Before I tell you about Route 66, the Firebird, or why this event means so much to us, you should probably know two things about me and my husband Tommy: we care deeply about community, and we really love this car.
I’m Nichole, Director of Operations at The Root, where I spend most of my time trying to make our four locations feel less like offices and more like places people actually want to be. My husband, Tommy, is the Director of Operations at 360 Payments right here in downtown Tulsa, where he leads a large team and puts as much heart into building culture and taking care of his people as I do mine. He also loves cars. Always has. And now, honestly, so do I.
Tommy grew up watching his dad race Pontiac Firebirds, and from the time he was a kid, he knew he wanted one of his own someday. Fast forward to now, and he’s spent the last several months tearing a second-gen Firebird completely apart and rebuilding it from the ground up. Hand-built wiring, a swapped LS engine, three different motor mount attempts, late nights, early mornings, and more YouTube rabbit holes than either of us can count.
So when Route 66’s 100th birthday landed in our backyard, it felt like the universe was writing our story for us.
The car has been part of our story from the beginning. Tommy drove it into our wedding ceremony and we left with “Just Married” written across the back window. Months before it was even running, he signed up for the Route 66 Capital Cruise anyway. Classic Tommy.
Now, with the event just weeks away, the Firebird is actually going to make it — hoodless and still very much a work in progress, but running. And that’s probably my favorite part of the whole thing. It was never about making the car perfect. It was about Tommy sticking with it, figuring things out as he went, and having people around who kept encouraging him along the way.
That’s not so different from what we try to build at The Root every day. Sure, we offer coworking, but what really makes this place special is the people in it. We’ve watched members start businesses, take chances on themselves, and build things as they go. And most of the time, they’ve had a community cheering them on while they do it.
That same spirit is why, on Saturday, May 30, we’re opening the doors at The Root – Market Station, which is just steps away from Route 66 Capital Cruise! We’d love for you to RSVP and join us for a pretty unforgettable day as classic cars roll down 11th Street starting at 8 AM for Tulsa’s Guinness World Record attempt for the largest classic car parade ever.
ChugBug is bringing craft beer, cocktails, and mocktails. Foolish Things will be on site with coffee and food, and we’ll have Route 66 coloring sheets for kids too.
If you stop by, you’ll probably catch me and Tommy cruising by in the Firebird we haven’t stopped talking about for months. We’d love to see you there.
