ED M O N D, O K LAH O MA
JUNE 2013
VOL. 5 | NO. 6
INSIDE
2013
PUBLISHER Karan Ediger 405-341-2121 kediger@edmondsun.com MANAGING Lisa Shearer EDITOR 405-341-2121 lshearer@edmondsun.com
Dobson Technologies leaps toward future of IT services
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MULTIMEDIA Carolyn Womack-Jenner SALES 405-341-2121 MANAGER cjenner@edmondsun.com
CONTRIBUTING Mike Crandall WRITERS Jim Denton
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Each year thousands of visitors come to Edmond and the Oklahoma City metro area for a variety of sports tournaments bringing with them a significant financial impact to the local economy. Just how much economic impact those events have is hard to measure.
Putting Right team together takes Strategy
Cyndy Hoenig Nick Massey Kristine Meggenberg Patty Miller Van Mitchell Tim Priebe
Frank Franzese spent a good part of his career in the wireless industry in a variety of capacities when the opportunity came to move to Oklahoma for a leadership position with Dobson Technologies.
Big-time sports bring big bucks to Edmond, metro
SALES TEAM Terri Bohanan Suzanne Hamlin
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Putting together and keeping an effective business team can be hard work. Often it’s not that a business needs more money to hire the right team, it’s that it needs the right people with the right expertise and contacts. Here are some ways to start and improve along the way.
Terri Schlichenmeyer Steve’s Ribs grabs the silver ring
Miss your Business Times? Call 341-2121 to get on our mailing list. Thanks! The Business Times is a monthly publication of The Edmond Sun devoted to business in the Edmond area. All rights reserved. Copyright © June 2013.
Steve’s Ribs owners just celebrated their silver anniversary with a new menu and extended summer hours.
30 Cover Photo by Karen Moore | Special to the Business Times
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
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from our Publisher
Empower Salespeople To Do Their Best
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o our readers: I’ve been spending a lot of time in the field lately and absolutely loving it. There is no better way to get a pulse on business than to visit directly with business owners themselves. A lot of us are looking for help right now especially in sales so I thought I’d share some key characteristics when defining a successful sales person. Successful sales people generally have most of the following traits: They understand the value of their company and all products they sell. They believe in what they sell and help their customers determine how it will either solve a problem or enhance something. A good sales person enjoys their work and represents the company with pride and integrity, is goal oriented, entrepreneurial in spirit, is a positive influence to the team and treats their customers and fellow co-workers with respect. A successful sales person understands and takes time to listen to their customers and actually learn about what the customers’ needs are. They also will practice good follow-through and follow-up with customers and fellow employees, pay attention to detail and dress for success. Probably one of the most important traits is that a successful sales person will take ownership and responsibility. Successful sales people take ownership in where they work and what they are selling. A key to that, however, when you have a good sales person is to empower them to make their own
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decisions. Make them feel their own worth through your trust in them. Often this is hard to do, but goes a long way in future decisions they make on your behalf as well as their loyalty to you. Take a minute to read some of the other articles in this month’s Business Times of Edmond. Be sure to take note of the Top 20 Under 40 nomination form located on page 19. If you know someone who fits the above or stands out in his or her industry then nominate them today. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. July 2.
Karan Ediger, PUBLISHER
Photos by Karen Moore | Special to the Business Times
Dobson Technologies Leaps Toward Future of IT Services
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rank Franzese spent a good part of his career in the wireless industry in a variety of capacities when the opportunity came to move to Oklahoma for a leadership position with Dobson Technologies. Today, Franzese, who lives in Edmond, serves as the president of information technology, transport and telecom solutions for the Oklahoma City-based company at 13900 N. Portland Ave. “I come from the wireless business and I had spent a pretty significant part of my career with Nextel Communications and when Nextel sold to Sprint that was my opportunity to go and pursue other opportunities,” Franzese said. “One of the things that came up in that process was this rural wireless provider in Oklahoma City. That is what brought me out here in 2005.” Previously, Franzese, 50, held other 6
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
by Van Mitchell | Special to the Business Times
executive-level positions and has more than 25 years of relevant business experience. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Penn., and earned a Certificate of Leadership from McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Franzese is married to his wife Susan and they have two daughters, Marisa, who attends the University of Oklahoma, and Jamie, who is a junior at Edmond North High School. While at Nextel Communications, Franzese served as the president of the Midwest area and at Cellular One served as the senior vice president of sales and field operations. He also has worked in senior-level positions at Cincinnati Bell and Cricket Communications. Franzese also created and managed his own company, Pride Training and Development, a service organization that provided sales and leadership development
to a variety of business clients. In his role as president at Dobson Technologies, Franzese oversees the customer and market-facing portion of the company and is responsible for setting and achieving overall company objectives. The company employs in excess of 100 people. In the past 75 years, Dobson Technologies has been a leader in providing communications services to Oklahomans utilizing cutting-edge technologies. Beginning in 1936 with Dobson Telephone, it has continually reinvented its products and services to remain on the forefront of advanced communications. Although it has operated under different brand names over the years, Dobson Technologies offers statewide small- and medium-business IT solutions, business telecom services and wholesale data transport solutions to rural Oklahoma communities.
Franzese worked with Dobson Cellular before the company was sold in 2007. He would later team up again with Everett Dobson who now serves as the chief executive officer with Dobson Technologies. “I came to Oklahoma to work with Dobson Cellular,” Franzese said. “When we sold the company in 2007 everybody broke off into other things. Ultimately I wanted to find a way to get back to somehow working with Everett. A couple of opportunities came up. We really locked into data centers. We were really excited about what was going on in the world of data. We got interested in that concept.”
Q: What is your leadership style? A: My leadership style is I like to hire great people and then create an environment where they can be successful. I like to see them develop and I like to support their development. Everybody from a leadership perspective has to be careful not to over steer or micromanage. If we are bringing in the right people to this organization with the right skill set and match them in the right roles and give them the support and tools to be successful then we will be successful. Q: What influenced your leadership abilities? A: I have had mentors along the way and people who have been role models for me. A lot of my career was in sales leadership from the ground up from really working as a sales person and then moving into sales management roles. In sales management roles what started to distinguish me was my ability to grow and develop the right people and keep them motivated and get results. That is what shaped a lot of my leadership.
