Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Tulseys: Yet Another Fun Voting Opportunity


It's voting season in Tulsa, everyone. While you beef up your reserves of mayoral candidate trivia (show them off tonight, Nov. 3, at Jewel on Brookside at the KRMG Mayoral Smashup), exercise your voting prowess by logging on to The Tulsey Awards.

The Tulseys, like the People's Choice Awards of Mayor Kathy Taylor's Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, recognizes Tulsa pioneers and innovators. They come in ten varieties: Civic, Emerging, Entertainment, Franchise, Green, Interactive, Legend, Restaurateur, Serial and Young. Each entrepreneur on this ballot is also eligible for the Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Unlike the mayoral election, voters get more than one shot at deciding the winners of the second annual Tulsey Awards. I'll be the first to say it: Thank goodness. With as many as 14 nominees in a category, each of them bringing some serious oomph to the local economy, it's nice to know that as long as I wait 24 hours between votes, I can weigh in for my hand full of favorites. It makes for less nail biting and fidgeting and nervous arm pit sweat for all of us, which is a good thing.

I was humbled to find myself among the nominees this year. I'm up against some seriously talented individuals in the Interactive category, each of whom more than deserves to take home the prize: Jeff Rhoton of iMobilize media, Ryan Phillips of Phillips360, Sean McCullough of Ping.fm and Susan Reidel of Academic Freedom Academy Online Homeschool. While I'm not sure that I belong in a room full of tech heads this rad, I'm glad to have the opportunity to hang with them, even if it's only on a form in cyberspace.

I mean, how cool is it to be the uncool kid in the AV Club? Oh, I am so that geek. I stand ready to receive the wedgie of a lifetime.

Winners will be announced Oscar-style on Nov. 19, when Mayor Kathy Taylor and the winner of the 2009 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award (which, by the way, comes with a prize of $30,000) will join candidates at the historic Cain's Ballroom to celebrate the start-up spirit in our community. The event will be the culmination of Global Entrepreneurship week. It starts at 7pm, is open to the public and is free to attend.

Plus, Tulsey award winners get this really cool hand-cast bronze Golden Driller Statuette. Cool, right? If I win one I'll move my knitting basket so that it will hang out right next to where I sleep at night.

Yeah, I have a knitting basket. Because I am also that geek.

Go vote. Tomorrow, vote again. Repeat until Nov. 10, election day in more ways than one here in T-Town.

1 comment:

Holly said...

Yeah I saw you on the ballot, and I totally voted for you. Win it!!!

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