walk from the busy part of the arts district once people realize it is there. They also just added a nicer patio feature and have a view of downtown. Not sure what they would get out of that new location, but maybe the answer is simply cheaper rent/mortgage and that can make a lot of difference business-wise.

I had heard Holberton might eventually have a larger home in the GKFF Western Supply project. Maybe not? Or maybe that’s a future growth phase.

Just as an update, Holberton just graduated their first cohort of students, with yours truly among them. It was a huge effort over a sustained time, but it was also a blast getting to work with people from around the country who moved here to restart their lives. More than half of the graduating class already have signed offer letters. Some had already started. 

We had our graduation celebration on the top floor of the Vast.Bank building then we all went to the FC Tulsa Match across the street where we were honored at Halftime.

I've said this a lot to those I know, but with this campus graduating up to 500 people a year, it will be needle moving as far as the availability of tech talent in Tulsa.

Oh and, side note, among the spaces being renovated on that block into an absolutely world-class VR/AR place. They will likely employ Holberton student's soon as well to build games specifically for the location..

Very cool and congrats.  Impressed with everything I’ve heard about Holbertson.  Wondering if eventually they will have their own student housing near the campus, or perhaps partner with a local residential developer.  I guess the residential component of the Western Supply project could be part of this.

Any efforts currently underway for Holbertson to partner with OSU and/or TU (especially their cyber security program)?

Very very cool, and I definitely agree with the above. I really hope Holberton becomes the missing link for us. That new game lounge/studio sounds exciting!

As a coda on this thread, and for a bit of personal bragging too, I accepted a job offer yesterday based on my time at Holberton. I think all but one or two of us in the initial cohort all have jobs and employers are already looking at the next round of graduates. This is going to be a great talent pipeline for Tulsa. And there is a string financial incentive for us to stay in town based on how GKFF worked out the repayment structuring. It's the kind of thing that could get large coastal companies to set up a regional hub here.

Congrats! Is it a local job?

I'm still very excited to see this school grow. I need to head past it tonight to see the progress on the construction.

Yes, it's a local company, but I will be working with people from all over the world. The person I will be working with the most closely is based in Buenos Aires. My boss is in Maryland. It's technically a remote job, but I'm too social a person not to come into the office occasionally.

I wouldn't go by today unless you plan on doing some drinking. The Welltown Oktoberfest is going on and they have the streets blocked off.

(https://imgur.com/ibCotZm.jpg)

Finally went by. Looks like this street is really coming to life. Really want to hear more about the building across the street. Anyone know if there are plans for that? I thought I heard something mentioned about it at some point.

It looks like there's work starting there. I checked the online real estate sites and it looks like it was sold in October. I was also wondering what is going on.

It sold to Topeca Coffee but I don’t know their plan. Maybe a new expanded roastery/cafe? Or could be a completely different venture.

(https://imgur.com/qExmKJg.jpg)

This street looks fantastic now. The new building looks great inside and out, and the existing buildings to the south look completely different from before and so much cleaner. Looks like a game dev studio is next door now.

As for the building next to the tracks, I was told by employees at Saturn room that they still plan to move there, but peeking through the windows it looks like it is setup for like a student lounge or something else connected to Holberton? It has the same type of furniture inside and clean/modern surfaces and lighting. Nothing like a tiki bar. It looks finished too, like they aren't planning on coming back and finishing it into a bar. There isn't even a sink area for a bar built in from what little I've looked in and seen. I'm just very confused at why Saturn Room said they'd move here. It's a smaller space too.

(https://imgur.com/qzbSSpS.jpg)

Work has started across the street. Should be yet another transformational project.

The space is much larger inside that one expects from the street. Chip is still wanting to move Saturn Room there to avoid paying rent. It may likely be in a more recessed part of the building.

That said, The AR/VR space will dev games, but will be an open to the public, world class gaming space. 3D treadmills with VR headsets. That sort of thing. Without saying too much, let's just say the place has deep pockets.

And as a Holbie alumnus, I'm kinda mad they haven't given us a tour of the new building yet. Soon, I guess.

Very cool, this has really transformed that stretch of Cheyenne which had been an empty no-mans land until just recently.  

Are there plans to eventually add a student housing component to Holbertson?  Everything I've heard about Western Supply is that it will now be primarily residential so that could potentially be an option.  GKFF is looking for a separate location for future office expansion.