Q: From a leadership perspective, what is the best way to motivate employees? A: If you create an environment where employees have a meaningful work experience and where employees feel respected and feel as if they are contributing then they will do a great job for the customers. I try to come in every day and think in those terms of what have we done making sure that our employees have a more meaningful work experience. Q: What are some of the challenges Dobson Technologies is facing today? A: In the last year we have brought all our different businesses and technologies under one umbrella with Dobson Technologies. In May 2012 we knew what we had to do was like changing the tire on a car moving down the road. That was a pretty tall order. Flash forward to a year later and to see where we are and the progress we made and the success we have had is ahead of my expectations. Q: What new projects are Dobson Technologies getting involved with? A: One of the big opportunities is in the area of IT and IT infrastructure. There is a huge need for small and medium business
for a customer-focused solution to getting them out of the IT business. Effectively we would come in as a virtual CIO and operate as if we are the IT organization inside their company and build their networks to where their business is going. That is what we are after and that is what we are trying to accomplish. We are trying to fill a need that has been under served. We also just launched a web security product. There is a lot of product development work going on. Q: What civic/charity groups are you involved with? A: I am a member of the board of directors of Victory Junction Camp and part of the Association of the Hole in the Wall Camps. I came out of the racing business. My last job with Nextel was running the business development component of the Nextel Cup Series with NASCAR. I got to know the (Richard and Kyle) Petty families and that is how I got engaged with their children’s charity. I always wanted to help on the children’s charity side. That is where I felt I could help the most. Q: How do you like to spend your time away from work? A: I like to spend time with my family. We have a place at Grand Lake we like to go to. I also like to ride motorcycles. I really try to be selective in the organizations. You really have to single out what it is you want to work on and do it really well. Q: What is something that people outside of work don’t know about you? A: I’m just a pretty regular guy. I like to tinker with stuff with motors. I am happy when I am crawling underneath a car or a motorcycle. I am in the process of building a shop building. I just got into welding and I bought a plasma cutter. I am really all in on the tools. I want to build a hot rod. BT
“Effectively we would come in as a virtual CIO and operate as if we are the IT organization inside their company and build their networks to where their business is going.” JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
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Fitness craze hits Edmond Several new options open in 2013
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by kristine meggenberg | Special to the business times
he fitness industry is taking shape in Edmond with 21 gyms and counting, four of those gyms have opened their doors within the past year. With a population of 83,035 why are these gyms, along with fitness giant LA Fitness who wants Edmond to be its first location in Oklahoma, choosing Edmond? Overall, the fitness industry is in good shape according to International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. Fitness has seen a lot of growth in its industry during the past couple decades. U.S. health club industry 8
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revenue reached $21.4 billion as memberships totaled 51.4 million in 2012. “Edmond is a great community with upper income and low drive time,” said Bryan Attebery, owner of Results Fitness and Nutrition Center and a certified personal trainer who has been in the industry for more than 20 years. “Economically it supports the accommodations for an active lifestyle.” The average household income in Edmond is $101,539. The average household income has continued a slight increase every year. While household incomes increase it
will positively affect businesses or growth in a specific industry, according to the Edmond Economic Development Authority. Meredith Poppler, vice president of Industry Growth at the IHRSA, explained in a press release that the climb in fitness memberships can lead clubs to expand their offerings, contact suppliers to design and create new equipment, and attract more professionals to create a career in fitness. An increase in higher income allows growth that can build on top of each other. Many of the fitness businesses that have opened this year are focusing on a specific
technique or a popular weight-loss program. Round 9, at 1010 N. Santa Fe, is a recent Edmond fitness addition that is focusing on kickboxing. At Round 9 members go to nine stations that target certain areas in their body in a 30-minute workout. They currently have 270 members. “We want to be in Edmond for the high demographics and at the time no one was doing kickboxing besides karate places,” said Kendell McGowen, owner of Round 9. “We are actually ahead by double the memberships we thought we would have after being open for five months.” TITLE Boxing Club at 3209 S. Broadway, Suite 101, had a similar idea when it opened in recent months. They focus on a combination of boxing and kickboxing classes. They design classes for all age ranges and feature a class called Power Hour that is designed to burn 1,000 calories in an hour. According to IBISWorld’s Gym, Health & Fitness Clubs market research report, the demand for gyms and health and fitness clubs will continue to rise during the next five years, as the general public becomes more health-conscious and the aging population becomes more concerned with staying fit. Age 60 and above accounts for 17.4 percent of the Edmond population, which is 14,451 residents, according to the Edmond Demographic Report by the Edmond Economic Development Authority. IHRSA has identified the most significant health club trends for 2012. On the list is population specific training programming. Health clubs are providing specialized programming and trainers that are specifically trained and certified to work with older adults. There are also more youth programs as health club members younger than 18 grew from 3.8 million in 2007 to 6.1 million in 2010, according to
IBISWorld’s Gym, Health & Fitness Clubs market research report. Edmond’s youth, between infant and 18 years old, is 28.7 percent of the population, according to the EEDA. The YMCA is a nonprofit organization that has always focused on specialized programming for older adults and youth. “Basically we (YMCA) aren’t a gym. We are a mission-based organization for youth development and healthy living,” said Mike Roark, executive director of Edmond YMCA. “Family is our focus. We look at the whole family. We have members from 16 weeks old to 90 years old.” Roark explained that the YMCA of course needs a good business model to be sustainable but they want to serve the community. The YMCA has partnered with the City of Edmond and Edmond Public Schools to build a new YMCA facility near Mitch Park, at 1501 W. Covell Road that will open November 2013. The YMCA has put $6 million toward the new facility that they believe the community will greatly benefit from. The City of Edmond and Edmond Public Schools each also contributed $6 million toward the $18 million total project. The YMCA currently has 12,000 memberships out of the 83,035 Edmond residents and hopes to add 9,000 more members when the new facility opens in November. “What’s interesting is that these clubs are so confident, ignoring facts on numbers of
clubs opening. I don’t know if I would open in Edmond right now,” Attebery said. Another new entrant into the Edmond fitness market this year will be Mercy Fitness Center at the new Interstate 35 facility, 2017 W. I-35 Frontage Road. The hospital’s stand alone fitness center will have community memberships and is enrolling participants now. The center will have certified fitness professionals, class instructors and massage therapists on staff, according to Mercy Health. The fitness center is part of a larger 200,000-square-foot facility and will feature an indoor walking/ jogging track, an exercise pool, warm water therapy pool and whirlpool. The center also will have weight management services and Kids In Motion child care on site for children ages 6 months to 11 years old. The May 19 tornado that struck Edmond made a direct hit on this new facility, delaying the opening for at least six months, hospital officials said. Competition in the fitness industry is fierce with large, all-inclusive clubs competing, such as LA Fitness, against smaller independent gyms. There is also competition coming from other recreational activities and home fitness programs, such as the popular P90X or Insanity. Now that consumers are once again joining clubs, it has caused growth in the fitness industry. Edmond has been a product of this growth with new weight-loss and fitness programs, products and services that are coming to our city because of the demographics and income level. To stay strong in this competitive industry, health and fitness clubs operators must focus on what makes their club stand out from the crowd.
