Nelson Allen, a Tulsa resident for over 44 years with a strong business background, had a passion for starting his own storage facility company and doing what he could to support his community of North Tulsa. He had been planning the start of his business for over five years, going to conventions, and talking to different storage facility owners to learn as much as he could.
Eventually, Nelson reached out to the Oklahoma SBDC and was assigned business advisor Jessee Paxton. In partnership with the Greenwood Women’s Business Center, Jessee helped fill in the gaps so Nelson could reach his business goals. Although Nelson already knew most things on how to start a business, he worked with the Oklahoma SBDC to make sure that he had everything planned out and every box checked before he opened his doors. Gilcrease Express Storage was able to open in late 2022 with a climate-controlled, state-of-the-art facility with 24-hour security monitoring video surveillance.
“Jessee and the SBDC helped teach me what to do and what not to do,” said business owner Nelson Allen. “With the trainings and one-on-one counseling, [they helped provide] me business skills in planning, marketing, and HR… I will continue to use the SBDC and the Greenwood Women’s Business Center to help accomplish my future business goals which is adding more businesses around the storage facility that will build the community and help with more business opportunities for entrepreneurs.”
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