TULSA, Okla. — Gas for under a dollar a gallon. Good news if you're filling up your tank, but that's where the good news stops.
Non-essential travel is halted, vacations are on hold and gas prices are at an all time low. For Oklahoma, low oil costs are crippling to the local economy.
But it's not just the oil industry trying desperately to stay afloat, every industry has seen record lows like never before in history.
Debbie Letterman started working for her father's Tulsa based A-Max Sign Co. She says business has dropped almost 60 percent.
To prevent layoffs, Letterman says her sign makers are now doing janitorial work, because of the slow down in business.
"We have a lot of people here that have families and we need to take care of them," Letterman said.
Letterman says she thinks six months to a year to rebound economically could force her to have lay offs.
The Tulsa Regional Chamber partnered with Mayor G.T. Bynum for an Economic Recovery Committee.
Chamber CEO Mike Neal says the plan is to provide guidance for small businesses on how to economically recover from COVID-19.
The recovery committee consist of advisers from some of the biggest companies in Green Country including, QuikTrip and American Airlines.
23 advisers in all will meet weekly to discuss ways to restore the economy quickly. But in a way, coronavirus cases are contained.
"The game plan is to figure out a way to rapidly and yet safely reopen this economy," Neal said. "We'll be listening closely to Dr. Bruce Dart and the Tulsa Health Department.
The complete list of the committee advisers is as follows;
Steve Bradshaw, Bank of Oklahoma
Chet Cadieux, QuikTrip
Gerry Clancy, University of Tulsa
Carlin Conner, SemGroup (retired)
Kevin Gross, Hillcrest Medical Center
Marilyn Ihloff, Ihloff Salon & Day Spa
Ben Kimbro, Tulsa City Council
Dave Kollmann, Flintco
Paula Marshall, Bama Foods
Josh Miller, George Kaiser Family Foundation
Steve Mitchell, Argonaut Private Equity
Mike Neal, Tulsa Regional Chamber
Elliot Nelson, McNellie’s Group
Jeff Nowlin, Ascension St. John
Erik Olund, American Airlines
Pete Patel, Promise Hotels
Anja Rogers, Senior Star Living
Larry Rooney, Manhattan Construction
Peggy Simmons, American Electric Power
Casey Sparks, ASM Global
Barry Steichen, Saint Francis Health System
Kathy Taylor, Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation
Rose Washington, Tulsa Economic Development Corp.
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