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
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Big-time sports bring big bucks to Edmond, metro
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by Van Mitchell | Special to the Business Times
ach year thousands of visitors come to Edmond and the Oklahoma City metro area for a variety of sports tournaments bringing with them a significant financial impact to the local economy. Just how much economic impact those events have is hard to measure. “It is such a fluid number,” said Cathy Williams-White, director of the Edmond Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Tourism is a hard number to track. It’s hard to pull an exact sports-related number.” Mike Carrier, president of the Oklahoma City CVB, said sporting event visitors have a significant amount of direct spending in the local community. “We don’t talk about economic impact,” Carrier said. “We talk about direct spending. It is extensive in terms of the amount of activity generated by sports to the tune of $150 million to $200 million a year in the Oklahoma City metro area and I would suspect that is a conservative number. And that doesn’t include things like our horse shows that produce probably $175 million to $185 million by themselves.” Carrier said those numbers do not include the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We don’t include the Thunder in what 12
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
we talk about,” Carrier said. “The impact of the Thunder is totally different than that of other sporting events. We estimate conservatively the direct spending for a Thunder game is over $1.2 million per game and that is because the overwhelming majority of people coming to a Thunder game are right here from the Oklahoma City metro area.” Each sporting tournament ranges in size and how much economic impact or direct spending it could have on the local economy. Edmond will play host this summer to another major tournament when the USYSA National Championship 2013 Southern Regional Championships will
be June 20-26 at Service-Blake Soccer Complex on Danforth. Carl Tipton with the Edmond Soccer Club said this event is bringing in 208 teams (of 16-22 players per team) of girls and boys ages 13-19. Tipton said they will be taking up 3,000 hotel rooms in the Edmond and Oklahoma City area for about 6,000 attendees. He estimates the tournament will have an overall economic impact from $5 million to $10 million. “We are optimistic and we are hoping it is around $8 million or $9 million,” he said. “And a lot of that money is spent in Edmond.” Carrier said he estimates that direct
2010 World Sitting Volleyball Championship A Case Study The Edmond Economic Development Authority did an economic impact report on the 2010 World Sitting Volleyball Championship, which was hosted in Edmond at the University of Central Oklahoma. Here’s what EEDA found: • 700 non-local visitors came to Edmond for the event. • Each of those visitors averaged a 10-day hotel stay. • Non-local visitors spent $790,000 in the metro economy on lodging, food, entertainment and retail. • Lodging tax collected was $9,350 and tourism tax was $350. • Event generated 21 jobs. • $53,302 generated in local sales tax dollars.
spending for the soccer tournament will be between $6.5 million to $7 million. The University of Central Oklahoma’s Endeavor Games also bring a number of athletes and visitors to Edmond, said Leigha Pemberton, coordinator of sports programs at the UCO Wellness Center. She said the Endeavor Games will June 6-9 at UCO, Edmond North High School’s track facility and at Arcadia Lake. Pemberton said the events include about 500 athletes from 28 states and three countries.
2014 tournaments you have to review Edmond’s population then and now. Edmond’s population in 2006 was 73,415 and in 2013 it is at 83,000. Yowell added in 2006 Edmond had 587 hotel rooms compared to 710 rooms in 2013. “With the 2014 tournament they are estimating 130,000 visitors both local and non-local visitors,” Yowell said. “We are estimating $86,000 in lodging tax, $452,000 in local sales tax dollars and $430,000 in state sales tax dollars. We are being very conservative in our numbers.”
Events and their impact The 2013 Edmond Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Booking Report projects the following for events booked through Edmond’s CVB: • In 2012, there were 362,840 event attendees with 10,520 room nights at $898,850 in estimated room revenue from the city’s 4 percent hotel/motel tax. • For 2013 there is estimated to be 352,050 event attendees with 16,070 in estimated hotel room nights for a $1.38 million total room revenue projection. Examples: • The UCO Endeavor Games bring in an estimated 9,000 visitors with an estimated 650 room nights at an estimated $59,400 in room revenue. • USYSA National Championship 2013 Southern Regional Championships is expected to have an estimated 4,000 room nights with an estimated $360,000 in room revenue. • The Mumford & Sons “Gentlemen of the Road” music tour Sept. 6-7 in Guthrie is expected to attract an estimated 35,000 visitors to the area utilizing an estimated 1,000 room nights with $90,000 in estimated room revenue.
“The Endeavor Games are for athletes with physical disabilities,” Pemberton said. “We do 11 sports throughout the weekend across Edmond.” Planning is also under way for a major event with Oak Tree National hosting the 2014 United States Senior PGA Open. Oak Tree previously hosted the 1988 PGA Championship and in 2006 hosted the U.S. Senior PGA Championship. Janet Yowell, Edmond Economic Development Authority executive director, said she didn’t have economic impact numbers for the 1988 tournament but the overall economic impact of the 2006 tournament was $11 million. She said the 2014 event is estimated to have an overall economic impact of about $13 million. Carrier said the estimated direct spending for the 2014 golf tournament is between $2.5 million to $3 million. Yowell said when looking at the economic numbers between the 2006 and
Jeffrey R. Ewing is the U.S. Senior Open 2014 Oak Tree National championship director. He said those economic impact numbers could be higher than projected. “The economic impact for the tournament is about $13 million and we expect that number to grow by things we are doing in the community,” Ewing said. The event requires the help of about 3,000 volunteers. Ewing said they have volunteers committed thus far from 17 states and two countries. “We couldn’t do this without our volunteers,” Ewing said. “It takes about three years from start to finish. It is like building a temporary city for 100,000 people for seven days.” Yowell said Edmond and Oak Tree have a strong tradition of putting on quality PGA tournaments. “It is a volunteer-driven process,” Yowell said. “We will have a phenomenal number of volunteers because they believe in the
sport and they believe in helping their community put their best foot forward by hosting the event.” Ewing said the event will require about 5,000 room nights for its players, media, volunteers and spectators. “It takes a great team to put this together,” Ewing said. “The one thing I have noticed about Edmond and Oklahoma City and the state of Oklahoma people are very proud of their community and they want to see special events like this do well because it is a great opportunity for us to showcase our community and what is going on here.” Jim Hopper, president of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, said the sporting events provide a win-win opportunity for the hotels, restaurants and the local economy. “Anytime you bring in a group of outof-town guests it helps the hotels and restaurants because they are going eat and sleep somewhere,” Hopper said. “It’s going to have a significant economic impact. There is also a multiplier effect with increased sales tax revenue. That is a huge multiplier.” AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO BE Williams-White said Edmond plays host to sporting events year-round because of its abundance of quality athletic facilities. As an example, UCO’s involvement with the U.S. Paralympics program has continuously expanded since its inception as a Paralympic training site in 2005. As a training site, the university now hosts the U.S. men’s and women’s sitting volleyball teams. “The quality of facilities that we have here is huge,” she said. “Edmond made a commitment and did an expansion project on the soccer fields about a year ago. They also made a commitment and are expanding the Route 66 softball facilities, which will be complete in November. Under construction now is the Edmond Aquatic and Recreation Center at Mitch Park. The pool there is an Olympic-level pool and we will be able to host regional and state meets. We are also going to grow our Paralympics program to be working out of that facility. JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
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“Edmond has made a commitment to those things because of the citizens’ interest. All those things that make Edmond a great place to live are the things that make Edmond attractive to the sports market.” Ewing said Oklahoma’s success in hosting sporting events bodes well in the state’s efforts to continue to attract more major tournaments. “There is a lot of sports happening here in Oklahoma,” Ewing said. “This is a continued opportunity to showcase what we can do as a community on a national and international scale. The Senior Open is broadcasted to 100-plus countries. The City of Edmond and Oklahoma City and the state will be on showcase for that week all over the world from a golfing standpoint. It is another great opportunity to show what we can do. I think we will continue our reputation as a great host city for major sports events and major events in general.” Carrier concurred. “We have a lot of outstanding facilities in the area,” Carrier said. “We have some very complimentary facilities at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma City University and UCO. We can do NAIA as well as NCAA-caliber events. We have found these niches that work well for the area and we have done a very good job of promoting them and an outstanding job of taking care of people when they come here.”
