Less than one month in her new business residence, standout Tulsa immigration law attorney Lorena Rivas is already making a difference in her new neighborhood.
Rivas moved out of her former downtown Tulsa office at Fry & Elder in June and into the iconic Kendall Whittier neighborhood to launch Rivas & Associates, along with The Lawyers of Kendall Whittier – a collaboration with attorneys Elissa Stiles, Mary McMillen and Sara Schmook.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been very exciting,” Lorena Rivas said. “Kendall Whittier is neighborhood that I’ve had my eye on for some time. It is a neighborhood with both tremendous history and diversity.”
The feeling between Rivas and Kendall Whittier are mutual. The highly-regarded Tulsa immigration attorney was recently selected to the Kendall Whittier Main Street Board of Directors on July 1.
Rivas, a three-time Super Lawyers® Rising Stars selection, joins four other prominent Kendall Whittier figures on the Board of Directors. The other new members are:
- Malinda Blank, Business Management Director at FireThief Productions
- Josh Kunkel, Method Architecture owner
- Calvin Moniz, Kendall Whittier resident
- May Yang, Flash Flood Print Studios owner
Board President and owner of Marshall Brewing Company Eric Marshall had this to say about the new Board members in a July 1 release.
“We are extremely excited to welcome so many talented new members to our board, who we feel will bring fresh ideas, diverse perspectives and a new level of enthusiasm to help to Kendall Whittier to the next level.”
Though the district has roots dating back to 1909, it wasn’t always a destination locale for business owners and residents.
The area was considered to be “dodgy part of town” for years by many, but Kendall Whittier began to experience a resurgence around 2010 and had 26 new businesses open up in the are between 2013 and 2017 as reported by the Tulsa World.
The turnaround was so great that the Kendall Whittier District was even named a 2019 Great American Main Street Award semi-finalist by the National Main Street Center.
As a full-service immigration law firm, Rivas & Associates could not have landed in a better spot. Kendall Whittier is in the epicenter of Hispanic culture, featuring some of the best Mexican food in Tulsa and successful Hispanic business owners such as Rivas.
“I am so proud and honored to be a part of this community,” Rivas said. “You can’t help but feel the positive energy that floats around here. It really is contagious and tremendous.”