#5 Jill Castilla - Small Bank, Big Impact

04/23/19 • 65 min

With only 18 percent of startups ever accessing a bank loan, finding community banks that see the long-term value of working with early stage entrepreneurs even if they are not bankable right away, is a rare find. Jill Castilla, President and CEO of Edmond Citizen’s Bank is one of those rare finds. As a Fintech inventor herself, she believes in fostering the next generation of businesses and has even transformed 15,000 square feet of unused office space into Vault 405, a co-sharing space for startups and early stage entrepreneurs. Jill is also a big proponent of organic growth and is the chief architect of Heard on Hurd, an outdoor community appreciation event drawing more than 45,000 visitors.

But the Journey hasn’t been a smooth ride for Jill. She took over the bank at a time of turmoil and was forced to make difficult decisions in order to save the bank. She also had to deal with peers who didn’t believe in her unconventional approach. Jill ultimately led a successful turnaround and changed the bank’s story from one of near collapse and failure to one of transformation.

Jill has been named “Most Innovative CEOs in Banking”, "Community Banker of the Year" and one of the "Most Powerful Women in Banking". But she still remembers her humble beginnings, and like most of us, she suffers from the impostor syndrome from time to time. Join us as we find out more about her passion for entrepreneurs and how she’s managed to keep her small bank competitive using technology and social media.

Previous Episode

#4 Elizabeth Frame Ellison - An Entrepreneurs Journey Along Route 66

After receiving a lot of criticism and little to no support when launching her bakery, Elizabeth Ellison identified a gap when it came to supporting entrepreneurs in the community. In a world where technology and high growth ventures tend to dominate the conversation, Elizabeth wanted to create a better environment for traditionally overlooked entrepreneurs - food entrepreneurs. Through her Family’s Foundation, she’s created several programs to support all types of entrepreneurs in Tulsa. Most recently she celebrated the launch of Mother Road Market, Tulsa’s first food hall where she houses 21 food entrepreneurs. But for someone who’s ran the NY Marathon, climbed the Colorado 14er, hiked the Inca Trail and completed the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon for fun, just helping entrepreneurs is not enough. Following her passion for criminal justice and leveraging her vast network in San Francisco, she helped manufacture a strategic partnership between The Last Mile, the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, other philanthropists and government agencies to create a better pathway for incarcerated women in Oklahoma by teaching them how to code.

Elizabeth describes herself as a mom to two boys (three if you count her husband Chris), Personal Assistant to two dogs, a runner and a terrible tennis player. Join us as she shares her passion for entrepreneurs, the struggles she’s had to overcome, and how she makes commuting between San Francisco and Tulsa work.

Next Episode

#6 Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt - The MAPS to a Big League City

There have been three Presidents who’ve served as mayors prior to taking office. Grover Cleveland, served as the mayor of Buffalo, NY. Andrew Johnson, as mayor of Greeneville Tennessee and Calvin Coolidge as mayor of Northhampton, Massachusetts. Today, Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana is running for the 2020 presidential bid - and until recently, many speculated that Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti would also run though he’s publicly decided against the presidential bid.

Although, most people look at federal and state governments for solutions. When it comes to our most serious social, economic and environmental challenges, the roadmap to creating change often lies in the communities where people actually live and work. It all goes back to designing the city in which you’d like to live. That’s why we believe that Mayors can play a huge role in building sustainable economies and communities.

In today’s episode, we follow one of those Mayors with a strong influence in the community. Oklahoma City’s Mayor, David Holt, was elected to office in 2018 with 78% of the vote. He is the youngest and first Native American person to serve as Mayor of Oklahoma City. Mayor Holt has a long history in public service. Prior to serving as Mayor, he served as State Senator, Chief of Staff to former Mayor Mick Cornett, and in the White House during the George W. Bush’s Administration.

Mayor Holt believes that even though Oklahoma City has come far, as one of the fastest growing midsize cities in the country, the long-term sustainability of that growth, needs to ensure that every part of the city benefits from its momentum.

Join us as we learn more about Oklahoma City’s Mayor early start in politics, his vision for a unified city and his approach to managing the fast pacing growth of one of the most up and coming cities in America.