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2013
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Sunshine Award Winner! Recognizing Excellence In Business
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JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
GROWING EDMOND
PhotoS PROVIDED | EDMOND AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Ribbon Cuttings
Transmedia Powerhouse
Edmond Physical Therapy
Edmond Physical Therapy provides outpatient physical therapy and athletic training services for OU Medical Center Edmond. They are in the Alta Mesa shopping center and recently expanded into a 7,000-square-foot facility. Through this expansion, they added aquatic therapy, a pediatric orthopedics room and a sports performance area to complement their other service lines of general orthopedics and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, back and neck rehabilitation, pre- and post-operative care, sports medicine, balance and gait, vestibular rehabilitation, work comp and hyperhidrosis, and more. They also provide certified athletic trainers to the Edmond Public Schools and community events. For more information, visit www.edmondpt.com or call 340-2019.
The Edmond Chamber hosted a ribbon cutting for Transmedia Powerhouse, which assists businesses by integrating online marketing efforts in order to more effectively attract prospects and engage with clients. Services range from search engine optimization and link building to social networking and reputation marketing. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact Dustin Yoe at 562-8494 or visit www.transmediapowerhouse.com.
Vitality Medical and Cosmetic Center
Dr. Martha Garzon pediatric dentistry
Owner Ron Nerad, family and staff of Vitality Medical and Cosmetic Center, celebrated the opening of its new practice with a ribbon cutting. The new location offers adult health optimization including: internal medicine, hormone imbalances, wellness and preventive medicine. The cosmetic procedures offered include wrinkle erasers, laser resurfacing and rejuvenation, just to name a few. Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Robert Mandraccia, M.D., is on staff. The new office is at 5740 N.W. 135th St. For more information, call 509-3095 or visit www.vitalitymcc.com.
Edmond Chamber Ambassadors joined Dr. Martha Garzon as she broke ground on South Kelly Avenue at a new location for her pediatric dentistry practice. Currently located nearby at 609 S. Kelly Ave., Suite C-1, she and her team are dedicated to maintaining a reputation of excellence by constantly improving their customer services skills as well as their dental and medical qualifications through continuing education. Dr. Garzon has particular interest in treating special needs children, especially those with autism. For more information, call 348-5757 or visit www.marthagarzondmd.com. JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
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business matters
Tim Priebe Webifiable
Blogging for Approachability
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eople do business with those they know, like, trust and value. A huge part of that is trust. When people trust you, that makes you more approachable. And the only way people can do business with you is if they’re comfortable approaching you. So how can a blog help you establish that approachability? Blog In Your Own Voice To trust you, your readers need to feel that you’re a real person. If your blog is cold and impersonal, they won’t have that feeling. That’s not to say that your blog has to be extremely informal. It needs to match
“In life, one of the quickest ways to alienate people is to act inconsistently. So it should be no surprise that the same is true when blogging. A consistent blogging schedule is really the bare minimum.” 16
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
your company culture. If your company culture is formal, your blog will need to be more formal. But if your company culture is informal, your blog should be informal as well. Many bloggers inject tidbits about their personal life into their blog. This can help make you seem more “real” to your readers, if done in a way that’s consistent with your voice and your company culture. avoid industry jargon When blogging, people frequently use terms that are specific to their industry that their readers may or may not be familiar with. If you use industry terms and assume your reader knows what you’re talking about, you run the risk of alienating them. To truly be approachable, the best practice is to avoid industry jargon completely. If you just can’t avoid it, make sure you include a simple explanation of the term or phrase you’re using. Of course, your audience already may have run into industry terms elsewhere. If that’s likely, it can be beneficial to write an article just to explain common industry terms they might have heard. Blog on a regular basis In life, one of the quickest ways to alienate people is to act inconsistently. So it should
be no surprise that the same is true when blogging. A consistent blogging schedule is really the bare minimum. If you’re like most people, you have trouble writing on a regular schedule. Fortunately, blogging consistently really just means publishing consistently. Most modern blogging software will let you write the blog entries whenever you want, then schedule them to be published later. You still have to write on a regular basis, but not with the same regularity that your blog is published. You may see the advantage of blogging for approachability, but be frustrated with the time it takes. If that sounds like you, many online marketing and web design companies can blog on your behalf. Don’t let limited time stop you from creating approachability. TIM PRIEBE is a public speaker, the author of the book “The Beginner’s Guide To Facebook Timeline For Business” and the owner of T&S Web Design in Edmond. He can be reached by email at tim@tandsgo.com or by phone at 285-0348.
Help Keep Edmond Beautiful!
Who has the best looking yard in Edmond? We want to recognize a beautiful yard per week through the summer with the annual Yard of the Week award. The honor is presented by Edmond Beautiful and co-sponsored by The Edmond Sun, Home Depot and the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce.
Winners receive a $50 gift certificate to Home Depot and a three-month free subscription to The Sun. The contest kicks off May 27 and ends Aug. 31. There will be 13 winners announced in The Sun’s Weekender edition each week beginning June 8. To nominate a beautiful yard, call 341-2808.
See a beautiful yard? Call 341-2808
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business matters
Mike Crandall Growth S olutions
3 Keys To Improving Your Sales
W
hen the sales rep heard the prospective client say “we are interested” she immediately began to list all of the reasons that they should buy from her. Even though the prospective client did not seem to be paying attention, she continued to list them. After all, her sales manager helped her make the list of reasons, so it must be good. And she was positive her list of reasons would convince them. At the end the prospective client said “thank you — we will be in touch.” Weeks went by and she never heard back from them, even after leaving several messages and sending multiple emails. If this sounds like something you have heard, felt or experienced then you are not alone. Unfortunately it is all too common in sales interactions. Even though it happens frequently there are three simple things you can do to eliminate this frustration. 1. Be curious: People in respected professions gather information way more than they dispense information. In sales most of us feel compelled (or are instructed) to share all of our information with others. We tell them, or show them how we may help them, what we offer and why it is right for them. Instead be curious. When we are curious we ask questions. When we ask questions we gather information. 18
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
When we gather information we can have a better, deeper, clearer understanding of issues, challenges and/or frustrations. And it allows us to ensure we are looking at, and then offering things that are truly correct for them and their reasons.
“ARE YOU CURIOUS ENOUGH AND SUSPICIOUS ENOUGH IN YOUR SALES CALLS?” 2. Be suspicious: As uncomfortable as it is to hear the truth is almost everyone lies to salespeople. The first thing they share, ask or offer may not be 100 percent accurate or honest. We need to be suspicious to ensure we get to the truth — otherwise we are wasting their time and ours. Not only is there the possibility of them lying to us, but prospective clients also are typically not equipped to properly diagnose the real issues, challenges and or frustrations they may have. When we are suspicious it allows us to sort through the information to ensure we are getting to the real reasons. 3. Do not be emotionally attached to the outcome. One of the greatest complaints CEOs share about sales people (the ones calling on them, and
their own) is how emotionally involved they get in the sales process. When we are emotionally attached to the sale — positively or negatively — the prospective client is immediately disconnected from us. If they sense we are too excited about making the sale they become uncomfortable. If they sense we are becoming upset about not making the sale they get upset as well. All of this happens subconsciously in the mind. We need to be very careful about our emotions getting involved in the sale. How often has the situation above happened to you or someone on your team? If you are brutally honest with yourself the answer may scare you. Most everyone in sales has wasted time, energy and money by not focusing on the correct things in a sales call. So let me ask: “are you curious enough and suspicious enough in your sales calls? Or are you becoming too emotionally attached to the outcome of the sale call? If you are not 100 percent sure, you may want to seek out resources that can help you. MIKE CRANDALL is an Edmond resident and the owner of Sandler Training in Oklahoma City. He can be reached via email at mike.crandall@sandler.com or by phone at 405-844-1700. For more information, go to online to www.customgrowth.sandler.com.
The Business Times
homa of Edmond, Okla and Innovation ation Inspiration , Inform
July 2010 Vol. 2
No. 7
20 Forty
udly Honors The Business Times Pro U N D E R
The Business Times Proudly Honors
20 Forty U N D E R
2013 Nominee Ballot Form
The next generation of Edmond business community leaders are already making their presence and influence felt in every industry. They’re there, working beside you every day, finding new ways to achieve success for both themselves and their businesses. The Business Times of Edmond wants to highlight the Top 20 under 40 in the local business community. Help us find the 2013 class of go-getters by nominating a young businessperson for this honor. Name:____________________________________________________________________Age:______________________________ Business:_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Education:__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do they live in Edmond?_______________________________________________________________________________________ What makes this young businessperson outstanding?________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How do they contribute to the community?_________________________________________________________________________ ________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Previous honors and recognition:________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How to contact them:__________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nominee name and phone number:______________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please fill out this form online at www.edmondsun.com/top20under40 or mail this form to The Edmond Sun, Managing Editor Lisa Shearer, P.O. Box 2470, Edmond, OK 73034, drop it by The Sun at 123 S. Broadway or FAX it to 405-340-7363. Deadline for nominations is 5 p.m., July 2, 2013.
business matters
Nick Massey Astute Investor
F
Free Trade is Important to U.S. Economy
ree trade is a surprisingly controversial topic across the political spectrum, though it shouldn’t be. On the political left, free trade is viewed as being hostile to American workers, something that depresses wages, particularly of the unskilled. On the political right, the argument is less about trade and more about the fine print of the agreement itself, which is seen as crimping U.S. sovereignty. But what none of the special interest groups seem to appreciate is the way that free trade has massively enriched our lives and improved our standard of living. Sure, we see the unemployed former factory worker, but what we don’t see — or don’t realize — are the “what if’s.” If we had not benefited from the economics of free trade, the prices of everything we buy would be significantly higher, meaning we would be doing a lot less shopping. I bring this up because you are about to see a lot more about free trade in the news in the months ahead. President Obama has two very ambitious goals for his second term. He wants a Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement between the U.S. and our major trading partners along the Pacific Rim in Asia, South America and Australia; 20 JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
and an as-yet-to-be-named trade agreement between the U.S. and the European Union. We should wish our president the best in these endeavors. In an era of slow growth and failed government stimulus measures, we need the durable, legitimate growth that free trade can bring.
“As a generation, the baby boomers … have passed their peak spending years …” But before we get too excited, we need to be realistic. Yes, free trade will give our economy a much-needed shot in the arm, and it will lay the foundations for a healthier economy in the decades ahead. But free trade will do nothing to address our single biggest challenge: the aging of the baby boomers. As a generation, the baby boomers — which are the biggest and richest generation in history — have passed their peak spending years and are now focused more heavily on paying down their debts and saving for a retirement that is coming faster than many would like.
There is really nothing we can do about this. What they are doing makes sense since they are at a stage of life where large purchases made with credit are less common. Their children — the echo boomers — are on the upward spending slope and will spend more as a generation every year for multiple decades. But they are simply not earning and spending enough at this point to compensate for their retrenching parents. The bad news is baby-boomer retrenchment is an economic problem that has no solution other than time. It’s something we simply have to wait through. But the good news is the echo boomers will really start to make a difference toward the beginning of the next decade. In the meantime, our leaders should be working toward better long-term free trade and growth policies. Every little bit helps! NICK MASSEY is a financial adviser and president of Householder Group Financial Advisors in Edmond. Massey can be reached at www.nickmassey.com. Securities offered through Securities Service Network Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.
th 4 Generation Citizens Banker Strong, resilient and community focused are words that describe Jill Castilla, EVP, and the 4th generation of her family to work at Citizens Bank of Edmond. Those words also apply to the team she leads and to the bank, which has served Edmond since 1901. “Every day we’re inspired by our customers’ stories, and we continually challenge ourselves to find ways to help them reach their financial goals,” said Jill. “Our roots are deep and our commitment to Edmond remains steadfast. Customers know they can trust us to be here to serve the future citizens of Edmond.” Follow @JillCastilla and @CitizensEdmond on Twitter.
Jill Castilla | EVP
Since 1901
business matters
JIM Denton L edger Lines
Preventing, Detecting Fraud Through Proper Segregation of Duties
A
s an audit professional, I have frequent discussions regarding segregating duties among office personnel. The question involves whether the duties performed are compatible. By compatibility I mean can the duties be performed by the same person and not compromise good internal control? Or will a person have the ability to commit fraud easily and systematically given the procedures in place? The best way to combat these control issues is through solid segregation of duties. This article is to help you start to think on these matters.
“ the best way to combat these control issues is through solid segregation of duties.” There are two types of financial tasks — custodial and recording. Custodial tasks involve handling money or its equivalent. That would be anything from opening 22 JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
envelopes with checks and invoices, counting cash, preparing the deposit, taking the deposit to the bank, transmitting credit/ debit card transactions, mailing checks to vendors, receiving and distributing payroll checks, opening cash accounts, operating a cash register, purchasing investments, signing checks, etc. Recording tasks include the recording of invoices, preparation of unsigned checks, posting of entries into the accounting system, preparation of financial statements, reconciling the bank statement, initializing vendor and employee records, recording employee hours from time cards, etc. In segregating these duties, there are two basic rules. • rule no. 1: Personnel performing custodial tasks should not also be performing recording tasks and vice versa. • rule no. 2: No one person dominate an entire cycle of custodial or recording tasks. So in applying these rules, it is best to do a “walk-through” listing the tasks done by transaction cycle. For example, the payroll cycle would start with setting up a new employee, and ask who does it? How is it accomplished? Who reviews it? Next: How are time cards entered? Who does
this? How? Who reviews it? Then: How is payroll calculated? Who? How? Who reviews it? Who approves it? Next: How are payroll checks and the direct deposit transfer files prepared? Who prepares them? Who reviews each? Who approves? Then how are checks distributed? How is the direct deposit file transmitted to the bank? Who? How? Who reviews? Who approves? Once your walk-through is accomplished, divide your tasks into custodial and recording. Check to assure custodial duties and recording duties are not performed by the same personnel. If they are, then use your influence to reassign the duties as appropriate. Secondly, ascertain that individual workers are not dominating complete cycles of recording or custodial. If so, then use your influence to reassign the duties as appropriate. In the end, know that you will not be able to completely prevent fraud but you will be able to detect it quicker when financial duties are properly segregated. JIM DENTON is a CPA and a managing partner with Arledge & Associates P.C. in Edmond. He may be reached via email at jim@jmacpas.com.
business matters
Cyndy Hoenig S ocial Strategies
P
Putting Right Team Together Takes Strategy, Time
utting together and keeping an effective business team can be hard work. Often it’s not that a business needs more money to hire the right team, it’s that it needs the right people with the right expertise and contacts. Here are some ways to start and improve along the way. 1. define your purpose. Identify key members of your team and know what their expectations for success are. Have a solid understanding of what you are trying to accomplish as a team. 2. determine the role of each member. Take an honest look at each
team member’s strengths and weaknesses in order to best assign roles and responsibilities. 3. have a plan for resources.
Create resource allocation plans centered around your team goals and figure out what you need to accomplish this. 4. determine the size of your team. Think about the number of team
members needed to accomplish each goal and keep the size of the team manageable. 5. manage your team. Create mechanisms to manage team momentum, members’ commitment and other outside active support, through continual 24 JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
relationship building. 6. know your team. Think about
your team members individual and collective: Reputation, networking relationships, ability to bring in resources and their expertise. They have resources to offer. 7. define your image. Think about the goals of your project and determine what it is that your team wants to be known for, and who is the audience you want to reach? You must know your target audience. 8. create and manage plans.
How will you communicate with each other and outside groups, how will you trust each other and solve issues that arise? You need plans or a structure for making group decisions. 9. inform your team. The team will be prepared to act for the advancement of the group if they know the stages of teambuilding: Forming, storming, norming and performing. 10. know yourself, your abilities and limitations. A
core component of successful leadership is emotional intelligence, which includes self awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. 11. use the whole team’s
resources.
Network, network, network! This will help you get yourself and your group into the community and more involved. Now meet the newest member of my team at Pure PR — Shea Moseley. Having grown up on the sets of many top-rated television shows with her publicist mother, Shea has a great deal of experience in the communications field. This contributed to her decision to enter the fields of PR and sales. Before joining Pure PR, Shea took a break from the business world to concentrate on raising her two sons. Shea was just hired as vice president of New Business Development of the agency. Shea can be reached at smoseley4@cox.net. CYNDY HOENIG is a PR strategist who owns Pure PR in Oklahoma City. She is the author of “600 PR, Marketing and Social Media Tips,” which is available as a free download at http:// pureprokc.com/600-diy-pr-tips. She also is the author of the recently released “PR Rock Star.” Email Cyndy at cyndyhoenig@ymail.com or call her at 245-4668 for more information.
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NEW BUSINESS LISTINGS Following is a listing of newly filed businesses in the Edmond area with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office: 007 Operating LLC, 884 N. McAurthur Blvd., Crescent, filed May 14 by April French of the same address. 4MD Leasing LLC, 2405 Silverfield Lane, Edmond, filed May 13 by Paracorp Inc. of Oklahoma City. Anza Management Group LLC, 10201 Buffalo Ridge Road, filed May 16 by Thomas Schroedter of Tulsa. Bernard Albaugh, 1701 Birchfield Road, filed May 17 for trade name. Beyond LLC, 15701 Claremont Blvd., filed May 13 by R. Bruce Kerr of the same address. Blue Belle Entertainment LLC, 224 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, filed May 13 by Peter R. Fulmer of the same address. Caliber Outdoor Media LLC, 2016 Old Ridge Road, filed May 17 by Michael R. Weller of the same address. Choctaw Events & Chapel LLC, 15969 S.E. 29th St., filed May 16 by Margaret Thomas of Harrah. Club UDI Management Association Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, filed May 13 by Corporate Creations Network Inc. of Tulsa. Coburn Rentals LLC, 6424 Oak Heritage, Edmond, filed May 15 by John Coburn of the same address. CR Hooper DC Enterprises PLLC, 520 W. 15th St., filed May 16 by Don Richardson of Edmond. Danny Eastin LLC, 4000 Old Country Circle, Edmond, filed May 13 by Danny Eastin of the same address. Dawn M. Holt, 16382 Cobblestone Circle, Choctaw, filed May 13 for trade name. Dax M. Johnston Roofing LLC, 17213 Hardwood Place, Edmond, filed May 17 by Zachary T. Ball of Norman. Decorative Concrete Evolution LLC, 11147 Murray, Guthrie, filed May 15 by Danielle Richards of the same address. Dirty Annie’s Soap Limited Liability Company, 21971 Pleasant Ridge Road, Edmond, filed May 15 by Tracy L. Gunn of the same address.
Ebbal Exploration LLC, 17636 Iron Lane, Edmond, filed May 15 by Adam Labbe of the same address. Everett Family Limited Partnership, 3710 Oakdale Forest Road, filed May 13 for trade name. Everett Family Limited Partnership, 3710 Oakdale Forest Road, Edmond, filed May 13 by James Everett of the same address. Ginger’s Music of OKC LLC, 211 N. Broadway, filed May 13 by Bryan N. Evans of the same address. Hancock Creative Shop LLC, 116 S. Second St., Guthrie, filed May 13 by Barry Hancock of the same address. Hise Flowback LLC, 1409 S. Aries Road, Edmond, filed May 16 by Paul A. Hise of the same address. HTS OKC LLC, 3409 Deer Valley, Edmond, filed May 13 by Atul Patel of the same address. HUP Resources LLC, 401 W. Covell Road, No. 131, filed May 16 by Sean McCabe of the same address. IRemember The Music LLC, 211 N. Broadway, filed May 13 by Dustin A. Davis of the same address. Issue LLC, 419 S. Littler Ave., filed May 16 by Issue LLC of the same address. J&M Sol Properties LLC, 16009 Oak Drive, filed May 15 by Rainey Law LLP of Oklahoma City. Janine Handler, 10700 N. Sooner Road, filed May 14 for trade name. Jason A. Souter, 3436 N.W. 176th St., filed May 14 for trade name. JD Zurik Consulting LLC, 1905 W. Glen Eagle, Edmond, filed May 14 by United States Corporation Agents Inc. of Oklahoma City. Junk King LLC, 16591 S.E. 29th St., Choctaw, filed May 15 by Jeromy Hudson of the same address. Kerry Billington Fine Art LLC, 12402 S. Kelly Ave., Edmond, filed May 14 by Elizabeth J. Billington of the same address. Lab Strategies LLC, 17101 Wales Green Ave.,
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Edmond, filed May 14 by Daniel Van Vuren of the same address. LaTasha Walker, 501 W. 15th St., Apt. 104, filed May 15 for trade name. Maddog Leasing LLC, 11650 S. Broadway, filed May 16 by Craig D. Carter & Associates P.C. of Edmond. Market Place Produce LLC, 2000 W. Danforth No. 140, filed May 15 for trade name. Marte Cooksey Enterprises LLC, 16016 Promontory Road, Edmond, filed May 15 by Donna Rae Cooksey of Oklahoma City. Marte Cooksey Enterprises LLC, 16016 Promontory Road, Edmond, filed May 15 for trade name by Donna Rae Cooksey of Oklahoma City. Midas Investments Tax Sales LLC, 1320 E. Ninth St., Suite B, Edmond, filed May 17 by C&M Contracting Services LLC of Edmond. Noriega Way LLC, 1300 E. Charter Oak Road, filed May 16 by David Noriega of the same address. Oklahoma Heritage Roofing & Construction LLC, 14151 Fontella Lane, Edmond, filed May 15 by J.J. Corralez of the same address. Partners in Grime LLC, 211 N. Broadway, filed May 13 by Dustin A. Davis of the same address. Roof One of Oklahoma LLC, 2701 Pennington Ave., Edmond, filed May 14 by James Nelle of the same address. Roots Lawn and Landscape LLC, 12000 N. Ecker Drive, Edmond, filed May 16 by Sayre McNeil of the same address. Scar Arms LLC, 4325 Cypress Creek Road, Edmond, filed May 17 by Justin Scharbor of the same address. Southpaw LLC, 315 E. Eighth St., filed May 16 by Dustin C. Jeanes of the same address. Stage 7 Entertainment LLC, 504 N. Massachuettes, Langston, filed May 14 by Mary Boyles of the same address.
Stall Ready Mat Rental LLC, 10061 Lookout Pointe, Edmond, filed May 16 by Bobby Watkins of the same address. Stegmann Services LLC, 960604 S. 3374 Road, Wellston, filed May 16 by George Stegmann of the same address. Summit Properties & Investments LLC, 16005 Evan Shaw Court, Edmond, May 13 filed by Summit Properties & Investments LLC of the same address. Tallgrass Management LLC, 3847 S. Boulevard, Suite 400, Edmond, filed May 15 by Rhone Bird of Oklahoma City. TBK Creations L.P., 2125 N.W. 157th, Edmond, filed May 13 by James Barnicoat of the same address. Technology Financial Solutions LLC, 500 Enterprise Drive, filed May 14 by Watts & Watts of Oklahoma City. TER Holdings LLC, 16301 N. Rockwell, Edmond, filed May 16 by Kent W. Gardner PLLC of Oklahoma City. The Broadmark Corp. LLC, 1015G Waterwood Parkway, Suite D-2, Edmond, filed May 16 by Gregory Stamm of the same address. Total Equipment & Rental of Albuquerque LLC, 16301 N. Rockwell, Edmond, filed May 16 by Kent W. Gardner PLLC of Oklahoma City. Total Equipment & Rental of El Paso LLC, 16301 N. Rockwell, Edmond, filed May 16 by Kent W. Gardner PLLC of Oklahoma City. Truly You Aesthetics LLC, 817 Irish Lane, Suite 7, Edmond, filed May 17 by Truly You Aesthetics LLC of Oklahoma City. Turney Farms LLC, 4301 Preserve Place, filed May 16 by Turney Farms LLC of the same address. Water Heater Man LLC, 711 W. Edmond Road, filed May 15 by Darryl Farrow of Kingfisher.
BUSINESS CALENDAR Downtown Edmond Business Association Board meeting 8:30 a.m. June 4 DEBA office http://downtownedmondok.info/ Leadership Edmond Alumni Lunch with the Mayor 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 4 Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce 825 E. Second St. RSVP required to info@edmondchamber.com Cost: Event is free to dues-paying alumni members Planning Commission 5:30 p.m. June 4 (First and third Tuesday) City Council Chambers 20 S. Littler Ave. Visit www.edmondok.com to find the agenda Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce EYP Leadership Latte 7:30-9 a.m. June 5 Coffee Commission 309 S. Bryant Ave., Suite 230 RSVP required to info@edmondchamber.com Cost: Free, but there is limited seating for this event
City Council 5:30 p.m. June 10 (Second and fourth Monday) City Council Chambers 20 S. Littler Ave. Visit www.edmondok.com to find the agenda
Planning Commission 5:30 p.m. June 18 (First and third Tuesday) City Council Chambers 20 S. Littler Ave. Visit www.edmondok.com to find the agenda
Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours 5:30-7 p.m. June 11 The Greens Country Club 13100 Green Valley Drive No RSVP required Cost: Free for chamber members
Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce Morning Mingle 8-9:30 a.m. June 19 MidFirst Bank 1601 E. Danforth No RSVP required Cost: Free for chamber members
Downtown Edmond Business Association General meeting 9 a.m. June 17 Edmond Mobile Meals, 25 W. Third St.
City Council 5:30 p.m. June 24 City Council Chambers 20 S. Littler Ave. Visit www.edmondok.com to find the agenda
Edmond Economic Development Authority Board of Trustees 8:15 a.m. June 18 (Third Tuesday) 825 E. Second St. Visit www.eeda.com Call 340-0116
Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Luncheon 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 27 Speaker: Gov. Mary Fallin Oak Tree Country Club 700 Country Club Drive RSVP required to info@edmondchamber.com Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members
Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network Breakfast 7:30-9 a.m. June 27 Speaker: Christy Counts, president of Oklahoma Humane Society River Oaks Golf Club 10909 Clubhouse Road RSVP required to info@edmondchamber.com Cost: $15 for members $20 for non-members Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce EYP General Networking Night 5:30-7 p.m. June 27 The Garage 601 S. Bryant Ave. RSVP required to info@edmondchamber.com Cost: Free to Edmond Young Professionals members
TO ADD your business event to this free calendar, email the details to lshearer@edmondsun.com.
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Business Book Review
by By Terri Schlichenmeyer | The bookworm sez
“Going Social” by Jeremy Goldman c.2013, Amacom $19.95/$23.50 Canada 294 pages
B
usiness is a little off. It’s been that way for awhile, despite a “recovery,” despite that you’ve hired a first-class sales team and rolled out new product in the past year, despite an expensive new ad budget. It’s very discouraging. You know you need a new direction. Maybe a better way to connect with customers would work, something inexpensive yet effective. And in the new book “Going Social” by Jeremy Goldman, you’ll find it. From birth to death, we have a “propensity toward social action” that drives us. Babies instinctively look for faces. Adults seek out human contact once basic survival needs are met. We need to connect with other people. The good news for your business is that it’s cheaper than ever to utilize
innate human cravings for social contact: The cost of conversing with customers “has gone down dramatically.” That’s why many corporations use social media: Online recommendations are “up to 50 times more likely to trigger a purchase compared to another kind of recommendation.” But how do you make it work for you? The first thing to do, Goldman writes, is to change your thinking. The question isn’t whether your business should have a social media presence. It’s what type of presence you need. Knowing the answer will save you from wasting time on sites not frequented by your target market. Second, set your strategy. Like everything else in business, you must have a plan because social marketing “can’t transform businesses simply by existing.” You should also know your audience, what they like, and where they are. Don’t just throw something online; have a point and be clear. Also, be unique and creative, but don’t “pander” to anyone. Learn to target customers on different sites, but don’t go hogwild; chances are, you don’t need to be
everywhere (but sign up for an account anyhow, so you “own” that real estate). Finally, learn how (and when) to deal with negative comments, and understand that giving better-than-stellar customer service online is absolutely essential. When it comes to business, you’ve seen fads come and you’ve seen them go, but you know that social media is here to stay. Isn’t it time to grab “Going Social” and learn about how to harness it? I won’t promise you it’s easy, even with the help of this book, but author Jeremy Goldman does offer plenty of advice to help take away some of the frustration in using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and the like. It helps that he’s included plenty of first-hand accounts from other businesses, large and small, and that he starts with the basics. I was also happy to see him tackle pitfalls and cautions, since being quick on your feet seems to be necessary in nearly everything online. I think that if you’re looking to hire or train a social media director (one of Goldman’s advisements), then this book offers a good working knowledge toward that end. With “Going Social” on your desk, your business is game on. Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer in Wisconsin. She may be reached via email at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
29
LAST LOOK
Steve’s Ribs Grabs The Silver Ring Story and photo by patty miller the business times
Karen and Steve Seikel are owners of Steve’s Ribs on Second Street in Edmond. They recently celebrated their silver anniversary with new menu selections and extended summer hours.
S
teve’s Ribs owners just celebrated their silver anniversary with a new menu and extended summer hours. Steve Seikel and his wife, Karen, saw an opportunity in a Homeland parking lot 25 years ago in 1988 when a man who owned a barbecue business was selling out. “We saw the potential to keep it open and focus on quality food,” Karen said, and that is what they have been doing ever since. Steve, who has a degree in architecture, had been involved in food service and other restaurants and Karen was an oil and gas accountant. The parking lot at Santa Fe and Second Street was the home to Steve’s Ribs for eight years before they moved it to a strip mall where they opened business for the next nine years. “In May of 2005, we built the building we are now in and then opened another restaurant in north Oklahoma City at
30 JUNE 2013 | The Business Times
Hefner and Rockwell,” Karen said. With plans to still expand, Karen said they have been looking for buildings with a drive through on their wish list. Steve designed the building on Second Street and after taking up oil painting in 2010, Steve, Karen and their daughter all paint together each week. The restaurant’s walls are covered with their artwork. Steve’s Ribs offers daily lunch specials and slab rib specials all day on Monday and Tuesdays. “We also have happy hour specials daily from 3-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday with a special bar and patio menu that will include half-price appetizers and beer specials,” Karen said. In addition there will be new items added to the full menu, including catfish, hush puppies, a rib-eye steak and macaroni and cheese. Steve’s wants to bring a new twist to their restaurant to showcase that they have more to offer to the people of Edmond.
Their catering menu includes bulk meats by the pound, a slab of ribs, pulled pork, turkey breast, polish sausage and hot links. Half chickens are available as well as super spuds. Their to go order menu includes family packs that will feed four or six and buttermilk biscuit cobblers or fudge brownies. Summer hours are extended from: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. On big game nights for Thunder, University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, Karen said the sports bar side will stay open until the game is over. “We appreciate Edmond’s business,” Steve said. “We have done very well in the Edmond community.”
Steve’s Ribs is at 1801 W. Edmond Road in Edmond, 340-7427. The new Hefner location is at 7202 W. Hefner Road. For more information, visit the Steve’s Rib Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stevesrib.
BEGINNING IN AUGUST 2013
Since 1979, Francis Tuttle Technology Center has been helping power economic development in Edmond. The addition of the Francis Tuttle Business Innovation Center in the Cross Timbers Office Park will ensure that Edmond-area businesses and entrepreneurs have ready access to an expanded offering of programs. ƫ
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Portland Campus N.W. 150th & Portland
Reno Campus Reno & Rockwell
Rockwell Campus N.W. 122nd & Rockwell
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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID EDMOND OK PERMIT NO. 84
IS IN Edmond
For Your Community. For Your Family. For You.
At INTEGRIS Health, we are proud to say we’re Oklahoma’s largest healthcare system. It’s communities – just like Edmond – all around our state that give us the opportunity to extend our quality care to more Oklahomans and their families. And because we have specialists in more areas of care, we make certain that you have access to The Most Challenging Healing ™ – in the most convenient and comfortable way possible. INTEGRIS HEALTH EDMOND HOSPITAL 4801 Integris Parkway (between 2nd & 15th on I-35 Access Road East) 405-657-3000 INTEGRIS FAMILY CARE COFFEE CREEK 2916 N. Kelly Avenue 405-715-5300 INTEGRIS FAMILY CARE EDMOND RENAISSANCE 1700 Renaissance Blvd. 405-844-4300 INTEGRIS ORTHOPEDICS EDMOND 4833 Integris Parkway, Suite 150 405-657-3990
INTEGRIS JIM THORPE OUTPATIENT REHABILITATION 4833 Integris Parkway, Suite 100 (between 2nd & 15th on I-35 Access Road East) 405-657-3800 INTEGRIS CARDIAC PHYSICIANS 4833 Integris Parkway, Suite 200 (between 2nd & 15th on I-35 Access Road East) 405-947-3341 INTEGRIS FAMILY CARE EAST 4833 Integris Parkway, Suite 200 (between 2nd & 15th on I-35 Access Road East) 405-657-3950
INTEGRIS EDMOND PROHEALTH PHARMACY 4833 Integris Parkway, First Floor 405-657-3900 INTEGRIS SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER OF EDMOND 3520 S. Boulevard 888-53-SLEEP INTEGRIS CANCER INSTITUTE OF OKLAHOMA, PROTON CAMPUS 5911 W. Memorial Road 1-877-811-ICIO
integrisOK.com/edmond